Malpensa airport is a bustling, modern transport hub, the largest in Milan and the busiest in Italy. Airy and spacious, the glass and steel architecture is modern but welcoming, allowing the maximum amount of natural light into the building. Frequent trains ("The Malpensa Express") connect Malpensa with the heart of the beautiful city of Milan, adding a level of convenience not normally provided by an airport outside a city. Malpensa provides the best of both worlds, with convenient travel to and from Milan without the roar of take-off and landing rattling windows in the city itself.

Best Time to Travel

Italian cities get very hot at the height of summer, and most residents pack up and head for the coast for almost the whole of August. It is therefore best to visit in spring or fall, when the weather will be warm but not too hot for city sightseeing.

Amazing Attractions to See

Milan is of course, the fashion capital of Italy if not the world, so you will definitely want to take in some shops.

Milan plays host to folk festivals, music festivals, religious events, carnivals and just about anything else you can imagine throughout the year, attracting a huge number of tourists in the process. The smooth running of the airport is essential to the smooth running of the city and these events. The economic benefits to the city are huge and attract business from all over the world.

Exquisite and Delicious Restaurants

Milan is not a cheap city (in fact, it is among Europe's most expensive) so if you are eating out on a budget the best thing to go for is a traditional, family style pizzeria, or food from cafes. Italians take their cuisine very seriously, so even a slice of pizza costing a couple of Euros will be delicious. If you want to splurge on fine dining, the city offers many more lavish and chic options, however you will find that Italian food is about all that is available – unlike cities in Northern Europe, Italians tend to stick to their own fare so you will be hard pressed to find an Indian or Chinese restaurant, though with as good as Milanese food is, you probably won't want to.

Getting Around from Malpensa

Malpensa hosts direct connections to almost all major European and worldwide airports. All terminals have wifi internet access and a range of amenities to facilitate as smooth a journey as possible. As with all modern airports, thought has gone in to minimising the inconvenience of travel and maximising the potential for productivity and pleasure.

It's high capacity for handling passengers (almost 19 million passed through Malpensa in 2010 alone) facilitates the comings and goings of global tourists to international events in Milan such as football matches and the film festival, as well as general tourism. An entire terminal at Malpensa is dedicated to economy airlines, such as Easy Jet, opening up Milan to tourists on a less extravagant budget. These impressive features prompted German air travel giant Lufthansa to establish their first major hub outside Germany there in 2008.

The convenience of the airport and the attractions of stylish Milan make short stopovers enticing. Passengers can break a longer journey with an opportunity to explore the city, or international meetings can be held in stunning surroundings with the minimum of fuss. Convenient services are available, such as laundry and designer label outlets which can be a life-saver in the event of an emergency. Beyond this, the boutiques and restaurants of the airport make it an attractive destination in itself. Myriad hotel chains have sprung up in and around the airport to cater for budget travellers and first-class clientèle alike, offering a convenient alternative to expensive and noisy inner-city hotels.

A dedicated cargo terminal known as "CargoCity" sees almost half a million tons of goods pass through it on a yearly basis, benefiting many businesses, consumers and the world economy as a whole. A dedicated security team ensures security at the airport meets with the highest standards.

The airport is still growing and rapidly becoming one of the most important in Europe. An extra terminal is due to be completed in As more airlines start making connections at Malpensa, Milan will open up to more and more opportunities from all over the world.