In June my hubby and I (both getting long in the tooth) are flying from Heathrow to Bari, Southern Italy but have to change planes at Milan Malpensa. We have a couple of hours to spare any tips for this airport please as we have heard its a dump.

The airport is a dump and there is no escape. Milan is 90 minutes to 2 hours away by the time you factor getting out of passport control, and unless you know where you are going in Milan, it is quite easy to get lost. Trying to get to a neighboring scenic town (say, Stresa) means waiting for a bus, and counting on one to return within a few hours.

If you wanted to throw a lot of money at the problem, you could probably get a taxi to drive you to Stresa (50 minutes away) and wait while you walked along the lake, then drive you back. But we are talking 150 euro easily.

So bring your own food and buy a bottle of nice wine at the airport. Read through your travel books or a nice novel.

By the way, I much prefer Malpensa to Heathrow!

Thanks nessundorma for your response. From what everybody says about Alitalia coupled with Milan Malpensa and Heathrow (which isnt our favourite airport either) as well it looks as though it could be an eventful trip and perhaps we will take some sandwiches. I think we will be glad to get to Bari!

Though certainly not agreeable, I found a little sandwich shop near the car rental area that had good coffee, decent sandwiches, and where there was little traffic, so it was quiet and easy to settle there for a nice respite.

Thanks laclaire. That sounds great. What we need is a quiet corner as we heard its very crowded with not enough seats.

I really don't think this is any more of a dump than most airports of its size and it's far nicer than the parts of LHR I've seen. There's not much there but it's nowhere near as grimmy as Heathrow. I actually had a decent plate of pasta with pesto when stuck there Thursday but there's just very little to do there.

You'll be able to find a seat. There aren't enough seats for people arriving at 9am for an 11am transatlantic flight. But since you have time between flights, you can scout out a place where no planes are departing at all, or are in the process of boarding, freeing up the seats.

For clarification, I wouldn't consider Milano's Malpensa airport a "dump". It is just a small airport and not as streamlined or modern as its U.S. counterparts. I fly in and out of Milano about 6+ times a year and rather like the convenience, familiarity and smallness of the airport.

As an alternative to remaining in the airport, the town of Gallarate is very close to Malpensa airport. You can get there in about 10 minutes' time and the taxi ride is under 15 euros. There is a small town centre with shops, cafes, etc. that you can while away the time in if you'd like.

Otherwise if you choose to remain in the airport, there is some seating areas just outside of the baggage claim exit area, along the windows and in other places.

Gallarte is a small town with a lovely center as Huitres said. I have had some wonderful meals there. So if you do want to "get away" for a bit that certainly would be an option.