A Malpensa transfer is a pre-booked car and chauffeur from Milan's intercontinental airport to your hotel, the fairground or the lakes, at a fixed price agreed before you fly. With Elly8.net, Malpensa (MXP) to central Milan costs from US$230 in a Business Sedan, US$300 in a Business SUV and US$600 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle, and Malpensa to Bellagio on Lake Como from US$320.
If this is your first trip to Italy, Malpensa can feel large and a long way out. It is about 47 km (29 mi) from the centre of Milan, roughly 51 minutes on a clear road, and it has two terminals. This guide follows an arrival step by step, from the gate to the car, and explains where a transfer helps most and where the train or a taxi is enough.
How does a Malpensa transfer work?
You book with your flight number, name and destination. The chauffeur tracks the flight, waits inside the arrivals hall of your terminal with a name board after baggage claim, and drives you to the address. The fare is fixed per vehicle, and waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary.
The fare includes the chauffeur, vehicle, taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet. Tolls and parking are billed at cost. The same fixed fare applies in the other direction, so your departure from the hotel to Malpensa costs the same as the arrival.
Rides in Milan are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk.
Terminal 1 or Terminal 2
Malpensa has two passenger terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, and different airlines use each. They are not next to each other: by road, Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 is about 5 km (3 mi), a routed estimate of 7 minutes. The airport runs a free shuttle between them (Milan Malpensa Airport, connections between terminals).
You do not need to work out which terminal you use; your flight number does it. The chauffeur checks the terminal before setting off and waits in that arrivals hall. If you book a connecting itinerary, give the flight number of the last leg into Malpensa, because that is the flight that decides the terminal and the landing time.
Two practical notes. First, if your airline changes your flight, tell the desk the new number. Second, if you are meeting someone arriving on a different flight, the desk can arrange the pickup around both landings.
Your arrival, step by step
1. Landing and the walk in. Long-haul flights from North America usually land in the morning after an overnight crossing. It can be a long walk from the aircraft to passport control.
2. Passport control. Arriving from the United States or Canada, you enter the Schengen area at Malpensa and go through border control. Queues vary with how many long-haul flights have landed at once. If you connected through another Schengen airport, such as Frankfurt, Paris or Madrid, you cleared the border there and arrive in Milan without a passport check.
3. Baggage claim. Wait for your bags at the belt shown for your flight. If a bag is missing, report it at the airline's baggage desk before you leave the hall, and tell the desk you will be late; the chauffeur keeps waiting.
4. Customs and arrivals. Walk through customs into the arrivals hall. Your chauffeur is there with a name board.
5. To the car. The chauffeur takes the bags and walks you to the car. From here, central Milan is about 51 minutes on a clear road along the SS336 and the A8 motorway, longer at the morning rush.
The point of a transfer is that steps two and three can take as long as they take. The chauffeur follows the tracked landing time, and waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary, so a slow passport queue does not become a cost or a worry. See how the meeting works on meet and greet.
What to have ready before you land
A few minutes of preparation on the plane makes the meeting smooth:
- Your confirmation email, with the desk's 24/7 number saved in your phone.
- A working phone. Turn on roaming or an eSIM before you leave the aircraft so the chauffeur and the desk can reach you.
- The exact address. Hotel names in Milan can be similar; the confirmation should show the full address and the hotel's own name.
- A note of what has changed. A different flight, an extra passenger, a missing bag or a child seat you forgot to request: tell the desk before you reach the hall.
- A little patience at the belt. Your chauffeur is following the tracked landing, not the scheduled one, so there is no need to rush.
Where people go from Malpensa
Not every arrival is going into Milan. Malpensa is north-west of the city, close to Lake Maggiore and the Swiss border, and it is often the nearest big airport for the lakes. Distances below are from Terminal 1; they are routed estimates on a clear road, except the central Milan and Lake Como figures, which come from our published price pages.
| From Malpensa to | Distance | Clear-road drive | Elly8.net fare per vehicle | Taxi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Milan | 47 km / 29 mi | about 51 min | from US$230 to US$600 | €114 fixed |
| Fiera Milano, Rho | 40 km / 25 mi | about 34 min | quoted in the web booker | €94 fixed |
| Varese | 33 km / 20 mi | about 32 min | quoted in the web booker | €80 fixed |
| Linate Airport | 57 km / 36 mi | about 59 min | quoted in the web booker | €128 fixed |
| Stresa, Lake Maggiore | 51 km / 32 mi | about 50 min | quoted in the web booker | Meter |
| Cernobbio, Lake Como | 55 km / 34 mi | about 50 min | quoted in the web booker | Meter |
| Bellagio and the Lake Como towns | 78 km / 48 mi | about 87 min | from US$320 to US$835 | Meter |
| Lugano, Switzerland | 66 km / 41 mi | about 63 min | quoted in the web booker | Meter |
The taxi fares are the fixed routes published by the Comune di Milano; other taxi trips run on the meter. For Lake Como stays, see the Lake Como car service; for Lugano and onward into Switzerland, carry passports and look at the Zurich car service. The detailed drive into the city, with district-by-district times, is in Malpensa to Milan by car.
Malpensa Express, taxi or a transfer
Malpensa has good alternatives, and a fair guide says so.
The Malpensa Express. Trenord's airport train serves both terminals and Milan's Cadorna, Centrale, Porta Garibaldi and Bovisa stations. An adult one-way ticket is €15, a child aged 4 to 13 pays €7.50, and the Malpensa Family ticket covers two adults and two children aged 4 to 17 for €36 (Malpensa Express tickets). For one or two travellers with light luggage staying near those stations, it is the best value.
