Italy
Getting the group to Milan with three airports in play
Milan is a city built for a plan: the Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Leonardo's Last Supper and the Navigli area for nightlife. It's also the best base for exploring northern Italy, with fast trains to Turin, Bologna or Venice and the lakes less than an hour away.
It has three airports with very different profiles: Malpensa (MXP), the big one and the furthest out, with a direct train to the centre; Bergamo-Orio al Serio (BGY), the low-cost hub, connected by bus; and Linate (LIN), the closest to the city. Joivia treats Milan as a single city and compares flights to all three at once.
Beyond the historic centre, the Navigli area is home to much of the bar scene and the aperitivo, the Milanese custom of having a drink with food included before dinner; it works great as a group plan without needing a restaurant booking.
Milan is also the best base for a day trip to round off the journey: Lake Como or Lake Garda are less than an hour away by regional train, and Turin, Bologna or Venice are just over an hour away on the high-speed line.
Why Milan works for a spread-out group
This is where searching by city rather than by airport really pays off. A group can end up with half landing at Malpensa and the other half at Bergamo and still be in the centre with barely any gap between them; what doesn't make sense is ruling out a cheap flight just because it lands at a different terminal.
Joivia compares every traveller's flights at once and scores each combination on two things: the group's total price and how grouped the arrivals are, so nobody burns hours waiting alone at the terminal.
Search flights to Milan with your groupHow to plan the trip when the group flies from several cities →
How much it costs to fly to Milan from each city
Per-person, one-way prices for the cheapest flight we've seen on each route; data updated on 30/08/2026. These are indicative and change constantly: always confirm the final price on the provider's website.
Is there a direct flight to Milan?
Of the 6530 flights to Milan we've seen in the last 10 days, around 25% are direct.
Which airlines fly to Milan
- Lufthansa
- Vueling
- Ryanair
- Iberia
- ITA Airways
- LOT Polish Airlines
Which cities have a direct flight, and how long it takes
- Barcelona (BCN) 15.2 direct/day · takes 1 h 45 min
- Istanbul (IST) 3.8 direct/day · takes 2 h 55 min
- Alicante (ALC) 3.3 direct/day · takes 2 h 5 min
- Seville (SVQ) 3.0 direct/day · takes 2 h 35 min
- Vienna (VIE) 2.9 direct/day · takes 1 h 25 min
- Dublin (DUB) 1.8 direct/day · takes 2 h 35 min
- Brussels (BRU) 1.7 direct/day · takes 1 h 30 min
When there's a layover, where is it usually?
The most common layover we've seen is Frankfurt.
What time flights land in Milan
Based on the direct flights we've seen on each route, here's roughly how arrival times spread out depending on where each person flies from:
- Brussels (BRU) 1.6 direct/day · arrive between 07:50 and 21:00
- Alicante (ALC) 1.8 direct/day · arrive between 11:35 and 21:05
- Barcelona (BCN) 12.1 direct/day · arrive between 09:10 and 21:40
- Vienna (VIE) 2.1 direct/day · arrive between 07:10 and 21:05
Window between the earliest and latest of every ten flights, based on direct flights seen recently: not a fixed schedule, just what usually happens.
Where to meet after landing at the Milan airport
With three airports in play, the most practical meeting point is Milano Centrale, the main station, reached by direct train from Malpensa; whoever lands at Bergamo can join there after the bus, and whoever lands at Linate can get there quickly by bus or taxi.
Which Milan airport suits each traveller
Milan has several airports and Joivia searches them as a single city, so there's no need to pick one in advance:
- MXP — Milan Malpensa
- BGY — Milan Bergamo
Nearby there are also other airports Joivia searches too, which are sometimes noticeably cheaper, though they require a ground transfer:
- TRN — Turin, about 96 km away
Which countries have a direct flight to Milan
Milan is one of Italy's best-connected destinations by air: Spain, Germany, France and the UK all have several daily flights, many of them low-cost services into Bergamo. Central and Eastern Europe are also well connected, with Poland and Hungary among the most frequent origins. Spreading the group across the three airports usually opens up a lot more cheap combinations.
Before you go to Milan
- If someone's flying into Bergamo, factor in the bus journey to Milan when working out their real arrival time.
- Tickets for The Last Supper sell out weeks in advance and are allocated in timed slots.
- In August many restaurants and shops close for the holidays; the city goes half-empty.
- Regional trains to Como or the lakes leave Milan frequently and are paid for on the spot.
Frequently asked questions about going to Milan as a group
Which Milan airport is best for the group?
None by default: Malpensa has the best train to the centre, Bergamo usually has the cheapest flights, and Linate is the closest. It's worth comparing the group's total rather than picking an airport upfront.
Can you visit The Last Supper without booking?
In practice, no: tickets sell out weeks ahead in specific timed slots, so it needs booking before the rest of the trip is set.
Is a day trip to the lakes from Milan worth it?
Yes, and no car is needed: regional trains to Como leave frequently from Milan itself, and the journey takes under an hour.
How long is the flight from Barcelona to Milan?
The direct flights we've seen average about 1 h 45 min.
Which airlines fly to Milan?
Among the flights we've seen, Lufthansa, Vueling, Ryanair, Iberia and ITA Airways operate the most.
Is there a direct flight to Milan?
Not many: around 25% of the flights we see are direct.