The Teatro alla Scala opens its 2026/27 season on Monday 7 December 2026 with Giuseppe Verdi's Otello, curtain at 6:00 pm, and the theatre lists the opening night as sold out. It is the first season of Myung-Whun Chung as Music Director, Damiano Michieletto directs his first opening night, and the cast is led by Brian Jagde as Otello, Luca Salsi as Iago and Eleonora Buratto as Desdemona. Otello was composed for La Scala and first given there in 1887, which gives the evening a particular weight in Milan.
The Prima falls on the feast of Sant'Ambrogio, Milan's patron saint, and it is the night the city dresses up. Elly8.net books the ground transport around it: a chauffeur at Malpensa or Linate when you land, a car to the theatre door in Piazza della Scala, and the same car waiting after the final curtain for the dinner that follows. Milan prices are fixed, all-in and charged in US dollars, and they do not change for opening night.
How do you get to La Scala on opening night?
Pre-book a chauffeur who sets you down at the main entrance in Piazza della Scala, opposite Palazzo Marino, at least 20 minutes before the 6:00 pm curtain, then meets you at an agreed point after the performance. An evening out package in Milan, five hours with one car, costs from US$450 in a business sedan.
La Scala sits in Piazza della Scala, opposite Palazzo Marino, Milan's city hall, and a few minutes' walk from the Galleria and the Quadrilatero della Moda. According to the theatre's audience information, the main entrance is on the piazza, while holders of gallery tickets enter through the Theatre Museum entrance on Largo Ghiringhelli. Tell the desk which part of the house your seats are in and the chauffeur aims for the right door.
The theatre also says that all performances begin promptly and that the audience should arrive at least twenty minutes before curtain-up. On opening night the streets around the piazza are crowded with guests, press and onlookers, and the security arrangements around the theatre are set by the authorities on the day. Your chauffeur plans the approach, sets you down as close as the measures allow and agrees a pickup corner for later, so nobody is searching for a car in an evening gown.
The Prima and the rest of the Otello run
The opening is one night, but the production runs for a month. These are the performances published by the theatre:
| Date | Time | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 4 December 2026 | See the theatre's listing | Otello, Under30 preview |
| Monday 7 December 2026 | 6:00 pm | Opening night (sold out) |
| Thursday 10 December 2026 | 8:00 pm | Opera Premiere series |
| Sunday 13, Wednesday 16, Saturday 19, Tuesday 22 December 2026 | 8:00 pm | Subscription series |
| Tuesday 29 December 2026 | 8:00 pm | Performance |
| Saturday 2 January 2027 | 8:00 pm | Performance |
| Tuesday 5 January 2027 | 8:00 pm | Final performance |
La Scala warns about unauthorised sites selling tickets at inflated prices and says the only guaranteed channel is its own website, so buy tickets there before you book anything else. Once you hold them, book the car to the performance time. Later performances in December fall in the holiday season, when Milan fills with visitors for Christmas shopping on Via Montenapoleone and the Galleria, and the run into early January suits a New Year trip.
Arriving in Milan: Malpensa, Linate or Bergamo
Most guests from North America land at Malpensa the morning of the performance or the day before. Guests coming from Rome, Paris or London often use Linate, the city airport, which is the quickest way in.
| Airport | Distance to the Quadrilatero | Clear-road drive | Business Sedan | First Class Sedan | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linate (LIN) | 9 km / 6 mi | about 17 min | US$110 | US$195 | US$290 |
| Malpensa (MXP) | 47 km / 29 mi | about 51 min | US$230 | US$405 | US$600 |
| Bergamo Il Caravaggio (BGY) | 55 km / 34 mi | about 53 min | US$250 | US$440 | US$650 |
The Quadrilatero, around Via Montenapoleone, is the reference point for our Milan prices, and La Scala is a short walk from it, so the published fares apply to a drop at the theatre or at a hotel nearby. Business SUV fares sit between the sedan and First Class levels: US$145 from Linate, US$300 from Malpensa and US$325 from Bergamo. Round trips from Malpensa cost from US$440 in a business sedan to US$1,140 in an Executive Sprinter.
