The Best Airports in Italy For Cheap Airfare (2024)

2.Milan Malpensa International Airport (MXP)

The drawback with Malpensa is that Milan isn’t nearly as centrally located as Rome. Milan is way up in the north of the country, making southern Italy much more of a trek.

Still, if you are looking to go somewhere in central or northern Italy, like Milan, or Turin, this airport could be a great choice for you.

Venice has the third busiest international airport in all of Italy, and this is due strictly to tourism. Venice is way up in the northeastern corner of Italy, and most of its flights are coming in from far away destinations (like yours).

Venice is one of the most visited places in all of Italy, and its airport has grown to accommodate that.

Are you surprised to see Bologna as the fourth-best airport to fly into in Italy? Bologna is a city of under half a million people, after all.

Don’t let the seemingly small population fool you. Bologna is actually bigger than Florence! Bologna is a city that most travelers wrongly overlook, too, and I think if you read my Bologna travel guide you may be convinced to check this gorgeous city out.

5. Naples International Airport (NAP)

Naples has seen its popularity continue to grow each decade, and it is now one of the most trafficked airports in all of Italy. Thanks to its reputation as the home of pizza and its proximity to major tourist destinations like the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Positano and Mount Vesuvius, Naples deserves a trip of its own and is a very affordable city to fly into in Italy.

6. Pisa International Airport (PSA)

Another airport you may not have expected to see so high on this list, Pisa is a sneakily great option to look at when flying into Italy. Pisa’s airport is the busiest one in all of Tuscany, and it offers direct flights to places around Europe and beyond.

While your chances of finding a direct long-haul flight to Pisa are lower than some of the other airports on this list, you are very likely to find a very affordable flight with just one layover.

Pisa is located about 40 miles west of Florence, which is a train ride of less than 30 minutes. In fact, we just used the Pisa airport to arrive in Florence this past summer. From there you can access just about anywhere in central and northern Italy within just a few hours. Be sure to at least check out the leaning tower while you’re in Pisa!

7. Rome Ciampino International Airport (CIA)

Ciampino is the much smaller Roman airport, but don’t let that turn you away. While Ciampino may not offer nearly as many flight options as its local counterpart, it still has many great options. I used Rome Ciampino Airport to fly to Marrakech, and while it was much smaller than Fiumicino, it was still a very nice airport.

Just like with Fiumicino, flying into Ciampino gives you all of the advantages of Rome’s central location. From here you can get to just about any part of the mainland within just a few hours.

There will be less options and you’re probably 10 times more likely to use Fiumicino, but if you are flying into Rome I advise at least checking out the options into Ciampino. You never know when you’ll get a bargain!

8. Milan Bergamo Airport (BGY)

Milan Bergamo is one of the busiest airports in all of Italy; it definitely isn’t all the way down at number eight. The reason I dropped it so far down on list is the limited airlines that it utilizes.

Milan Bergamo tends to be used primarily just for budget airlines, and the vast majority of these flights are just within Europe. As a result, you are not likely to find great long-haul direct flights into this airport.

If you are flying from somewhere in Europe, though, be sure to check this airport out. There are some bottom of the barrel prices on flights into Milan Bergamo Airport, and I mentioned earlier than Milan is a relatively convenient city to fly into.

If you are wary about using budget airlines, be sure to check out my post with tips on flying on budget airlines. They can be scary to people who don’t know much about them and they have some annoying fees, but if you know how to get around those fees budget airlines are a true blessing!

9. Florence Peretola Airport (FLR)

Finally, Florence makes the list. Florence, somewhat shockingly, does not have a very big airport. Peretola Airport is not a great option to fly into, frankly, and only made this list because of Florence’s central location.

Flying into Pisa, Bologna, and Rome will almost always get you a better flight option, and getting to Florence from each of these cities is a very short trip.

If your destination is Florence, it doesn’t hurt to look into flying into Florence’s airport. However, I really think you’ll have a better bet flying into a different city. According to our one driver, most Florentines don’t even use their Florence airport as the Pisa airport has better options.

Even if money isn’t a concern for you, a flight into Florence is almost bound to have a layover, while Bologna and Rome offer many more direct flights. The time you save by skipping the layover is often more than the quick train ride you need to take after you arrive in a different city!

10. Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport (BRI)

Bari’s airport is also not very large, but it is big enough to make this list. The main draw to flying into Bari is its location.

Bari is the only city on this list on Italy’s southern east coast, and it is only one of two cities in the southern part of the country. If you want to get to places like Lecce and Brindisi (or anywhere else on the heel of the boot), flying into Bari is your best option.

Another nice aspect of flying into Bari is its degree of connection on the train line. Italy has a train line that goes straight up and down its east coast, and flying into Bari puts you directly onto that line.

This is useful if you want to get to any of Italy’s cute east coast beach cities like Rimini, Pesaro, and Ancona. If you want to go anywhere but Italy’s east coast, fly into a different airport.