markpy

Arriving 6AM at Malpensa next week on American from Miami and know I have to take train upon arrival at airport to Milan Centrale before taking the fast train to Venice. Trying to avoid any potential stress upon arrival. Is the train at the airport easy to find from arrival gate or should I take taxi to Milan Centrale? Would prefer no bus.
Thanks

vincenzo32951

Full disclosure: I have never taken the train there, but I know it's at Terminal 1 (I was there a couple of weeks ago). You might check to see which terminal you're arriving at and its proximity to 1. I don't think it would be too difficult. If it's like most airport-train situations in Italy, you probably can buy tix at a tabacchi in the terminal.

But if you're interested in alternatives:

A shared shuttle to Milano Centrale is about $35-$40.
I don't think I'd take a taxi. It would probably be expensive, since the trip is at least 45 minutes, and it looks as if you'll be making it at rush hour, by the time you get to the curb at the airport.

sandralist

You should ask this question on the Slow Travel website because people will give you detailed advice about doing this. There must be a dozen people who post over there who fly into Malpensa and go directly to Venice every single year, or twice a year, and they know the whole shebazz, including the easiest way to buy a vaparetto ticket once you get into Venice.

neckervd

The train station is in Terminal 1 itself, about 10min on foot from the baggage claim.
You can most probably get a ticket up to Venice at the airport railway station. The standard fare from the airport up to Venezia Santa Lucia (city center) railway station is 49.50 EUR.

Train departures from the airport at 6.43 and 7.43 to Milano Centrale station ar 7.35 resp 8.35, dp 8.05 resp 9.05

bvlenci

Yes, you can get a ticket for the whole trip at Malpensa, and it's best to do that, so you don't have to deal with buying another ticket in Milan.

vincenzo32951

Good advice to get the ticket at Malpensa. Milano Centrale has the typical hustle-bustle of city train stations, and you're going to be a little groggy after your flight. You don't need to be dealing with the ticket-buying experience there.

NYCFoodSnob

<i><font color=#555555>"You should ask this question on the Slow Travel website"</font></i>

What a ridiculous suggestion. This question is a piece of cake to answer, and this forum has plenty of travelers who make this journey quite often and post here regularly. Why send someone over to endure that archaic software at slow-trav and wait for someone who posts only once a year? If only slow-trav could learn to employ and attract some younger blood.

If you want to avoid stress upon arrival, purchase your tickets online for both the Malpensa Express and the Frecciabianca or EuroCity train to Venice. You'll receive a PDF printout of a PIN number. Show this to the ticket handler on the train and you're done. PIN printouts do not need validation or require lines. If you find difficulty using the Trenitalia website, there are tons of posts here and on the internet to offer a crash course.

As neckervd said, the Malpensa Express is about a 10 minute walk from Baggage Claim. If you have cumbersome luggage, the walk can pose a few challenges. For certain types of luggage, it is easier to hop the Malpensa Shuttle Bus at Exit 4, which parks curbside just outside of Baggage Claim. The train station logo is easy to follow from Baggage Claim. The train icon is large.

It may be too late to get discount Frecciabianca or EuroCity tickets to Venezia S. Lucia, but there are plenty available online for next week. If you need a fast answer to a question about this process, ask here. This board is often more energetic than elsewhere.

markpy

Thanks. Took Sandralist's advice, checked Slowtravel and seems signs to train are right after passport control. That should be easy. Will print out a train schedule before flight to have to minimize any anxiety upon landing.

NYCFoodSnob

<i><font color=#555555>"seems signs to train are right after passport control"</font></i>

What does that even mean? In this context, what does "passport control" look like? How do you know when you've seen it?

I've done this drill a million times and I've never had to pull out my passport before exiting Baggage Claim at MXP. If there is a "passport control" between the baggage carousel and the Baggage Claim exit doors, I've never had any interaction with it. I suppose a few people get stopped by sniffing dogs, but those dogs are all over the place.

Depending on where your plane docks after arrival, Arrival A or Arrival B, you will end up exiting very specific Baggage Claim Exit doors, which dump you into the street-side of the terminal, a kind of lobby thoroughfare that runs along the outdoor roadway. If you look up, Malpensa's signage is green with white letters. This website offers a variety of photos: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1174103 They have a photo of the train sign.

