Could someone tell me how I am going to do this? I have been on the trenitalia website, but there are several stations to choose from. Has anyone done this (landed in Milan and get directly on a train to Cinque Terre)? It looks like it will take approx 3 hrs.
Thanks!

p.s. just got our flights which i have been stressing over for the past week. On American, flying into Milan and out of Rome from San Fran in mid to late June for $1088 per person including taxes and fees. Thanks for all your help in planning our honeymoon.

hi
I don't know if there is an easier way than this but I took the airport shuttle from milan airport to main rail station in milan and then caught a train from milan to monterosso in the cique terra. If I remember correctly there was a train change in genoa. Like I said there may be an easier way but that's how I did it.

thank you laartista.
do you know what the main station in milan is called?

If you go to www.trenitalia.com, you will see that there are some trains that require a change in Genoa and quite a few that do not.

You just enter "Milano"; the train station that you want to leave from is "Milano Centrale" (Milano C.le), because that is where the bus from the airport goes to. (I assume you mean Milano Malpensa airport; I don't know about connections to downtown Milan from Milano Linate airport.)

And yes, it takes about 3 hours.

I did this last year; flew into MXP, took bus to main train station in Milan, took train, with a change or two, to Vernazza. I can look up the exact info and post tomorrow, if you'd like. I know there are two different buses, they cost around 5 euro, and it's really easy. You could check the DB website for train times also.

thanks eloise and travlsolo2.
travlsolo2, that would be great if you could look up your info.

I take this route all the time. There is no "direct" train from the Milano airport down to the Cinque Terre. You must first either take the Malpensa Shuttle bus from the airport into Milano's Centrale train station (costs 5 euros pp, is outside baggage claim area) and takes 50 minutes to get into town. Or you can take a taxi from Malpensa into Milano Centrale (~ 30 euros or more). From Milano Centrale train station, there are frequent trains leaving for the CT, generally passing through Genova's Principe train station first, then you switch to another train down south to the CT. Plan on the trip taking you about 3 1/2 hours total.

I looked at the trenitalia website and put in the random dates of 15 June and got the following train times/departures. (I am not sure of when you land in Milan nor what town in the Cinque Terre you are going to, but this should give you an idea as to the frequency of the trains). There are trains leaving Milano Centrale at 9:10 am, 11:10 am, 12:10 pm, 2:10 pm, 4:00 pm, etc. The 12:10, 2:10 pm trains do not stop in Genova and are IC plus trains. They will get you down to the CT in 2 hours 52 minutes.

To prepare for your trip, go to the trenitalia site and on the L side of the screen, type in Milano Centrale and then Monterosso (or whichever CT town you are going to) and then the precise date of travel and approximate time you will be leaving Milano (I would allow 1.5 hours after arrival at the airport so you are not rushed trying to catch a train from the station!). It will pull up all the information for you. I would print out that schedule page and bring it with you so you are ready at the train station to buy the exact train ticket(s) you will need. Just show that paper to the ticket office window representative (the ticket office in the Milano Centrale train station is on the ground/entrance level or lower floor, from the train tracks), then you take the escalator up to the train tracks and waiting trains. Buon viaggio!

Wow!
Thanks for all the detail Huitres.
Very much appreciated.

Great detail, Huitres! The only thing I can add to that is that there are/were two bus companies, virtually identical, and they are outside exit 5 and 6, and you can buy your ticket from the bus driver as you get on. Prices may have gone up since then, but one bus company charged 4.50 Euro and the other charged 5 Euro. I was there on a Sunday and took a 12:10 train; I had to change trains in Sestri Levante; arrived in Vernazza at 3:22P.

Hi seanandjill, travlsolo2....that is correct, there are 2 shuttle bus companies operating between Milano's Malpensa airport and Milano. The Malpensa Shuttle is the white bus with red lettering along the side. Their fares were 4,50 euros/pp for a long time, then this last year (May 2005) they increased it to 5 euros/pp. Either way, you can see the white busses as you exit baggage claim to your L and they leave every hour. The Milano Centrale train station is the last stop so plan on riding the shuttle for about 50 minutes total. I always figure on my total trip time from landing at Malpensa, shuttle into town, trains to the CT to take me about 4 hours of my day. But I don't mind the ride, I love the views from my train window!

Indeed, there are stops in Sestri Levante and even at all the towns along the way (it tends to be a slowish train). Make sure you sit on the R side of the train as it is going southbound so you can see the ocean outside your window. Have a great trip!

FWIW, I've taken the bus from Malpensa directly to Genoa. The best thing about the trip (a couple of hours, I guess) was the ability to sleep after the long hop over the pond. It drops you at the train station in Genoa. Don't know the schedule though. You might try the Malpensa website.

Hi there,

I am sorry to bandwagon this forum, I was hoping that I may too be able to get some advice. Similar to Roz I am flying into Milan from the UK on 24/05/2013, landing at 11.30. I am then needing to get down to Vernazza for a dinner reservation at 19.30 (where I plan to propose to my girlfriend). I have made lots of arrangements at the restaurant so getting there is somewhat of a must and am now beginning to stress about logistics.

I have read on many forums that the trip takes 3 or 3 and a half hours, however putting the details into trenitalia it is giving me an estimate of closer to five hours. The website gives me some strange search results so I was wondering if there is anybody that has some recent information on the journey. Am I right in understanding that the fastest way to do it is airport to milan centrale and from there to sestri levante where I change to Vernazza?

Any help would be very very welcome and appreciated.

THank you

Nick

Nick,

You should stick to posting on one thread. As I noted on the other thread where you posted, can't advise without knowing which of Milan's two airports you are flying into.