# Milan: three airports, and one of them shrank

> Malpensa moved 31.4 million passengers in 2025 and Bergamo 16.9, the only large Italian airport that lost traffic. Bologna is 1 hour 4 minutes away.

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/milano/getting-there
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Malpensa is the airport for most arrivals in Milan, with 31,385,585 passengers in 2025 and second place nationally, while Bergamo Orio al Serio was the only large Italian airport to lose traffic that year.

## Three fields, three different jobs

Malpensa (MXP) recorded 31,385,585 passengers in 2025, up 8.6% on 2024, second in Italy. Linate (LIN) recorded 11,131,764, up 4.5%, eighth nationally. Bergamo Orio al Serio Il Caravaggio (BGY) recorded 16,937,976, down 2.4%, third nationally.

Malpensa and Linate belong to SEA. Bergamo belongs to SACBO and sits in another province, which is the fact that airline booking pages tend not to spell out.

Read the ranking and the direction of travel together. Bergamo was the only large Italian airport in decline in 2025, in a year when Malpensa added 8.6% and the national system grew. A route map drawn on 2023 traffic is already out of date at Orio al Serio.

## Bologna is 1 hour 4 minutes away, and that is the point

Milano Centrale to Bologna Centrale takes 1 hour 4 minutes on the fastest direct high speed train (timetable in force September 2026), and Bologna is where the Italian high speed network crosses: the Turin to Milan to Naples axis meets the branch towards Venice there.

That hour decides how a northern itinerary is built. From Milan you are 1 hour 4 from the junction, 1 hour 54 from Firenze Santa Maria Novella, 2 hours 27 from Venezia Santa Lucia, 2 hours 55 from Roma Termini and 4 hours 33 from Napoli Centrale.

Sample sizes are worth knowing: 17 direct Frecciarossa were counted on the Florence route, 13 on the Venice route, 46 on Rome, 27 on Naples, all on Tuesday September 8, 2026, direct services only. Those samples may be incomplete, and none of them is confirmed by a second source.

## The Venice line is not high speed the whole way

Milano Centrale to Venezia Santa Lucia takes 2 hours 27 minutes at best, with a median of 2 hours 27 and a slowest direct service at 2 hours 32, because the Brescia to Verona to Padova stretch is still being upgraded.

Compare that with Florence, 1 hour 54 over a longer distance on a purpose built line, and the shape of the network becomes legible. Eastwards from Milan you are on a mixed railway; southwards you are not.

The narrow spread between fastest and slowest on the Venice route, 2 hours 27 to 2 hours 32, has a practical upside. There is no bad train to Venice, so book on price and departure time rather than hunting for the quick one. See [getting to Venice](/towns/venezia/getting-there).

## Rome and Naples: the medians matter

Roma Termini is 2 hours 55 minutes from Milano Centrale at best, but the median across 46 direct Frecciarossa is 3 hours 15 and the slowest direct service in the sample took 7 hours 13.

That spread is why a booking screen sorted by price will quietly cost you two hours. Sort by duration first, then by price.

Naples runs 4 hours 33 at best and 4 hours 45 at the median across 27 direct trains. Italo covers several of these routes and its times are not verified here, so treat this page as the Trenitalia picture and check the other operator yourself. The whole national timetable is rewritten in mid December. More at [trains in Italy](/themes/trains) and [where to stay in Milan](/towns/milano/where-to-stay).

## FAQ

### Which airport should I fly into for Milan?

Malpensa for long haul and most scheduled traffic: 31,385,585 passengers in 2025, second in Italy, up 8.6%. Linate is the close-in city airport with 11,131,764, eighth nationally. Bergamo Orio al Serio, third with 16,937,976, is a separate city with its own transfer.

### Is Bergamo airport really a Milan airport?

It is sold as one and it is the third busiest in Italy, with 16,937,976 passengers in 2025. It is also the only large Italian airport whose traffic fell that year, by 2.4%, while Malpensa gained 8.6%. It is operated by SACBO, not by Milan's SEA.

### How long does the train from Milan to Rome take?

2 hours 55 minutes on the fastest direct high speed service, with a median of 3 hours 15 across 46 direct Frecciarossa on the weekday sampled, September 8, 2026. Florence is 1 hour 54 and Bologna 1 hour 4 on the same timetable.

