Flying to Casalmaggiore
Nearby airports are marked in red. Skyscanner.net is a quick way to see if there is a connection to any of these (local) airports. The main international airports are around Milan.
When?
The Festival takes place every year in the middle of the month of July and lasts three weeks. The first day, it starts with the orientation meeting at 9:30 AM (Central European Time) so that most of the participants should arrive the day before. In the last day, the Gala Concert at 9:30 PM marks the end of the Festival. Please allow enough time to travel by train or car from the airport to/from Casalmaggiore.
Suggested Options:
The nearest airport is Parma (PMF), which is just 25 km from Casalmaggiore. Ryanair flies there from the UK. Please be aware that Ryanair is a rather musician unfriendly “budget” airline and will impose all sorts of additional fees if you do not follow their myriads of conditions. You might even end up paying for an extra seat, just for your musical instrument. It’s generally cheaper to fly with a normal airline when you take into account the additional fees you’ll have to pay.
Another suggested airport is Bologna (BLQ), which can be reached from the main European airports: London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris CDG, Madrid, Vienna.
Other Airports:
The international airports of Milan Malpensa (MXP), Milan Linate (LIN) and Bergamo/Orio al Serio (BGY) can also be used and Casalmaggiore can be reached with public transports from there.
It might also be worthwhile checking out flights to Venice (Unmarked, on the right most edge of the map.), as this is the busiest airport after the Milanese airports or Pisa, 2 hours to the south of Parma.
The table here below summarizes some information about four of the closest international airports. Take into account the distance and the journey times between Casalmaggiore and these airports before deciding which flights to book. For example, people traveling via Milan Malpensa should land no later than 14:00 in the day before the start of the festival and should take-off no earlier than 12:00 in the day after the festival has finished.
|
From |
Bologna (BLQ) |
Milan Malpensa (MXP) |
Milan Linate (LIN) |
Bergamo/Orio al Serio (BGY) |
|
Distance to Casalmaggiore |
~110 km |
~200 km |
~140 km |
~130 km |
|
Journey time using public transports |
2.5 to 3.5 hours |
4 to 6 hours |
3 to 4.5 hours |
4 to 5 hours |
Directions
Website of the Italian Railways: www.trenitalia.com
From Milan Malpensa airport to Milan Central Station
Take the shuttle bus from the airport to the Central Station in Milan. Buses leave from Terminal 1 by exit #6: 1h journey, every 20 min, tickets at the desk near exit #6 of Terminal 1 or onboard. We suggest not taking the train (Malpensa Express) to downtown because it does not stop at the Central Station.
From Milan Linate airport to Milan Central Station
Take the shuttle bus from the airport to the Central Station in Milan. Buses leave from the platform outside the airport: 30 min journey, every 30 min, tickets onboard.
From Milan Central Station to Casalmaggiore
Option 1 – Via Parma
1. Ask for a ticket to Casalmaggiore via Parma. Take a train from the Central Station to Parma (about 1h 20m). Parma is on the line from Milan to Bologna/Ancona or to Bologna/Florence/Rome. There is at least one train every hour.
2. At the railway station in Parma, take a regional train to Casalmaggiore (usually from platform # 6). Casalmaggiore is on the line to Piadena/Brescia.
Option 2 – Via Piadena
1. Ask for a ticket to Casalmaggiore via Piadena. Take a train from the Central Station to the small station of Piadena, which is on the line to Mantova.
2. Take a train from Piadena to Casalmaggiore.
Option 3 – Via Brescia
1. Ask for a ticket to Casalmaggiore via Brescia. Take a train from the Central Station to Brescia (ca. 1h). Brescia is on the line from Milan to Verona/Venice. There is at least one train every hour.
2. Take a train from Brescia to Casalmaggiore, which is on the line to Parma.
From Bologna airport to Casalmaggiore via Parma.
1. Take the shuttle bus from the airport to the Railway Station in Bologna. Buses leave from the platform outside the airport: 30 min journey, every 20 min, tickets onboard.
2. At the railway station ask for a ticket to Casalmaggiore via Parma. Be sure that the ticket and your train are not to Castelmaggiore, which is a different town with a similar name close to Bologna. There are one to three trains every hour from Bologna to Parma.
3. At the railway station in Parma, take a regional train to Casalmaggiore (usually from platform # 6). Casalmaggiore is on the line to Piadena/Brescia.
From Bergamo/Orio al Serio airport to Casalmaggiore via Brescia
1. Take the shuttle bus from the airport to the Railway Station in Bergamo. Buses leave from the platform outside the airport: 20 min journey, every 20 min. Tickets at the machines.
2. At the railway station ask for a ticket to Casalmaggiore via Brescia. Take a train from Bergamo to Brescia, which is in the direction of Verona/Venice. There is about one train every hour.
3. Take a train from Brescia to Casalmaggiore, which is on the line to Parma.
From Parma airport to Casalmaggiore
1. Take the shuttle bus from the airport to the Railway Station in Parma. Buses leave from the platform outside the airport: 12 min journey, one ride every hour at xx:43.
2. Alternatively, take a taxi to the railway station.
3. At the railway station in Parma, take a regional train to Casalmaggiore (usually from platform # 6). Casalmaggiore is on the line to Piadena/Brescia.
4. A taxi ride from Parma airport to Casalmaggiore costs approximately € 60. Ask first so you won’t get cheated. It takes about half an hour.
From Casalmaggiore station to Santa Chiara
Festival Office phone number: (+39) 335 756 3603
B&B and Hotels in Casalmaggiore
Albergo delle Industrie, Via delle Industrie, 2
+39 0375 200 466
Distance from S. Chiara: 2,3 km
Bed and Breakfast “Il Bijou”, Via Azzo Porzio, 59
+39 333 242 9435
+39 335 790 98 80
+39 0375 203 411
Distance from S. Chiara: 700 m
Bed and Breakfast “Palazzo Porcelli”, Via Baldesio, 80
+39 328 845 2895
Distance from S. Chiara: 350 m
Hotel Bifi, S.S. Sabbionetana 420 km 36
bifihotel.it
info@bifihotel.it
+39 0375 200938
Distance from S. Chiara: 2 km
Luna Residence Hotel, Via Antonio Maria Molossi, 14
www.lunaresidencehotel.it
info@lunaresidence.it
+39 0375 201421
Distance from S. Chiara: 1,6 km
Residenza Il Torrione, Via Vaghi, 13
+39 0375 200488
+39 0375 42214
Distance from S. Chiara: 700 m
Violin restorer in Casalmaggiore