The taxi. The fixed fare between Malpensa and any address in Milan is €114 per ride, tolls included. The airport lists the Radiotaxi numbers +39 02 4040 and +39 02 8585 for booking accessible taxis (Milan Malpensa Airport, by taxi). Our Milan taxi guide explains the full tariff.
The transfer. A pre-booked car costs more than the train, and a Business Sedan costs more than the taxi. It earns its price when the arrival is hard work: children, child seats, four or more large cases, a group, a late landing, an onward drive to the lakes, or a budget that has to be fixed in US dollars weeks ahead.
| Traveller | Our honest pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One person, carry-on, hotel near Centrale | Malpensa Express | €15, no traffic |
| Couple, two cases, central hotel | Taxi or Business Sedan | €114 fixed taxi, or US$230 with meet and greet |
| Family of four with car seats | Business SUV transfer | Seats fitted, six large bags, one vehicle |
| Group of eight with luggage | Executive Sprinter | Twelve seats and twelve bags, from US$600 |
| Couple going straight to Bellagio | Business Sedan transfer | from US$320, no train-to-boat change |
More detail on each trade-off is on chauffeur vs taxi and chauffeur vs airport shuttle.
Choosing the vehicle for a long-haul arrival
Transatlantic luggage is the reason many families book a transfer. A Business Sedan or First Class Sedan carries three passengers and two large bags. A Business SUV or First Class SUV carries six and six, and an Executive Sprinter twelve and twelve.
A couple with two large cases fits a sedan. A family of four with four large cases needs an SUV, from US$300 from Malpensa to central Milan. Ski bags, golf bags and strollers change the answer, so mention them when you book. Child seats are fitted before pickup when you give the children's ages.
Late landings, early mornings and the first night
Not every flight lands at breakfast time. Evening arrivals from other European cities, delayed transatlantic flights and late connections all put you in the arrivals hall when the airport is quieter and the onward options are thinner.
That is when a booked transfer matters most. If you planned to take the train, check the time of the last service of the day; the taxi rank depends on how many cars are there, and an app shows whatever price the moment brings. A booked car is waiting at the fare on your confirmation, whether the flight lands at 9:00 or at midnight.
Many first-time visitors also spend the first night near the airport before driving to the lakes in daylight. Give the desk the airport hotel as your drop-off for the evening and book the lake transfer for the next morning; both legs are fixed fares or quotes from the web booker.
Business arrivals, fashion week and fair days
Malpensa fills with buyers, editors and exhibitors before Milano Fashion Week in late February and September, and before the Salone del Mobile in April. Cars are committed early in those weeks, so book the airport transfer when you book the flight.
If the arrival day goes straight into meetings, keep the car. A car by the hour from US$90 in a Business Sedan, 3-hour minimum, takes you from the terminal to the hotel to drop bags, then on to Porta Nuova, a showroom in Tortona or the fairground at Rho. For a full day of appointments, the corporate roadshow day costs from US$810 in a Business Sedan.
Meeting a group across several flights
Weddings, incentive trips and family reunions often bring people in on different flights. One Executive Sprinter can collect a group of up to twelve with their bags, but only if everyone lands within a reasonable window.
Send the desk every flight number. Where landings are close together, one vehicle waits for all of them; where they are hours apart, two smaller cars are usually better than asking the first arrivals to sit in the hall. Groups larger than twelve, or with coaches, can be arranged through the desk. See group transportation for how those days are planned.
Departures: going back to Malpensa
The departure transfer is the same fixed fare as the arrival. The difference is that you choose the pickup time, and Milan's traffic decides how much margin you need. The drive is about 51 minutes on a clear road, but the morning and evening peaks can add a great deal. Give the desk your flight and we suggest a pickup time. Our Arriving in Milan booking checklist covers how to set up both legs in one go.
How to book a Malpensa transfer
- Pickup and drop-off. Enter Malpensa with your flight number and your hotel or destination.
- Vehicle. Choose from a Business Sedan, Business SUV, First Class Sedan, First Class SUV or Executive Sprinter on the Milan car service price list.
- Reserve. Pay by card in US$, or use the web booker for addresses off the price list, such as Stresa or Lugano. Confirmation arrives by email.
Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show. Flying private? See private jet and FBO transfers, or the general airport transfers page.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a transfer from Malpensa to Milan?
With Elly8.net, Malpensa to central Milan is fixed per vehicle: US$230 in a Business Sedan, US$300 in a Business SUV, US$370 in a First Class SUV, US$405 in a First Class Sedan and US$600 in an Executive Sprinter. It includes the chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet. Tolls and parking are billed at cost.
Where will the chauffeur meet me at Malpensa?
Inside the arrivals hall of your terminal, Terminal 1 or Terminal 2, after baggage claim and customs. The chauffeur holds a name board and tracks your flight number, so give the number of the final leg into Malpensa when you book.
What if passport control takes a long time?
The chauffeur follows the tracked landing time, and waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary, so a long passport or baggage queue does not change your fare. If a bag is lost, report it at the airline desk and call the 24/7 desk to let the chauffeur know.
Is the Malpensa Express better than a transfer?
For one or two travellers with light bags staying near Centrale or Cadorna, yes: €15 for an adult. A family of two adults and two children can use the €36 Malpensa Family ticket. A transfer is better with child seats, heavy luggage, groups, late landings or an onward drive to the lakes.
Can I go from Malpensa straight to Lake Como?
Yes. Malpensa to Bellagio and the lake towns is a fixed fare from US$320 in a Business Sedan, US$420 in a Business SUV and US$835 in an Executive Sprinter, per vehicle. The drive is about 78 km (48 mi), around 87 minutes on a clear road.
What happens if my flight is cancelled or diverted?
Call the 24/7 desk and we move the booking to your new arrival. The cancellation terms are free more than 72 hours before pickup, 10% at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show.
