I’m one of those Italophiles who has yet to find a place in Italy that doesn’t appeal to me. There are cities I prefer over others, but for the most part if it’s in Italy I’m hooked. I don’t, however, usually tell people to spend time in Milan. I love this city, but it’s not what most people come to Italy for. I think I’m going to have to change my tune slightly, at least for the time being, because I’ve just found some great fall air deals to Milan.

Now, I know plenty of people who fly in and out of Milan and don’t spend any time here - so just taking advantage of these great deals doesn’t mean you have to see anything more of the city than the train station en route to someplace else. But personally, I think it just makes for a more hectic trip if you don’t at least spend a night in the city you’re flying in and out of. Unfortunately, Milan is well-known for its high-priced hotels and lack of hostels - but there are some excellent budget hotels in Milan (which can be especially cheap on weekends when the city’s business travelers have left town), and believe it or not there are even hostels in Milan worth checking out.

But even if all you’re doing is using Milan as the gateway to Italy and immediately heading out of town, that’s okay by me - because you’re getting to Italy, which is something I’m totally in favor of, and because these September-November deals are so nice. Even if you’re not spending any time at all in Milan, however, you might need to know your options for getting from Malpensa Airport into Milan so that you can hop on a train to a more romantic (and quintessentially Italian) destination.