Which Airport Should You Fly Into in Italy? A Practical Guide

Start with your route, not the airport

The most common mistake is booking the cheapest or most famous airport and then discovering it's on the wrong side of the country. Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and Milan Malpensa (MXP) are Italy's two main long-haul gateways - but they're 570 km apart. Your itinerary should decide your airport, not the other way around.

The main gateways

Rome Fiumicino is the natural entry for a classic Rome–Florence–Venice route or any itinerary starting in the south. Milan Malpensa suits the lakes, the Alps, Turin or a Milan-first itinerary. Venice Marco Polo and Naples Capodichino have grown fast with direct US flights - they're excellent choices if your trip starts there.

• ✦Rome Fiumicino (FCO): best for Rome, Tuscany, the south
• ✦Milan Malpensa (MXP): best for the lakes, Alps, Piedmont
• ✦Venice Marco Polo (VCE): best for Venice, the Veneto, the Dolomites
• ✦Naples (NAP): best for the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Capri, Sicily
• ✦Florence (FLR): small and convenient, but few long-haul routes

The open-jaw trick

The smartest strategy for a multi-city trip is an open-jaw ticket: fly into one airport and out of another. Rome in, Milan out - or Naples in, Venice out. It costs slightly more than a round trip but saves you a full day of backtracking. Most US and Israeli travelers never consider it; it's often the difference between a good itinerary and a great one.

The low-cost airports (and their traps)

Ryanair and Wizz Air fly to 'Milan' Bergamo (BGY) and 'Venice' Treviso (TSF) - airports that are 45–60 minutes from the actual cities. They're fine if you know the transfer time, and often dramatically cheaper. Just never book one expecting to land in the city center.

If you're flying from the US or Israel on a long-haul route, stick to the main gateways and let us handle the connections. We'll route you into the airport that makes your itinerary flow - and arrange the transfers so you land, breathe, and start your trip.