What to visit near Malpensa Airport while waiting for your flight

Malpensa is not only the airport of Varese Province, but has much more to offer: nature, culture and history. Nearby, you can discover places that are interesting in terms of culture and of nature, that not everyone would expect to find near an airport.

We have chosen five places, each of which is different in terms of its characteristics and tastes, which can be reached from Malpensa Airport, in fifteen/twenty minutes by car (they are all within a radius of 15 km from the airport) and are ideal for a short trip while you are waiting for your flight. This Top 5 includes some of the gems of Varese Province, which those who live near Malpensa know very well.

What to visit around Malpensa: TORNAVENTO

The hamlet of Lonate Pozzolo (8.7 km from the airport) won the title of “The most beautiful village in the province” in 2019, the competition announced by VareseNews. The particular feature of Tornavento is its beautiful Piazza Parravicino, from which you have a lovely view of the Ticino Valley and the Alps. The village was also the site of an important episode during the Thirty Years’ War, which was fought between the French and the Spanish: every year, at the end of June, Tornavento returns to the 17th century, with a re-enactment of the Battle of Tornavento. Near the small square, for anyone who wants to walk or cycle through the nature, there is the Austro-Hungarian Barrier. For anyone who has more time, you can take the approximately 14 km route from Tornavento to the Panperduto Dam, near Somma Lombardo.

What to visit around Malpensa: THE MAGA MUSEUM

The art museum of Gallarate (14 km from Malpensa) is the artistic and cultural heart of the town; it hosts a variety of art exhibitions every year.

What to visit around Malpensa: THE TICINO VALLEY PARK

The Ticino Valley Park (10.4 km from Malpensa) is the right choice for anyone who wants to surround himself with nature before catching his plane. It is ideal for a number of excursions, on foot or by bicycle; thanks to the nature guides, there are a varied selection of paths and trails in the Park; you will discover considerable biodiversity, characterised by the presence of different natural ecosystems (from the wetlands of the river, to the moors and dry grasslands).

What to visit around Malpensa: VOLANDIA

The Volandia area, in Somma Lombardo (5 km by road, but a few hundred metres, if you use the footbridge), is the ideal place if you are travelling with children. The Museum of Flight is home to a large number of models, technologies and aircraft from aviation’s past: there are hot-air balloons and the first motorised airplane built in Italy. Visitors will experience a full immersion into the world of flight, which they are unlikely to forget. And with children particularly in mind, there are flight simulators, the planetarium and the film section.

What to visit around Malpensa: THE CASTLE OF SOMMA LOMBARDO

The Visconti Castle of San Vito in Somma Lombardo was built in the ninth century to defend the Duchy of Milan; it later became the stately home of the Visconti family. At the end of 1400s, when the property was divided among the siblings, the castle was separated from the village of Somma. The reunification did not take place until 1950. A visit inside the Castle will give you an insight into what life and the habits of the time were like.