I am flying out of Italy from Milano on September 29 September and was planning on staying there, or near there, on the 28th. I discover now it is Fashion Week in Milano then and hotels are very expensive. Anyone have any suggestions for this sad budget traveller?

We stayed at the Hotel Ariosto last April and really liked it. It is showing a rate of 89 euros for a single on September 28. The Hotel is quite close to the train to the Malpensa airport. Hope this helps.

Hi y_lou,

Thanks for that - the hotel sounds good, whenyou say Malpensa airport, I take it this is the Milan international airport?

Kathy

"Anyone have any suggestions for this sad budget traveller?"

Yes: learn to speak English.
You're going to Milan. If you want to go on about 'Milano', do so in Italian.

No Milanese is so contemptuous of his language as to talk about "London" or "Paris" when he's speaking it: it's "Londra" and "Parigi". Why should you be more contemptuous of your language than Italians are of theirs?

Malpensa is one of Milan's international airports.

flanneruk, you are such a pleasant person.

Yes Milan has two airports Malpensa from which most international fights depart and Linate. You can take the Malpensa Express train from the Cadorna Train station. It takes about 40 minutes.
The Hotel Ariosto hotel is about a 15 minute walk to the station. It is in a really pretty neighborhood near the Last Supper. If you book a room be sure to ask for a room on the courtyard. It will be quieter than a room facing the street. We made a last minute change to this hotel in April to save some money and were very pleased with the decision.

Goodness what an interesting point of view. In my travel experience, which is significant, I have found the locals appreciative of a visitor's considerations of local pronunciation, attempts to offering basic greetings in the local language, and so on. Sadly I do not have the lingual ability to fully learn the language of every country I visit. Do you speak on behalf of all Milanese? If so, I will avoid that precious city altogether and travel direct to Milan/Milano Airport to fly out of Italy.

Flanner, that was really over the top, as in Uncalled For. Cape, you don't need to avoid Milan, just London.

Since I live in Italia, I tend to think I'm entitled to say Milano.

cape, you might consider staying outside Milano on Lago Maggiore (or Major Lake, as flanner would have it.)

There is a regular shuttle bus that takes people from the towns on the lake directly to Malpensa airport terminals. The bus runs very early in the morning. Costs about 10e, and your hotel can make a reservation for you and tell you where it stops.

You might try google searches for "bed and breakfast" in the following towns: Stresa, Baveno and Arona.

You can reach these towns by train or bus from the center of Milano.

You can also google up the Malpensa airport website which will tell you about bus services directly to Milano from other towns. So perhaps you could stay in, say, Bergamo, and catch a bus to Malpensa in time for your flight.

Be careful going too low in price in Milano. Cheap hotels in the city can be very substandard. (So can expensive ones.)

Hope that helps and something turns up for you.

Here is the website that shows you which towns other than Milano have bus connections to Malpensa:

http://www.sea-aeroportimilano.it/en...=come_arrivare

And here is the specific schedule for Lago Maggiore. As you can see, the town of Arona is only 30 mins from the airport. And the bus fare is cheaper than if you stayed in Milano.

But if you reserve a hotel on Lago Maggiore, make sure they make a reservation on the bus for you the day before.


Departure from: Verbania - Intra - Pallanza - Baveno - Stresa - Arona
Journeys: from 3/20 to 10/31, every day
Duration Time: Verbania 1h 30´ - Intra 1h 30´ - Pallanza 1h 15´ - Baveno 1h - Stresa 50´ - Arona 30´
Price:from €11,50 to €5,50
Tickets: on board
Remarks: according to the timetable, the service must be booked by phone, the day before the departure, by 11:00 am. Alibus is available also on Sundays and Mondays, but in this case it is necessary to reserve the service on Saturdays

Fantastic helpful people, thanks for your advice, now I just want to stay longer and see all of these little towns - and Milan(o).
Will now do some research and make a decision, in between swotting up my Italian phrase book.
Flanneruk, I hope your life has improved in the last few hours.
Ciao