My husband and I will be arriving in MXP on 04 October at 0810 and traveling on to Florence.
We have looked at the train schedules, but we have not taken a train in Italy and looking for guidance from experienced Italian train travelers. Thank you!

What sort of guidance are you seeking?

You'll take the Malpensa Express train to Milano Centrale and then a second train to Firenze S. M. Novella. You can buy both tickets at the same time at Malpensa. For the Milan-Florence leg, being first-timers, you should pick a direct, no connection departure... These leave at :37 after the hour.

When you get to the Centrale station, you need to check the arrivals/departures board at the beginning of the platforms in order to know where the Milan-Florence train will board/depart. "Platform" is "Binario" in Italian.

There are two options from Centrale. TrenItalia the national train company and Italo the private competitor. In general Italo can be cheaper but the difference isn't enough to think about. The main thing is you'll have that many more departure times.

Stick to the fast trains. Italo itself only runs high speed trains. TrenItalia will offer some cheaper slower trains but not worth it for a tourist.

You can buy tickets for Trenitalia on line before you even GET TO Italy and print them out at home if you have a general idea of when you will be arriving. Doing this and far enough in advance can give a better timings selection and fare choices

www.trenitalia.com and pick the English version

for a small surcharge you can also use the italiarail site. Www.italiarail.com

Be careful buying the cheaper train fares before arriving in Italy in case your flight is delayed (or indeed, arrives early). If you want to avail yourself of the cheaper fares, you could add a cushion of time and have morning coffee at Milano Centrale station. Otherwise buy on arrival, either at the multi-lingual kiosks or at the ticket window. All non-regionale services require a seat allocation so even if you buy refundable tickets you will still need to change them if your journey time changes.

If you're unfamiliar with Italian trains and willing to just pay the walk up fare, just buy on arrival. The Italian train system is great and very easy once you understand the basics. seat61 website has backround information.

seat61.com offers how to advice, like how to compost

Thank you, I appreciate the great info. I think that we will try and purchase tickets ahead on line, giving ourselves ample time for the connection. I am looking forward to taking the train!

**for a small surcharge you can also use the italiarail site.**

Be aware that Italiarail is not the train company mentioned by traveler Nick (Italo). Italiarail is an online travel agency/reseller like Expedia. You can buy directly from Italo by going to their website.

https://www.italotreno.it/en

Here we go
My dear husband (who was assigned the train/ transportation) has followed the thread and your valued information.
We are heading out today and arrive in MXP tomorrow morning.
This is his plan:
Once JFK flight is confirmed to be on time, he plans to go online and book the transportation from MXP to Florence.
We plan to get the bus/train at Terminal 1 and take it to the central station in Milan to connect with the fast train to Florence Novalle Station. We should arrive around 8:30 am with hopes of catching the 10:10 bus/train. Cost for 2 adults around $150. This is from the Trainline app.
We are seniors, I did not see any discounted rates.
At this point would it matter if we purchase ahead or at the station? Any other thoughts?

Any other thoughts or suggestions?

Why are you use Trainline instead of the TrenItalia app?

The senior discount is limited to a certain number of seats. Likely sold out already.

No point buying ahead. You can save a small amount going with Italo instead of TrenItalia for the Milano Centrale to Florence leg but not a huge amount.

That was my question to my other half!!!!
Sometimes you just have to do it yourself.
As always thank you All for your help with this journey.

I don't understand the urgency to book/purchase tickets before you arrive. Just because your plane departs on time doesn't mean every single thing along the way will run like clockwork. (On one arrival, a woman fainted just inside the plane's door, and we couldn't get out for at least 15 minutes.) And I don't understand the mention of "bus." You want to take the Malpensa Express train to the Milano Centrale train station. Buses are subject to road traffic delays.

When buying at the last minute, there are no discounts. Also, the Senior discount is only offered to holders of the Cartafreccia, Trenitalia's loyalty card. This card is only available to Italian residents.

There's nothing wrong with using Thetrainline.com. They sell tickets for both Trenitalia and Italo, at the same price as the official apps. It's probably also easier to use for a non-Italian speaker. I myself have not used it. No Italo trains serve my area, so I just use the official Trenitalia app, where my loyalty card is memorised.

Purchased the train ticket after arrival at MXP. EASY!! We have traveled extensively throughout Europe, but have always rented a car. This was the first for train travel. Always a learning curve and we did just that. Again, thank you!!!