When you book a chauffeur in Milan, the first choice is not the car but the type of service. You can book single transfers, each with its own fixed price, or keep a car and driver with you for a set number of hours. Both are common, and the right answer depends on how your day is shaped rather than on how far you are going. Here is how we help guests decide.
How a transfer works
A transfer is a single journey from one address to another: from the airport to your hotel, from your hotel to a restaurant, from Milan to Lake Como. You receive a fixed price in writing before you travel, and that price includes VAT, fuel, tolls and parking. At airports, waiting time after the actual landing is included: 60 minutes at Malpensa and Bergamo, 40 at Linate. Once you arrive, the driver leaves, and the next journey is a separate booking.
Transfers are ideal when your day has a few clear movements with long gaps in between. Arriving at the airport, going to dinner and coming back, or a single trip to the lake are typical examples.
How an hourly booking works
With an hourly booking, the car and driver stay with you for the hours you reserve. You can change plans, add stops and wait as long as you like at each address, and the driver is always nearby. The minimum booking is four hours. Each hour includes a set number of kilometres, depending on the vehicle, and the time is counted from the agreed start. Rates differ between daytime, evening and night, and the current hourly rates are shown on our Milan chauffeur page.
Hourly bookings suit days that are hard to predict: several meetings across the city, a shopping afternoon, Fashion Week shows, a client visit with lunch and a factory tour, or a day out where you want freedom to stop.
Signs that hourly is better
If your day includes three or more stops, if you do not know exactly how long each meeting will last, or if you want your luggage, samples or shopping to stay safely in the car, hourly usually makes more sense. It also avoids the time spent waiting for a new car after each appointment, which can add up quickly in Milan traffic.
Signs that transfers are better
If you have only one or two journeys in a day, with hours between them, separate transfers are usually more economical. The same applies to long-distance trips where you stay at the destination, such as Milan to Courchevel or Zermatt: you need the car for the journey, not for the following days.
Combining both
Many itineraries mix the two. A typical business trip might start with a transfer from Malpensa to the hotel, continue with an hourly booking on the day of meetings, and end with a transfer back to the airport. A family holiday might combine airport transfers with one hourly day for a trip to Lake Como and Bellagio. We can quote the whole programme in one message.
Choosing the vehicle
The type of service and the type of car are separate choices. A Mercedes E-Class works for one to three passengers on business. The S-Class adds rear comfort for VIP guests. The V-Class carries up to seven, and the Sprinter Luxury VIP up to eight with luggage, which makes it ideal for groups and roadshows on an hourly basis.
How to ask for a quote
Tell us the date, the starting time, the addresses you know and roughly how long the day may last. If you are not sure whether hourly or transfers will work out better, ask us to compare both options. We reply with a written price and, where useful, a suggestion on how to structure the day.