The chauffeur tracks your flight, waits in the arrivals hall with a name board and gives you complimentary waiting after a tracked landing, which matters when a transatlantic flight lands into a long passport queue. Book a Malpensa airport transfer and read how the arrival works on meet and greet. Guests flying privately are met at the FBO named in the booking; see private jet and FBO car service.
A practical tip for opening day: land the day before if you can. A morning arrival leaves you a nap, a fitting and hair before a 6:00 pm curtain, and any delay on a long-haul flight eats into that quickly.
The evening plan: hotel, theatre, dinner
Before the performance. The chauffeur collects you at your hotel with enough margin for traffic in the centre and the crowd at the piazza, sets you down at your entrance and confirms the pickup point by text. If several guests are coming from different hotels, the desk can schedule two or three cars to arrive in sequence, or one Executive Sprinter for a group.
During the performance. On the evening package the car stays yours. The chauffeur waits nearby, follows the running time and is ready before the final curtain. La Scala lists the running times and intervals in its playbills, and the cloakrooms are free; the theatre asks for bulky items such as bags and umbrellas to be left with the attendants, so travel light.
After the performance. Opening night ends with dinners across the centre and receptions in palazzi and hotels. The chauffeur meets you at the agreed corner, takes you to dinner and home again, and the driver follows local rules on drinks in vehicles.
The evening out and event night package keeps one car and chauffeur for five hours, from US$450 in a business sedan, US$575 in a business SUV, US$675 in a First Class SUV and US$725 in a First Class Sedan to US$900 in an Executive Sprinter. For a long evening that starts with a hotel pickup at 4:30 pm, a five-hour booking may run short; book by the hour instead, from US$90 an hour in a business sedan with a three-hour minimum, or a full day. See event transportation and Milan car service by the hour.
Opening week prices in Milan
All prices per vehicle, fixed and all-in, charged in US dollars:
| Package | Business Sedan | Business SUV | First Class SUV | First Class Sedan | Executive Sprinter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| By the hour, as directed (3-hour minimum) | US$90 per hour | US$115 per hour | US$135 per hour | US$145 per hour | US$180 per hour |
| Evening out & event night (5 hours) | US$450 | US$575 | US$675 | US$725 | US$900 |
| Full-day chauffeur (8 hours) | US$665 | US$850 | US$995 | US$1,070 | US$1,325 |
| Corporate roadshow day (10 hours) | US$810 | US$1,035 | US$1,215 | US$1,305 | US$1,620 |
Prices include the chauffeur, the vehicle, taxes, standard gratuity and airport meet and greet; tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost. The rates do not change for the Prima. Availability does: First Class cars are the first to go for 7 December, so reserve as soon as you have your tickets.
Hosts, sponsors and delegations
Opening night is also a corporate evening. Sponsors host clients, banks and fashion houses bring guests, and official visitors attend from abroad. The desk can run several cars under one reference: a First Class Sedan for the principal, business sedans for the party and a Sprinter for staff, each with its own pickup time and the same pickup point after the performance.
Discretion is part of the brief. Chauffeurs are told only the names and routes you approve, and the desk signs NDAs on request. Elly8.net provides transportation, not security; protective details should be arranged separately. See corporate car service, government, diplomatic and delegation transportation and group transportation.
A corporate account puts the whole evening on one monthly invoice. Travel agents and concierges booking for clients can use travel-agent accounts, and hotels can book guests through hotel accounts.
Honest alternatives: train, metro and taxi
Milan's public links are good, and for some guests they are the right choice on a day without a performance.
