All about the Orio al Serio hub (Bergamo-Milan)

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Milan is too big a city to be satisfied with one airport. Moreover, so many people rush to the center of world fashion, the greatest center of catwalks and the Mecca of shopaholics, that two urban hubs - Linate and Malpensa - cannot accept it. That is why liners whose passengers follow to Milan are accepted by the nearby city of Bergamo (Italy). This airport is officially called Orio al Serio. It got its name from the area in which it is located. In this article we will talk about this one more air harbor of the capital of Lombardy. Many tourists are discouraged by the question: how to get from Bergamo Airport to Milan? Transit passengers gnaw at the thought that they will not be able to catch a connecting flight from Malpensa or Linate. In this article, we will try to dispel all doubts.

Bergamo on the map of Italy

First, a few words about the city itself. He is heard by the Russian audience solely because of the Soviet musical "Truffaldino from Bergamo" withKonstantin Raikin and Natalya Gundareva in the lead roles. But, believe me, there is something to see in this Lombard city. It is worth coming from Orio al Serio to Bergamo to spend at least a couple of hours there. After all, only three and a half kilometers separate the airport from the beautiful city on the mountain. Bergamo on the map of Italy is located 50 km northeast of Milan. And from the capital of Italy, Rome, it is separated by almost five hundred kilometers. The funicular will take you to the old part of Bergamo. Among the most famous attractions that guidebooks recommend to tourists include the Cathedral with a separate baptistery, the churches of Santa Maria Maggiore, Santa Croce and St. Michael, the Donizetti Theater.

History of Bergamo Airport

It started way back in 1911. Then in the small town of Osio Sotto, not far from Bergamo, the first airfield appeared. In 1939, just before the Second World War, it was expanded and strengthened, making it suitable for military aviation. The hub remained under the control of the Italian Air Force until 1970, when it became clear that Malpensa was unable to cope with the growing number of flights. Bergamo-Milan Airport was rebuilt for the needs of civil aviation for two years. The first commercial flight departed from this air harbor in 1972. Now the airport has two official names: Orio al Serio (according to the area in which it is located) and Caravaggio (in honor of the famous Italian painter). This air harbor is the second busiest among Milan hubs. She only yieldsMalpensa.

Specifics of Bergamo Airport

To understand it, you need to know something about low-cost airlines. The price of the air ticket includes the costs of servicing the airports of departure and arrival. Hubs have different prices for their services. Malpensa is a very expensive airport. Therefore, in order to reduce the cost of their tickets, low-cost airlines choose air harbors that are more distant from the metropolis. Therefore, the International Airport Caravaggio, better known as Bergamo-Milan, specializes in low cost flights. Leading low-cost carriers such as Whizzair and Ryanair have made it their favorite haven. From Russia, Moscow's Domodedovo, the Blue-Express company sends planes here. This small Bergamo airport has only one runway. But the traffic is very heavy. About a dozen liners start from here in an hour.

Services at Bergamo Airport

Passengers are served by one small terminal. However, despite the small size, everything here is thought out and highly functional. There are nineteen shops at Bergamo-Milan Airport, including duty-free shops. For a snack or a substantial meal, there are six restaurants and bars. There is also a VIP room. Entrance to it costs eighteen euros, but here you can spend time while waiting for a flight very comfortably - using a computer with the Internet, snacks and drinks are included in the price. Luggage can be left in the storage room, which is located in the arrivals hall. This service will cost threeeuro small cell and five - large. The parking in front of the entrance is divided into zones 1 and 2. On the first one, you can leave the car for a short time, up to ten minutes, for free. A tourist office is open in the terminal from 8 am to 9 pm seven days a week.

Bergamo (airport): how to get to Milan and Malpensa, other Italian cities

The network of air harbors of the capital of Lombardy is interconnected by bus service. To get to Milan, you can take a taxi. It will cost 60-80 euros. A short trip to the center of Bergamo will cost about 25 €. There are also more budget options. For example, an electric train. The railway line to Milan Bergamo Airport has not yet been laid, but every half an hour a shuttle leaves from the terminal to the station. A ticket for it costs 2.3 euros. The journey will take only ten minutes. Trains run from Bergamo to Milan Central Station. The journey will take about forty minutes. There are also direct buses to Milan. A ticket costs about five euros, travel time is an hour. But this option is not good for peak times, when at the entrance to the capital of Lombardy you can stand in traffic jams for an hour and a half. If you are transiting through Milan and the connecting flight leaves from Malpensa airport, look for the bus stop called Orioshuttle. A ticket for it costs eighteen euros. Directly from Bergamo airport you can go to Turin (buses run three times a day) and to the Alpine resorts (Terravition company).

Hotels nearby

With an early departure, it makes sense to spend the night right inBergamo-Milan airport. Two hundred meters from the terminal there is a hotel NH Orio & Serio.