Nearest International Airport to Lake Como Italy
When I last went to Lake Como I flew directly from Australia. I did not want to mess around flying to various different airports. I needed to find the nearest international airport to Lake Como, Italy, so I could get there fast. Below, I will walk you through the different options I found, plus how to get from the airport into town.
Milan Malpensa is the nearest international airport to lake como Italy
I will start off with the actual nearest international airport to Lake Como, and that is Milan Malpensa Airport. Malpensa is about 46 kilometres away from Como town and it handles a lot of the international routes. You can fly from Japan directly to Milan. You can go to Shanghai, Phuket, or fly in from New York. So Malpensa is definitely the best airport that is closest to Lake Como and is international.
Getting from Malpensa airport to Lake Como
Now I will talk to you a little bit about transport from Malpensa airport to Como.
Train to Lake Como from Malpensa
There are trains directly between Malpensa airport and Como town. You can go from Malpensa airport directly to Como Lago train station in 58 minutes. The trains actually run every hour on those days, but obviously you will have to check the timetable yourself.
It does have one change in it. You will have to get off at a different station, called Saronno. Saronno is just east of Malpensa airport. The train goes from the airport east and then straight up to Saronno, and the whole trip is 58 minutes. That is not too bad at all, especially compared to other closest airport to Lake Como options I looked at.
The Milan airport to Lake Como train is by far the easiest connection. If you are staying in the city first, take a look at our hotels in milan guide. The ticket price is twelve euros and twenty cents, last time I checked.
Taxi to Lake Como from Malpensa
Then you can take taxis or rent a car from Malpensa airport to Lake Como. Because it is only 46 kilometres away, it actually only takes 35 minutes to drive. This is often the fastest way to reach town if a train connection does not line up with your flight time.
In terms of taking a taxi from the nearest international airport to Lake Como Italy, it is going to cost about 120 euros. That price will obviously go up if there are more people in the car. So it is a big difference from taking a train, which is a lot less. However, you do not have to wait for any trains; you can just go. If you have a lot of luggage or are travelling with friends and family, it might be more cost-effective to take a taxi.
The second nearest international airport to Lake Como is Milan Linate Airport
So next up is the second closest airport to Lake Como and that is Milan Linate Airport. This airport is a lot closer to Milan city centre and is about 62km away.
Now Linate does have international routes such as Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and Dublin; however, it's mostly European countries or domestic flights.
Transport from Milan Linate to Lake Como
Trains from Milan Linate to Lake Como
When it comes to train transport from the second nearest International Airport to Lake Como, there is actually no train station at Milan Linate so you have to get into Milan centre. There is, however a metro stop at the airport on the M4 line. So you will have to jump on the metro, then change at Ambrogio onto the green line and get to Central FS. From there pop off the metro and walk to the Milan Central train station and take the train to Como.
It seems like a lot but it actually only takes about 1 hour and 25 minutes. You obviously need to pay for a metro ticket and also a train ticket.
Taxi from Milan Linate the second nearest international airport to Lake Como
I honestly think the easiest way from Milan Linate to Lake Como is probably going to be a taxi or car rental. It will cost about 150 euros, as it is about 50 minutes away; however, you are shaving off about 35 minutes of travel time and a lot of hassle with getting on and off metros and trains with luggage. I have been in Milan during the summer, and taking the metro around town with luggage was a bit of a nuisance. If you are by yourself or a couple and have time on your side, the train is a cheaper option but taxi or car rental is a lot more convenient from Milan Linate.
The 3rd nearest International airport to Lake Como - Bergamo Airport
So we are getting further away now but this time coming in from the east and that is Bergamo Airport. Bergamo Airport is the 3rd closest airport to Lake Como. Now interestingly, this airport is a very busy airport, with about 70% more traffic than Milan Linate Airport. Plus is actually has a lot more routes to fly into such as Cape Verde, Tenerife, Dubai.
Transport from Bergamo to Lake Como
This airport is known for some low-cost pricing at certain times, so it can be cheaper to fly into; however, the transport from Bergamo airport to Lake Como can be longer. They do not have a train station or Metro, so you will have to take a bus into Milan and then take a train, so this can take about 2 hours. If you take a taxi its actually similar, about an hour, as it goes more inland and then up. In terms of the taxi price its about 185 euros, so depending if you save money on the flights, the taxi is the best way to get to Como from Bergamo Airport.
Nearest International airport to Lake Como map
So I made a map below of the closest airports to Lake Como that are international, so you can see the distances. You can see Malpensa on the left, Linate in the centre and then Bergamo on the right. Malpensa is the shortest distance and therefore the closest airport to Lake Como.
