Train question
 

We arrive milan +/- 8:30am (Malpensa) and will take the shuttle to milan central train station. Should I make train reservations (for 2) to Monterosso or play it by ear? There is an 11:10 train; I think we should make it??? Thoughts?

Is it even reservable? I assume it is but depending on when you are traveling (time of year/day of week) I'd probably play it by ear.

If the train originates at Centrale and you don't have reserved seats and you can be one of the first to board I'd almost bet you'll find unreserved space, especially in First.

I did check on trentialia and it is reservable. I just am unsure about time from landing then customs then the Malpensia shuttle and finally buying tickets. There is an 11 train and then 12 following that. I am trying to get to Monterosso without waisting time in a train station.

The airport is quite far from the city. It's been a while, but I think it took us at least an hour by private car VERY early in the morning so there was little or no traffic. To be on the safe side, I think I would take a later train.

Personally, I'd rather make the 12:10. The 12:10 requires no change of trains.

It looks like you will have the change trains TWICE if you take the 11:10.

Thanks for the help; all great information. We have never been to Milan train station, if I do take the 12:10 (w/o changes) and arrive early where do we buy the tickets at the station and is there a place to grab a bite considering we will have luggage?
Thanks again.

The Malpensa shuttle bus will arrive at street level to just outside the Milano Centrale station. Enter the station and buy your ticket on this level. You will find ticket windows as well as machines. The station is huge. Trains depart from the upper level.

There are typical food concessions you might expect in a train station. We had more than an hour to wait, so we left the station, walking straight across the piazza in front and then walked to the left, finding a coffee bar with panini and light food at the first corner on Via Vitruvio.

Ellen many thanks; great information.

The place is a 'trip' in and of itself not to mention the usual birds swooping in and out and lots of folks "hanging" out.

Food is up the escalators where the main platforms are as mentioned above.

IF you need to use the "facilities" they require payment (those wonderful automated entry doors)..usually coins.

And the lovely automatic entry doors usually require exact change of 70 cents or some other unfortunate combination of coins. There's usually a lineup of people staring at the coins in their hands trying to find the correct combination.

Which is EXACTLY why I posted this information...just trying to be "helpful" in some small way.

Dukey,

It's the one time I find myself wanting to pay MORE for something in Italy. I always seem to have more 1 euro coins than combinations for the smaller amount.

If we arrive in Malpensa at around 8am and we take the 12:10 train to Monterosso, do we have any time at all in Milan (i.e. see the duomo) or not? Are there any sights near Milan Centrale worth seeing? Otherwise I guess we will get a cappacino and wait. Thanks all.

If your arrival time is 8AM, I would think you wouldn't be ready to get a bus until about 9AM. Expect the ride to take about an hour--10AM. If you were there by 10AM, I would say you had made very good time. I think 10:30 is more likely.

It's conceivable that you could go somewhere for an hour or so before heading back to the station. You'd have to leave the station area to see anything of note. You'd have to drag or store your luggage. If this is after an international flight, buying your tickets in a leisurely fashion, verifying your platform location, and sitting down for a cappuccino may be the best thing for you.

You can take the subway from Centrale to Duomo easily and quickly. Or if you have very very luggage and won't be checking them, and if you arrive MXP on-time, you can take the Malpensa Express train instead to the city, walk around, then take the subway to Centrale.