We are going to Tuscany 18/10/08 for 6 or 7 days, staying at a place called Certaldo.We need to get transport from Venice to Certaldo on the 18th and we need to get transport to Malpensa to catch a flight at 3pm approximately. Maybe we should stay in Milan on the last night ? Does anyone have any helpful information please?

Will you have a car? If not, I suggest you check with your accomodation to find out the best way to get there once you arrive by train in Florence.

Stay the night in Milan prior to departure. You can taxi, bus or train to Malpensa. This will add enjoyment rather than stress to your vacation.

Hi Di - The Malpensa Airport Shuttle bus departs every 20 minutes from Milano Centrale station.

Fare: €6.00

Scheduled journey time is 50 mins - but is dependant on traffic, of course.

Here's the link:

http://www.malpensashuttle.it/mxp-mil.htm

Hope this helps ...

Steve

You can connect via Florence to Certaldo. See schedules at www.trenitalia.com Same is true to Milano via Florence. MXP is 30 miles NW of Milano---take the bus above.

If you're spending a week in Certaldo, I assume you'll not be spending all your time in Certaldo. How will you be getting around? By bus?

Many rentals in Italy require a car. You could pick up a rental car in Venice and drop it off at the airport before your departure. However, I think a night in Milan was be a nice change of pace before your departure. And be less stressful.

We just a couple of weeks ago rented a car in Venice, drove to Florence and explored the Chianti region for a couple of days, then drove to Pisa then along the Cinque Terre stopping at some of the neat villages. We then proceeded to Malpensa, spent the night at the Crowne Plaza (a very nice hotel) right at the airport. We had an 8am flight to London so being at Malpensa the night before made great sense.

A car is extremely useful in the country side and gives you a lot of freedom to explore off the beaten path. A car is useless in Florence of course, but we stayed on the outskirts so could park at hotel and use transport to the city.

Driving in Italy is not difficult but could be a bit intimidating to a first timer. I never hesitate to drive while there.

Have fun!

Certaldo isn't far from Florence. We stayed near there in July - in Sciano actually at Villa Certaldo. A wonderful villa - the old name is Villa Campofranco.