tedgale

On Monday, March 22 we must return our Hertz rental car to Linate airport.

1. Can anyone advise whether there is a gas station at Linate or near the entrance to Linate?

(We have never been to this airport before and are a little nervous about getting gas, then returning the car.)

A second question:
2. Our flight to Amsterdam is at 10:45 am. I thought of staying overnight at Linate on Sunday -- the alternative is to stay in the Milanese suburb of Sesto San Giovanni, 30-40 minutes away, where we are having dinner with friends on Sunday evening.

Neither Sesto nor Linate is a particularly enticing prospect, I know. Has anyone a suggestion for where to stay at Linate?

zeppole

Tripadvisor has recommendations for hotels near Linate if you do a search using the word Linate. So does Venere.

First let me reassure you that there is nothing terribly complicated about the roads and layout of Linate. About the gas station, I can't recall exactly where one is but I would think you'll encounter many. (You might be able to pinpoint using Google and including AGIP in the search string.)

Can your friends in Sesto San Giovanni be of any help? They might be able to look it up for you and send you an address.

aprillilacs

In June last year we had an early flight out of Linate so we wanted a hotel close to the airport. We stayed at the very serviceable Air Hotel Milano Linate, which was actually walking distance from the airport. We checked in to the hotel, drove the short distance to the airport to drop off our rental car (saving a day of rental charges), and walked back to the hotel, where we had dinner and relaxed. Took the hotel shuttle early the next morning. Aside from the very rude Europecar rental staff, the experience was quite pleasant and hassle-free. The price was right too--under 80 euros through booking.com.

tedgale

Thanks. My Milanese friend has prevailed upon me to stay at Sesto S. G.
We will leave early in the morning from the Sesto hotel to get to Linate.
My friend Roberto, the prevailer, is not the sort to research gas stations. Not for me, not for himself, not for anyone.
Long story. You'll read about him in my forthcoming trip report!
I welcome your reassurances about the ease of access to Linate. We will allow ourselves some extra time to locate a gas station.
(I will do the google search with Agip tonight -- great suggestion)
But if anyone has gas-station specifics, please bring 'em on.

zeppole

Still no suggestions about gas stations, but you will need to allow time for traffic as well as gas if you are leaving from Sesto San Giovanni to catch your morning flight. Getting to the security line an hour before is ok, since it's intra-Europe, and the car rental drop off should not be a big deal. But if whatever estimate Roberto gives you about when you need to leave, add a half hour, and don't be prevailed upon to not leave enough time.

By the way, it is really not the end of the world to pay the charge to have them fill your tank. Yes it's extravagant, but I've done it when it was that or a choice between spending any more time fussing about it.

tedgale

That is good advice about budgeting sufficient time.
Roberto is a congenital optimist. I am the opposite.
By the way:
www.mappy.it says you can do the distance from Sesto SG to Linate in 19 minutes. I think that's absurd.

tedgale

We stayed near my friend's place in Sesto S G. The hotel was the Gran Barone di Sassj. We got it on Venere for 70 E/ night, including free parking and a full buffet breakfast for two.
It is a few steps away from a metro stop that takes you direct to the historic centre -- about 15 minutes.
I mention this only in case anyone ever needs to stay in that corner of Milan. The hotel is a chain/ business hotel -- for that sort of hotel, it really is quite nice.
We traveled to Linate in heavy rush hour traffic. It took 40 minutes in stop-go traffic.
There IS an Agip station right at the entrance to Linate.
The gas is, not surprisingly, a bit pricey but the tank did not need much topping up.
Thx to all for your help.

zeppole

Nice to know of a cheap clean hotel 15 minutes from the center -- and the location of a useful AGIP station.

tedgale

Yes, the hotel is in a dull part of Milan but the hotel itself is actually quite grand -- lots of marble, very large public spaces. It opened about 4 years ago.
The rooms are not extremely large (by N American standards) but they are attractively furnished, have lots of storage, 2 upholstered armchairs, Wi-Fi, etc. I found our room more attractive than the website photos of standard rooms.
The room had a window that OPENS!
The bathroom was very spacious.
Everything was immaculate.
Because we booked online, we got 20 minutes free internet access (which we did not use).
The hotel website showed a price of 70 E for Friday and Saturday but 140 E on Sunday -- and we had no flexibility in our date, we needed to book for a Sunday night.
It was better to book on Venere, where the price was 70 E for Sunday.

zeppole

In case anybody in the future calls up this thread, I'll just add that I've recently discovered that if you can hold off and book a Milan hotel about 3 days before you need one, sites like "Last Minute" can offer you some very good deals -- especiallly for non-business nities (Fri-Sat nites.)

This cost-saving strategy is not for the faint of heart, and travelers coming from the states for the first time to Milan probably shouldn't do it. But others might take note.

Venere is always worth checking out, as is Holiday City when booking in Milano (both have user reviews).