### Why is Milan to Venice slower than Milan to Florence?

Because the line is not high speed the whole way. The fastest direct train takes 2 hours 27 to Venezia Santa Lucia against 1 hour 54 to Florence, and the Brescia to Verona to Padova stretch is still being upgraded (timetable of September 2026).

### Can you reach Naples directly from Milan by train?

Yes, 27 direct Frecciarossa ran on the weekday sampled, the fastest in 4 hours 33 minutes and the median at 4 hours 45. It is the longest of the daily high speed relations from Milan, and it is worth comparing against a flight from Linate.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'aeroporto di Milano Malpensa (codice IATA MXP) e' il secondo scalo italiano con 31.385.585 passeggeri nel 2025 (+8,6% sul 2024). | [Assaeroporti](https://data-upload.assaeroporti.com/download-export/2025/12); [ENAC](https://www.enac.gov.it/app/uploads/2024/04/Dati-_di_traffico_2021_220914.pdf) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| L'aeroporto di Milano Linate (codice IATA LIN) ha registrato 11.131.764 passeggeri nel 2025 (+4,5% sul 2024). | [Assaeroporti](https://data-upload.assaeroporti.com/download-export/2025/12); [ENAC](https://www.enac.gov.it/app/uploads/2024/04/Dati-_di_traffico_2021_220914.pdf) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| L'aeroporto di Bergamo Orio al Serio (codice IATA BGY), terzo scalo italiano e principale base low cost del Paese, ha registrato 16.937.976 passeggeri nel 2025 (-2,4% sul 2024). | [Assaeroporti](https://data-upload.assaeroporti.com/download-export/2025/12); [ENAC](https://www.enac.gov.it/app/uploads/2024/04/Dati-_di_traffico_2021_220914.pdf) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| In treno ad alta velocita' Milano Centrale-Bologna Centrale il collegamento diretto piu' veloce impiega 1 ora e 4 minuti (orario in vigore a settembre 2026). | [Trenitalia (sistema di vendita Le Frecce)](https://www.lefrecce.it/Channels.Website.BFF.WEB/website/ticket/solutions) | medium | 2026-12-13 |
| In treno ad alta velocita' Milano Centrale-Firenze Santa Maria Novella il collegamento diretto piu' veloce impiega 1 ora e 54 minuti (orario in vigore a settembre 2026). | [Trenitalia (sistema di vendita Le Frecce)](https://www.lefrecce.it/Channels.Website.BFF.WEB/website/ticket/solutions) | medium | 2026-12-13 |
| In treno ad alta velocita' Roma Termini-Milano Centrale il collegamento diretto piu' veloce impiega 2 ore e 55 minuti; la durata mediana dei Frecciarossa diretti e' di circa 3 ore e 15 minuti (orario in vigore a settembre 2026). | [Trenitalia (sistema di vendita Le Frecce)](https://www.lefrecce.it/Channels.Website.BFF.WEB/website/ticket/solutions) | medium | 2026-12-13 |
| In treno ad alta velocita' Milano Centrale-Venezia Santa Lucia il collegamento diretto piu' veloce impiega 2 ore e 27 minuti (orario in vigore a settembre 2026). | [Trenitalia (sistema di vendita Le Frecce)](https://www.lefrecce.it/Channels.Website.BFF.WEB/website/ticket/solutions) | medium | 2026-12-13 |
| In treno ad alta velocita' Milano Centrale-Napoli Centrale il collegamento diretto piu' veloce impiega 4 ore e 33 minuti; la mediana dei Frecciarossa diretti e' di circa 4 ore e 45 minuti (orario in vigore a settembre 2026). | [Trenitalia (sistema di vendita Le Frecce)](https://www.lefrecce.it/Channels.Website.BFF.WEB/website/ticket/solutions) | medium | 2026-12-13 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.milano.v2.1600.jpg
Author: Steffen Schmitz. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Milano,_Duomo_with_Milan_Cathedral_and_Galleria_Vittorio_Emanuele_II,_2016.jpg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/paesi/milano/come-arrivare.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/pueblos/milano/como-llegar.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/villages/milano/acces.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/orte/milano/anreise.md
