Has anyone taken a taxi from Milano Centrale train station to the Malpensa Airport? Although I have taken the MXP shuttle bus numerous times into downtown and vice versa, I cannot rely on this mode of transportation because it does not always leave on time and takes about 1 hour to get there. I arrive at the Milano Centrale train station at 9:50 am and have a 11:25 am departure from MXP back to the U.S. How much would a taxi cost and how much time would it take to get me there? Any information would be greatly appreciated, grazie.

Not to be an alarmist, but yikes! indeed. A taxi will most usually take between 40-60 minutes depending on traffic. Fare is $80-100.<BR><BR>You will need to be checked in for your flight at least one-hour in advance, though your individual airline might require even more advance time so be sure to check that out. Otherwise, good luck as you are cutting things a bit close!

What if your train is 30 minutes late? What if the highway to Malpensa is jammed due to a traffic accident? Don't do it. Spend your last night in or near Milano.

We took a taxi from the Milan train station to Malpensa last July (2001). I believe it cost around $40 and it certainly didn't take 45 minutes.<BR><BR>It was the most frightening taxi drive I've ever taken and I've taken wild taxi rides in many countries, including Japan. He flew at over 100 miles per hour (literally, I'm not exagerrating) while turning to talk to us in the back seat, arm wrestling with my 12 year old son who was sitting next to him in the front seat, zooming up to within inches of the car in front of him. One false move by the other driver and we would have been dead.<BR><BR>I would estimate it took 25 to 30 hair- raising minutes. We were just glad to make it to the airport alive.

Probably a better way to reach Malpensa is by train. Trains to Malpensa leave from Cadorna station, which is just 4-5 subway stops from Centrale. Yet, with less than two hours you will not make it neither by bus nor by train and you seriously risk not making it by taxi either (not at 10 am! Queues for the taxis can be huge outside the railway station and you are bound to find heavy traffic on the tangenziale, although not as heavy as at 8 am). I also agree that your best option, if you can't take an earlier train, is to sleep in or near Milano.

WHOA --- no can do Suzanne. If I read your post correctly, your train arrives into Centrale at 9:50 am and then your flight DEPARTS at 11:25 am ??? You need to be standing in your check-in line at Malpensa Airport by 10:20 am, which means you'd only have 30 minutes to get from Centrale to MXP. That tight a schedule is guaranteed to end up in a missed flight. As others suggest, either take an earlier train in the morning or spend your last night in/by Milan.<BR>