Milan car hire

Level 1 of Malpensa’s (MXP) Terminal 1 is where you’ll find the airport’s car hire offices. There are plenty of firms to choose from all the major players are present, including Hertz, Sixt and domestic brand Maggiore.

If you’re landing at Terminal 2, you’ll need to get the free shuttle bus to Terminal 1. This can, unfortunately, be a slow procedure, with infrequent buses causing long queues.

Car rental desk at Milan Malpensa airport include:

Terminal 1

• Europcar (Tel: +39 02 5858621)
• Goldcar (Tel: +39 02 58582211)
• Hertz (Tel: +39 02 58581081)
• Locauto (Tel: +39 02 58 580333)
• Maggiore (Tel: +39 02 58581133)

Terminal 2

• Avis (Tel: +39 02 58583803)
• Budget (+39 02 5858481)
• Europcar (Tel: +39 02 58583526)
• Sixt (Tel: +39 02 94757979)

Malpensa is situated 49 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Milan, and the drive into town typically takes an hour using the SP34 and E64 routes.

More booths await at Linate airport (LIN), located within the arrivals hall. The line-up of companies is almost identical to that of Malpensa.

Rental desks here include:

• Auto Europe (Tel: +39 274 852 200)
• Avis (Tel: +39 02 715123)
• Budget (Tel: +39 02 715123)
• Europcar (Tel: +39 02 76110258)

Linate is positioned close to an artificial lake, seven kilometres (4 miles) east of the city. Central Milan is a 15-20-minute drive away.

There are around 10 rental outfits at Bergamo’s Orio al Serio Airport (BGY) – also known as Il Caravaggio International Airport) – with all the big-name firms represented.

Rental desks here include:

• Avis (Tel: +39 035 316 041)
• Budget (Tel: +39 035 330 699)

Allow about 90 minutes for the 45-kilometre (28-mile) drive to Milan.

Milan city centre is very busy, especially on weekdays, and parking spaces can be hard to come by. Throw in various congestion charges – from 2-10 euros (vehicle-dependent) for the main city ring between Mondays and Fridays – and the savviest option is to use the large commuter car parks speckled around Milan's SP11 motorway ring road. All connect with metro lines.

The locations are Cascina Gobba (east), Lampugnano (northwest), Molino Dorino (northwest), Bonola (northwest), Rho-Pero (northwest), Bisceglie (southwest) and San Donato (southeast). Using these will help to keep costs down.

Compare cheap car rental in Milan using TravelSupermarket’s search tools. Booking well in advance is best to snare the cheapest car-hire deals, to ensure you get the vehicle you desire, and to make life easier when you touch down.

1. Beware that roadside parking in Milan’s historic centre – within the former city walls (i bastioni), and on blue lines marked by ‘Sosta Pagamento’ (Pay to Stop) signs – is limited to two hours.

2. The best bet for finding city-centre parking spaces is the 24-hour Autosilo Borgospesso car park on Via Borgospesso.

3. To enter the Congestion Charge area (Area C) on weekdays, drivers must purchase a 5-euro ticket in advance. Buy at ATMs, newsstands or tabaccheria (tobacco) shops. Visit the official Citta di Milano website for a detailed map of Area C’s boundaries.