The Treni (Trains) icon is very specific. It's a face of a train with two white lines forming an upside down Y, to illustrate train tracks. Follow the TRENI signs at Malpensa and eventually you will end up at Malpensa Express. Finding Malpensa Express is easy. There is no need to stress. Standing in lines, waiting to buy tickets is something I try to avoid.

Malpensa Shuttle Bus is also easy to take and find. Some of us find it easier, especially if the weather is nice. The bus is now located at Exit Door 4. There is an ATM against the interior terminal wall at Exit Door 4, which also comes in handy if you need immediate cash.

markpy

Thanks NYC, your advice was helpful. I don't want to purchase tickets online before flight in case of unexpected delay in flight. Are there automated machines at Malpensa to purchase tickets directly to Venice Santa Lucia? My flight arrives quite early and the ticket booth might not be open and/or lines too long if it is open.

Dukey1

I would NOT buy a ticket until I arrived as you are planning to do. I would not use a ticket window unless it has a VERY short line and even then the ticket machines all have an English language option and they are easy to use. I've used them with cash, credit cards and debit cards.

Believe me, Immigration (aka passport control) is pretty easy to find since they ask to SEE your passport there when arriving on an international flight.

Lady Gaga wannabees apparently are exempt.

socaltraveler

Apparently the food snob cannot answering a simple question without dissing the OP, other responders and another travel site. Way past time to get over yourself. Apparently the OP did find some useful info at SlowTrav . Go figure that.

vincenzo32951

>>what does "passport control" look like?<<

LOL. It's that place where the person in a booth in uniform essentially says, "Show me your friggin passport or you're not going to go one step farther." (Rough translation.)

You can't miss it.

NYCFoodSnob

I HATE standing in lines, especially with luggage in tow. I will pay extra to avoid lines. If you're not traveling alone, buying tickets while someone watches your luggage is relatively a no-brainer. If you are traveling alone, and you have more than two bags, waiting until the last minute to buy tickets, IMO, is a royal pain.

I've been buying tickets online from Trenitalia ever since the day they accepted credit card transactions from the U.S. If I'm going to Venice from MXP, I allow 90 minutes connection time at Centrale. I can't resist the fabulous sandwiches at Bistrot Centrale. So far, I have never missed my connecting train, and I often have a discounted ticket. If you pay full price for a ticket and you miss your train, you have a one-hour grace period to use your ticket for a later train, free of charge. Some conductors will put you on a train if you go past the one-hour grace period.

What would happen if I missed my connection and I'm several hours delayed? I'd have no choice but to purchase another ticket at Centrale. I don't cry over spilled milk or losing $50 on a train ticket. Like I said, I'll pay anything to avoid a line.

<i><font color=#555555>"Are there automated machines at Malpensa to purchase tickets directly to Venice Santa Lucia?"</font></i>

There seem to be hundreds. The vast majority are located on the ground floor. But there seem to be kiosks scattered about. The map graphics aren't easy to figure out until you learn the territory, but this site is good: http://www.milanocentrale.it/en/ (click Ticket Office)

Too many hustlers work the kiosks at Centrale for my sense of safety. I don't like hustlers hovering around me while my eyes are focused on a computer screen, and did I mention I don't like lines. If you don't speak Italian, it helps to learn each kiosk screen before you get to Centrale. Some of the page transition translations are not intuitive, and you want to be sure you click the right buttons. There are numerous sources on the internet that provide "how to" videos.

NYCFoodSnob

Go ahead and laugh, Vinny. We know the laugh comes from a small man.

As I said earlier, context matters. I know what "Passport Control" looks like, and you go through it BEFORE you get to Baggage Claim. It's the very first stop after you disembark the plane.

There is no such "Passport Control" from the point of the baggage carousel and the Baggage Claim Exit Doors. If someone is going to pull you over, it's because you look suspicious, have something in your luggage to declare, or a dog sniffed your bag and smelled fresh truffles.

YOU WILL NOT SEE SIGNS TO THE TRAIN (Treni - Malpensa Express) until you EXIT the Baggage Claim area by going through very specific exit doors. And that's the "context" of the passport control aspect of this discussion.

However, you can keep laughing, Vinny.

vincenzo32951

LOL

NYCFoodSnob

A fool is so predictable.