Seasonal flights from international airports close to Lake Como
When it comes to some of these international airports, especially Bergamo and Linate Airport, many of the flights can be seasonal. July and August there are usually the most flights and you have to be careful during winter times as they might not be running. These are the flights at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd nearest international Airport to Lake Como to watch out for.
| Malpensa (MXP) Pt. 1 | Malpensa (MXP) Pt. 2 | Linate (LIN) | Bergamo (BGY) |
| Aer Lingus: Dublin | Neos: Cartagena, Chania, Corfu, Djerba, Enfidha, Heraklion, Ibiza, Karpathos, Kos, Kilimanjaro, Larnaca, Marsa Matruh, Menorca, Monastir, Muscat, Mykonos, Nanjing, Palma, Patras, Phuket, Pointe-à-Pitre, Punta Cana, Rhodes, Rovaniemi, Salalah, Samos, Skiathos, Tromsø | British Airways: London–City | Air Arabia: Alexandria |
| Air Cairo: Hurghada | Nesma: Cairo | easyJet: Figari, Geneva, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Palma, Split | Air Nostrum: Palma |
| Air Corsica: Figari | Nouvelair: Djerba, Monastir | Finnair: Helsinki | Bluebird: Tel Aviv |
| American: Philadelphia | Qanot Sharq: Tashkent, Urgench | ITA Airways: Ibiza, Palma, Rhodes, Rostock | Corendon: İzmir |
| Bulgaria Air: Sofia | Red Sea: Sharm El Sheikh | flyadeal: Jeddah, Riyadh | |
| Croatia Airlines: Split | Ryanair: Agadir, Athens, Corfu, Funchal, Heraklion, Kos, Rzeszów, Santorini, Trapani, Zadar | Neos: Boa Vista, Heraklion, Ibiza, Karpathos, Kos, Marsa Alam, Menorca, Sal, Sharm El Sheikh | |
| Delta: Boston | Saudia / Flynas: Riyadh | Norwegian: Bergen, Billund, Harstad/Narvik, Stavanger, Tromsø | |
| easyJet: Biarritz, Chania, Corfu, Gran Canaria, Harstad/Narvik, Heraklion, Ibiza, Kefalonia, Kittilä, Kos, Malta, Menorca, Munich, Mykonos, Nuremberg, Preveza, Rhodes, Rovaniemi, Santorini, Skiathos, Thessaloniki, Tromsø, Zakynthos | SAS: Bergen, Stavanger | Ryanair: Belfast-Intl, Biarritz, Brno, Castellón, Chania, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Heraklion, Ibiza, Kalamata, Kefalonia, Knock, Lemnos, Łódź, Menorca, Preveza, Rhodes, Santorini, Sarajevo, Skiathos, Weeze, Zadar, Zakynthos | |
| Egyptair: Luxor | SunExpress: Antalya | ||
| Eurowings: Hannover, Stuttgart | United: Chicago-O'Hare | ||
| Gulf Air: Geneva, Nice | Vueling: Ibiza | ||
| Icelandair: Reykjavík–Keflavík | Wizz Air: Corfu, Heraklion, Marsa Alam, Palma, Skiathos, Tromsø, Zakynthos | ||
| JetBlue: Boston |
Budget airlines that go to the nearest international airport to Lake Como?
There are actually quite a few airlines that go to the nearest international airport to Lake Como, meaning you can hopefully save money on flights, as the hotels can be quite expensive around the Como area.
| Airline | Primary Airport | Key Routes & Coverage |
| EasyJet | Milan Malpensa (MXP) | Major hub; extensive connections across the UK, Europe, and North Africa. |
| Ryanair | Milan Bergamo (BGY) & MXP | Massive presence at Bergamo; cheap flights from almost every major European city. |
| Wizz Air | Milan Malpensa (MXP) & BGY | Strong network connecting Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe. |
| Eurowings | Milan Malpensa (MXP) | Connects primarily to major German cities (Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf). |
| Vueling | Milan Malpensa (MXP) | Direct connections from Barcelona and Spain. |
I would just check out the baggage policies, as many people want to stay in Como and relax for at least a few days so you don't want to be stung by a luggage policy on a budget airline.
So I hope you've found this guide on the nearest international airport to Lake Como useful. If you have been to Lake Como from overseas and have any more tips, please do leave a comment in the box below. Feel free to also ask any questions about the closest airport to Lake Como.
FAQ's for the nearest international airport to Lake Como Italy
How long is the transfer from Milan airport to Lake Como?
It depends on what you mean by transfer; however, if you take the train, the quickest time I have seen is 58 minutes plus a few minutes to buy your ticket. If you take a taxi your only looking at 35 minutes from Milan Airport to Lake Como.
Can I take a train from Milan airport to Lake Como?
When I talk about Milan airport, I think straight away of Malpensa airport, which is the nearest international airport to Lake Como. You can take a train to Lake Como with one stop at Saronno station. The quickest timings are 58 minutes and usually run every 30 minutes.
Is there a direct train from Milan to Lake Como?
Yes, there are many direct trains between Milan and Lake Como. The fastest one is the EuroCity 150 from central to Como S. Giovanni in 39 minutes.
The next is the regional one from Milano Bovisa Politecnico to Como Lago that takes 40 minutes and has just one stop in Saronno.
How much does a train ticket from Milan to Lake Como cost?
Last time I checked the train ticket cost from Milan to Lake Como is 16 euros. If you are closer to Milano Bovisa Politecnico its only 5 euros 20 cents.
Closest airport to Lake Maggiore
The closest airport to Lake Maggiore is Milano Malpensa, and take about 1 hour to drive there. Interestingly its a similar distance to Como; however, there are smaller roads going to Lake Maggiore, making it longer to drive to.