Northern Italy sits in the middle of several international airports. For a stay on Lake Como, in St. Moritz or in the Dolomites, the closest airport on the map is not always the best one: flight schedules, connections and the drive at the end all count. This guide compares real driving times, taken from Google Maps for a weekday morning, so you can choose the airport that makes the whole journey shorter.
Lake Como: Milan Malpensa first, Lugano for private flights
For the western shore of Lake Como, Malpensa is hard to beat. Cernobbio, home of Villa d'Este, is about 45 minutes from Malpensa; Tremezzo about 1 h 20 min. Linate is about an hour from Cernobbio. Zurich Airport is about 3 hours from Cernobbio and 3 h 30 min from Tremezzo, so it makes sense mainly when the flight to Zurich is much better than the flight to Milan. For private aviation, Lugano Airport in Agno is the closest airfield to the lake: about 35 minutes to Cernobbio.
St. Moritz: Milan or Zurich, almost the same
St. Moritz is one of the few destinations where Milan and Zurich are nearly equal. On Google Maps the drive from Zurich Airport takes about 3 hours, and from Malpensa about 3 h 20 min. Both routes cross mountain passes, so in winter the car should have winter tyres and snow chains, and the driver should check the passes before leaving. Choose the airport with the flight that suits you best.
Courmayeur and Cervinia: Geneva or Malpensa
For Courmayeur, Geneva Airport is the closest: about 1 h 30 min through Chamonix and the Mont Blanc Tunnel, against about 2 h 15 min from Malpensa. For Breuil-Cervinia, at the foot of the Matterhorn, the balance changes: about 2 h 25 min from Malpensa and about 3 hours from Geneva. If you are skiing in both resorts in one trip, it is worth flying into one airport and out of the other.
The Dolomites: Venice and Innsbruck
Milan is not the natural gateway to the Dolomites: Cortina is close to 5 hours from central Milan by car. Venice Marco Polo is much closer, about 2 h 10 min to Cortina and about 2 h 50 min to Corvara in Alta Badia. For Val Gardena, Innsbruck Airport in Austria is often the best option, about 1 h 55 min to Ortisei over the Brenner Pass, and about 2 h 30 min to Corvara.
Open-jaw trips
Trips often combine destinations, for example a week on Lake Como followed by a week in St. Moritz, or Courmayeur followed by Milan. An open-jaw ticket, arriving at one airport and leaving from another, can save a long drive back. With one chauffeur company covering all these airports, the ground journey stays simple whatever flights you choose.
Private and business aviation
Private flights add more options. Around Milan, business aviation uses Linate Prime, Malpensa Prime and BGY Executive at Milan Bergamo. Lugano is close to Lake Como, and Innsbruck, Geneva, Zurich and Venice all handle private traffic. Send us the airport, the estimated arrival and the handling agent, and we plan the meeting point in advance.
Travelling in winter
From December to March, mountain roads to St. Moritz, Courmayeur, Cervinia and the Dolomites can be affected by snow. Cars should run on winter tyres and carry snow chains, and drivers check pass and tunnel conditions before departure. Allow extra time on Saturdays, when many ski resorts change guests and the valleys are busier. In summer, the lake roads and the coastal roads are the slow sections instead, especially at weekends.
How to decide
Start from the place you are going to stay, compare the flights to two or three airports, then add the driving time from this guide. If the difference is small, choose the airport with the best schedule and the shortest connection. Send us your dates and destination, and we suggest the best combination and reply with a written quote. Price on request.