milan to sml, how far is the train ride
 

how long is the train

what does "sml" stand for?????

Santa Margherita Ligure.

how long is the train?

2hr15min - 2hr50min. Depending upon the time of departure there are direct trains and there are others requiring a connection in Genova.

I don't know how long the train is, but the train journey from Milano Centrale to Santa Margherita Ligure-Portofino takes between 2:15 and 3:00 hours depending on which train you take.

If SML means some other place to you, then you can search the timetables yourself at the Trenitalia website:

http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/homepage_en.html

is it necessary to pre-pay train tickets from the milan airport to yes santa margherita ligure

No. But you don't want to take the train from the airport. You want to take the bus from the airport to Milano Centrale. (The airport train does not go Milano Centrale, which is where you need to catch the train for Santa Margherita Ligure).

You don't need to buy any tickets in advance. When you have passed through security leaving the airport, it will be clear to you where you can buy bus tickets for Milano Centrale. If you arrive so early the bus ticket window isn't open, the bus driver sells tickets, and the bus stops right outside at the curb.

When you are in Milano Centrale, you will have to purchase tickets for Santa Margherita Ligure. There are machines you can use that have English-language displays, or you can go to the ticket window. If you go to the ticket window, it is helpful if you have printed out from your computer the train schedule so you can show the ticket seller which train you want.

PS: The bus ride from the airport to Milano Centrale station is about one hour, and the buses leave the airport about every 20 minutes.

If you would consider renting a car, I think it was about two hours drive from MXP to SML, all on autostradas.

I don't recommend having a car in Santa Margherita Ligure. You will only end up paying a huge amount of money to park it. If you try to use it to go anywhere on the coast in summer, you won't find any parking.

Plus, if you are arriving jet-lagged at the airport from a long flight and are not accustomed to driving in Italy, the autostrade to the coast involves mountain driving -- and the train is just simpler all around.