| Option | Cost | Best for | Weak point on opening night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malpensa Express | €15 per adult | One traveller near Centrale or Cadorna | Ends at a station, not at your hotel |
| Metro M4 from Linate | €2.20 per person | Light bags, hotels near San Babila | Not for evening wear or luggage |
| Taxi | Meter, or fixed rates on set airport routes | Short hops with no booking | Ranks near the piazza are busy at the end of the night |
| Rideshare | Varies with demand | Off-peak trips | Pickups in a crowded square are slow |
| Elly8.net chauffeur | LIN from US$110; evening from US$450 | Couples, hosts, groups | Book early for 7 December |
The Malpensa Express costs €15 for an adult between Malpensa and Milan, and the M4 metro reaches San Babila from Linate in about 12 minutes on a €2.20 ticket, according to YesMilano. The Comune di Milano says taxi fares are set by the taximeter or by fixed rates on pre-established routes. For a solo traveller arriving the day before with a carry-on, the train or the metro is sensible. For the evening itself, in formal clothes, on a cold December night, with a dinner to reach afterwards, a car that is already waiting is the better answer. Compare on chauffeur vs taxi and Uber Black vs a pre-booked chauffeur.
Stay on: Lake Como and beyond
Many guests turn the Prima into a few days in Lombardy. The signature Milan day trip is eight hours on Lake Como, from US$665 in a business sedan to US$1,325 in an Executive Sprinter; in December the lake is quiet and the villa towns are calm. The private city highlights tour costs from US$360 in a business sedan to US$720 in a Sprinter, timed around the Duomo and The Last Supper. See private city tours.
For the holidays in the mountains, Elly8.net also covers St. Moritz and Courchevel, with a city-to-city car service from Milan. We also book Lake Como, Zurich, Monaco and Nice. More on the city is on our Milan chauffeur service page. Flights and hotels can be booked with our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net; Elly8.net books the car.
How booking works
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. Partner vehicles are four model years old or newer, and seven or newer for Rolls-Royce, Maybach and Bentley; see the fleet. Elly8.net is a member of LWD, LAI, HWD and VWD: LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.
- Enter the pickup and drop-off: your flight number for the airport leg, or your hotel and the performance time for the evening.
- Choose the vehicle: business sedan, business SUV, First Class Sedan or SUV, or Executive Sprinter.
- Press Reserve now on the Milan price list, or use the web booker for a multi-stop evening or any address not on the list. Confirmation arrives by email.
Frequently asked questions
When is the La Scala season opening in 2026?
Monday 7 December 2026, the feast of Sant'Ambrogio, with Verdi's Otello at 6:00 pm, according to the Teatro alla Scala. The theatre lists opening night as sold out. Otello continues on 10, 13, 16, 19, 22 and 29 December 2026 and 2 and 5 January 2027, at 8:00 pm.
How much does a car to La Scala cost on opening night?
The evening out and event night package keeps one car and chauffeur for five hours, from US$450 in a business sedan to US$900 in an Executive Sprinter. By the hour costs from US$90 in a business sedan with a three-hour minimum. Prices are fixed, all-in and do not change for the Prima.
Where does the chauffeur drop me at the theatre?
At the main entrance in Piazza della Scala, opposite Palazzo Marino, or at the Theatre Museum entrance on Largo Ghiringhelli if you hold gallery tickets. Security measures on the night can move the closest set-down point, so the chauffeur confirms the pickup corner by text.
What time should I arrive?
La Scala says performances begin promptly and asks the audience to arrive at least twenty minutes before curtain-up. For the 6:00 pm opening, plan a hotel pickup that leaves margin for traffic and the crowd in the piazza; the desk will suggest a time when you book.
Can the car wait during the performance?
Yes, on the evening package or an hourly booking the car is yours for the booked time. The chauffeur waits nearby, follows the running time and meets you after the final curtain, then drives you to dinner and back to your hotel.
How much is a transfer from Malpensa or Linate?
Linate to the centre costs from US$110 in a business sedan and Malpensa from US$230, up to US$290 and US$600 in an Executive Sprinter. Prices are per vehicle and include meet and greet, taxes and standard gratuity; tolls and parking are billed at cost.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancel more than 72 hours before pickup and it is free. At 72 hours or less the fee is 10%, at 48 hours or less 50%, and at 24 hours or less, or for a no-show, 100%. Refunds go to the original card.
Can you arrange cars for a sponsor's guests?
Yes. Book several cars under one reference, each with its own pickup and the same meeting point after the performance, and put them on a corporate account with monthly invoicing. NDAs are available on request. Elly8.net provides transportation, not security.
