Private transfers to Vimercate, Cernusco and the Martesana: times, prices and tips

From Linate, Malpensa and Bergamo Orio al Serio

Linate (LIN) is by far the closest airport to the Martesana. The route leaves the airport to the east, crosses the belt of towns between Milan and the SS36 and reaches Cernusco in 25-30 minutes and Vimercate in 35-40 minutes in normal traffic. It is the ideal airport for travellers staying in the area for work, for hospital visits or for a weekend on the canal, and the one we recommend whenever flight schedules allow it. Full details are on our Linate transfers page.

Malpensa (MXP), the intercontinental airport of Lombardy, lies about 70-80 kilometres to the west: the journey follows the A8 motorway, crosses the northern ring of Milan on the A4 and the Tangenziale East and takes 1 hour 05 to 1 hour 25 at the wheel of a business sedan. For families and groups with lots of luggage a van is the most comfortable choice, while flight tracking automatically adjusts the pick-up time if the plane lands late. See also our Malpensa transfers page.

Bergamo Orio al Serio (BGY), the base of the low-cost carriers, is 50-55 kilometres to the north-east: the A4 motorway takes you from the airport to the Vimercate exit in 40-55 minutes, one of the easiest motorway runs in the region. Whichever airport you land at, the service is the same: the chauffeur follows your flight in real time, waits in arrivals with a name sign and the waiting time after landing is included in the fare. Our Bergamo transfers page has the full breakdown.

Traffic, rush hours and when to leave

The weak point of every journey in this part of Lombardy is the Tangenziale East, one of the busiest ring roads in Italy: between 7:30 and 9:30 in the morning and between 5:00 and 7:30 in the evening the motorway junctions slow down and the journey from Milan can take fifteen to twenty minutes longer. The SS36 near Vimercate is also busy at rush hour and on Friday evenings. A professional chauffeur knows the alternative routes and builds a margin into the departure time, so you arrive calm even on the most congested days.

A few periods deserve extra care. During the Italian Grand Prix weekend the roads around Monza fill up, and the same happens during Milan Design Week, fashion week and the biggest trade fairs: in those days it is worth leaving thirty minutes earlier than usual. The chauffeur monitors traffic in real time and, when the pick-up is at the airport, follows the flight as well, so the plan adapts to what actually happens rather than to a fixed schedule.

Vimercate and Cernusco sul Naviglio

Vimercate is the main town of the area: a lively centre built around Palazzo d'Adda and the old Visconti tower, with arcaded streets, weekly open-air markets and restaurants where the Milanese tradition meets the cooking of the Brianza. It is also home to one of the reference hospitals of the eastern belt, which makes it a frequent destination for medical visits and for guests staying nearby. The town comes alive on market days and in the evening, when the squares fill up with families and cyclists coming down from the canal.

Cernusco sul Naviglio is smaller and more graceful: its historic core is a rare example of planned eighteenth-century urban layout, a quiet geometric pattern of streets that opens onto the water. The symbol of the town is Villa Cusani Confalonieri, an eighteenth-century manor that now houses the civic library and is surrounded by a park where the whole neighbourhood gathers in the summer. The stretch of canal that passes through the centre, with its low stone quays and the reflections of the houses, is one of the most photographed of the whole waterway.

Gorgonzola, Brugherio and the villages of the Martesana

Every traveller knows the name of Gorgonzola: the town gave its name to the famous blue cheese, one of the great DOP products of Lombardy. The link with the dairy tradition is still alive today, in the shops where the cheese is aged and cut to order and in the autumn tables of the local trattorie, where the strong version and the sweet one are served with polenta, bread and a glass of red. A stop here is a must for anyone who travels with their taste buds first.

The other villages deserve a detour too. Brugherio preserves the elegant Palazzo Ghirlanda Silva, an eighteenth-century palace that hosts exhibitions and concerts, while Trezzo sull'Adda guards the ruins of the great Visconti bridge over the river and the entrances of the Adda river park, a protected green area of woods and cliffs. Following the canal from village to village is the best way to understand the area, and the chauffeur can turn the transfer into a small itinerary with the stops you prefer.

Food, markets and the gorgonzola tradition

This is a land of honest cooking and protected flavours. Gorgonzola DOP leads the way, sweet or strong, matured in the dairies that still mark the rhythm of the local economy, followed by the cold cuts of the plain, the cheeses of the Brianza and the rice and pumpkin dishes that arrive on the tables in autumn, when the tortelli and the risotti turn orange and the trattorie bring back their winter menus. In spring the menus follow the market: wild herbs, asparagus and the first outdoor dinners along the water.

The weekly open-air markets of Vimercate, Cernusco and Gorgonzola are the best way to see the everyday life of the area: fruit and vegetables from the neighbouring farms, cheeses cut at the moment, flowers and household goods, in a slow and friendly atmosphere. For a special dinner or a food tour among dairies and farmhouses, just say the word when you book: the chauffeur knows the addresses and takes care of the transfers between them.

Spring and autumn: the best seasons for the Martesana

Between April and June the canal is at its best: the plane trees are in leaf, the cycle path is busy without being crowded and the days are long enough to combine a walk on the water with dinner in the city. Between September and October the light turns golden, the vineyards and the fields of the Adda change colour and the food calendar becomes the real reason to travel: grape harvests, new oil and the first gorgonzola of the season.

Summer is warm and humid, ideal in the evening and for those who love the long aperitifs on the banks, while winter brings fog and cold but also the most authentic tables, the Christmas markets in Milan and Monza and the quietest rates. In every season the private transfer adapts to your times: from the morning airport run to the late return from a wedding, the service covers the whole day, and the car always arrives heated in winter and cool in summer.