Getting to and from Brescia Airport (VBS)

Brescia Airport has the official airport code of VBS, and lies in Montichiari, a town in northern Italy. For this reason, Brescia Airport is also commonly referred to as Montichiari Airport, or even Gabriele d’Annunzio Airport, in honor of an Italian nationalist and poet who stayed in the Garda Lake area. Brescia is about 20 km from the airport, and is an Italian city with a few attractions, but the Lake areas of Garda and Iseo are more popular, as well as Verona, which is just 60 km from Brescia Airport. Driving to Brescia Airport is straight forward, as it is well positioned close by some major motorways which lead to larger cities.

Motorists when travelling to Brescia Airport from Milano, Venezia, Mantova, Trento, Verona and Bolzano most often use the motorways of the A4 or A21. The exit leading to the airport is named as ‘Brescia Est Exit’, and from here, the airport is about a ten minute drive. There are also signs in this region that will help point you in the right direction. Motorists driving to Brescia Airport from Piacenza or Cremona should use the exit marked as ‘Manerbio Exit’. Once you have turned off the motorway at this exit, Brescia Airport is about a ten-minute drive away. There are also ‘airport’ signs showing the way.

Motorists will need to drive approximately 46 km from Mantova in order to reach Brescia Airport, 50 km from Bergamo, 56 km from Cremona and 84 km from Piacenza. As mentioned, Verona is approximately 60 km from Brescia Airport. Other prominent areas are slightly further away, but still within easy driving distance. You will be travelling around 115 km from Parma, 121 km from Vicenza, 152 km from Padova, 160 km from Trento or Modena, 140 km from Ferrara, 150 km from Rovigo and 212 km from Bolzano. Milan, which is a very popular city for tourists, is approximately 120 km from Brescia Airport.

Brescia Airport is also located nearby a few other airports, and these include Verona International Airport, Milan Bergamo Airport, Parma Airport, Milan Linate Airport and Bologna International Airport.

Once arriving at Brescia Airport, you will notice there are four parking areas available, with a total of about 600 spaces, and that the airport consists of one terminal building. The terminal building is very easy to navigate, with departures on the one side and arrivals on the other. It is a rather small airport in Italy, only handling around 200,000 passengers per year, and therefore is only really ‘busy’ when Ryanair’s flights are scheduled. For this reason, you may find that there are always queues at the airport, when you are checking-in, going through security, or purchasing bus tickets on your way out. Although the facilities at the airport are adequate, there is often only one desk/office open at a time. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you find the service at Brescia Airport to be a little ‘slow’, especially if you are more used to departing from larger airports that naturally have to offer more efficient services.

Facilities at Brescia Airport include an Autogrill for snacks and drinks before security, a gift shop and a newsagent. After security there is another bar available, as well as a small duty-free shop. There is a bank and ATM at the airport for money related matters, and the D’Annunzio VIP Lounge for business travelers and frequent flyers. The lounge has a relaxing environment, and offers complimentary snacks and refreshments, television and other services, such the usage of a fax machine or telephone by prepaid cards and phone credit cards. The Lost and Found office handles lost or damaged baggage items, or any other item lost at the airport, and there are trolleys to assist you with your luggage.

Brescia Airport welcomes disabled and reduced mobility passengers, and like most Italian airports, is fully equipped for their comfort. There are designated toilet facilities and reserved parking bays nearby the terminal building. A specially designed ‘tactile’ path has also been built to assist visually impaired passengers.

Passengers who do not wish to bring their own vehicle to Brescia Airport can arrive by the bus or taxi services. Buses travel from the Brescia Bus and Train Station and from the Porta Nuova Bus and Train Station in Verona. The time schedules of the buses coincide with the flights offered at the airport. The journey from Verona is about an hour, and from Brescia about 25 minutes. There is no train station at the airport; therefore passengers must use the bus services to reach Brescia Airport if arriving by train in Verona or Brescia. Taxis are available on call, from the main bus or train stations, or from any other busy public or tourist area in Italian cities.

The address of Brescia Airport is Aeroporto Gabriele D’Annunzio di Brescia Montichiari, Via Aeroporto 34, 25018. Enquiries about the services at Brescia Airport can be made at the information desk within the passenger terminal.