Milan has two airports, and Linate is more convenient for most short trips because it’s closer to the center of the city. But if you’re flying into Milan from overseas, chances are good that you’re flying into Milan Malpensa. It’s the larger of the two airports, and unfortunately it’s further away from downtown Milan. There are a number of ways you can get from Malpensa to central Milan, including expensive taxis, but probably the best way to go - especially if you’re on a budget - is the Malpensa Express.
>> For more ways to get to/from the airport, see this overview of how to get from Milan Malpensa Airport into Milan.
>> In need of a room not far from the airport for an early flight or late arrival? Look no further than these Milan Malpensa Airport hotels.
The Malpensa Express is a train that runs from Malpensa Airport into central Milan with only a few stops en route. It leaves the airport every half-hour, and speeds your journey into the city - for a fraction of what a taxi would cost, too. Finding the Malpensa Express isn’t as straightforward as it could be, however, so here are the steps you’ll take to catch the train into the city.
- After collecting your bags off the carousel, exit the baggage claim area into the main hall at Malpensa and turn right. Follow the big hallway along, and begin looking for the signs that say “Treni.”
- Eventually you’ll follow the signs that say “Treni” down some stairs (or an escalator), and you’ll turn left to go to the train station. Go through the station and down an escalator to the train platform.
- There are several places to buy a ticket (which costs €11) between baggage claim and the train station - there’s a little automated ticket booth that says “Malpensa Express” at the top, and there’s a main ticket office which isn’t far from the train platforms. According to the official website, the ticket office is open “on working days: from 6.30 to 22.05 – during holidays from 6.35 to 22.30″ - so weekend arrivals will need to use the automated system.
- Be sure to validate your ticket before getting on the train - that’s a separate machine en route to the platform. Then hop on the next train to arrive and place your bigger bags on the luggage racks at the entrances of the train cars (so you’re not taking up extra seats during busy times).
- The train will make a few stops at stations in suburban Milan, and finally will stop at a station called “Cadorna.” The announcements are in English and Italian, so you should be able to listen for “Cadorna.” This is where you want to get off. Cadorna is not only the end of the line for the Malpensa Express, it’s also a major station on the Milan Metro system. From this Metro station you can get nearly anywhere you want to go in the city.
- Exit the Malpensa Express at Cadorna station and walk along the train platform into the train station. Go toward the center of the station and exit through the other side. Proceed down the stairs into the “Linea Metropolitana” station.
- You’ll need to buy a separate ticket to use the Metro, as it’s not included on the Malpensa Express ticket. There are a few machines right as you enter the station, but these tend to have long lines because everyone is coming from the airport and getting on the subway. If you walk further around the corner to the right you’ll find more machines with virtually no lines.
- After buying your Metro ticket (which costs €1) you’ll then need to figure out what line you want to take and which direction you want to go. The smartest thing to do, if you’ve got a hotel or hostel in Italy already booked, is to have found out from them which Metro stop you should use. Thankfully, there are only three Metro lines, so it’s relatively easy to figure out where you’re going. But the Milan Metro is another subject altogether.
The entire journey, depending on how far from Cadorna station your final destination is, should take you between 45 minutes and an hour (the Malpensa Express takes about 40 minutes to reach Cadorna). Remember that trains leave Malpensa Airport at :23 and :53 past the hour. The official Malpensa Express website is here.
>> There are lots of buses that run from Malpensa as well, so check out my Malpensa bus post if you want even more options for getting away from the airport.
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The fact that there are eight steps reminds me just how *not* easy it is to get from the “bad thought” airport into town!
One tiny thing: unlike the main train station, cabs are usually pretty easy to get at Cadorna, instead of going out through the main exit, turn right at the end of the Malpensa express platform…
Thanks for the tip on the cabs at Cadorna, Nicole! And I really didn’t think getting the Malpensa Express was too bad… The only thing that would have been tricky, had my husband not told me about it beforehand, was to follow the signs that said “Treni” instead of immediately looking for signs that said “Malpensa Express.” Those don’t show up until later down the corridor.
It’s not exactly user friendly, at the end of the day. I also can’t remember whether you can still buy the tix onboard (a là heathrow train) with a small surcharge or not — I’ve often found the machines out of order or the ticket booth crowded…
Looking forward to hearing more of your Milan chronicles =)
I didn’t see a ticket machine on board the train I rode in, but that doesn’t mean anything - I wasn’t looking for one because I already had my ticket. According to the official website, it doesn’t look like there are any on-board ticket machines, though.
THANK YOU FOR THIS!! You rock my non-Italian-speaking-budget-travel-world!!
You’re welcome, Annie! I hope it helps!
What is the easiest way to get from Milan Malpensa to Varenna at Lake Como? Friends are arriving earlier than we are and my husband is the driver. They would like to go to Varenna vs. waiting for our flight to arrive 5 hours later in the day?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Yes! I need to get to Como from Malpensa. Amazing how difficult that is.
Jerry
Thanks for the questions! I’ve got an answer to your question coming in the next few days, Trudy, and will then post an answer for you, Jerry. You won’t be surprised to learn that my advice is going to be pretty similar for both of you.
Trudy, here’s my answer to your question:
http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a-trip/italy-qa-getting-from-malpensa-airport-to-varenna.html
Jerry, here’s my post about the Malpensa bus options, one of which goes to Como:
http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a-trip/getting-to-from-malpensa-airport-by-bus.html
Hi everyone
I would like ask you something important for me, in December i’ll flight to amsterdam with
a stop to milan.I’ll have 5.30 hours before the new flight, is it good idea to go milano with
malpenzaexpress. My flight arrive at 12.23 and live again at 18.05
thanks
This is a really helpful website. I am coming to Milan in January, I guess its going to be cold and rainy during that time. My apartment is going to be on via Gaudenzio, so I figured that the nearest station is St. Agostino or Porto Genova. Now I could take the Malpensa Express line till Cadorna and then take a cab/taxi as I am not sure how far the apartment would be. Could you please let me know if you have any ideas as to how much this would cost? I am a student and have a limited budget. Thanks.
Hi, Eshaa: Unfortunately, I don’t know the going rate for taxi rides in Milan. What I’d recommend you do is locate via Gaudenzio on Google maps and see where it is in relation to Cadorna, and the nearest Metro stations. Then you’ll be able to see if taking a taxi is going to be a long distance or if taking the Metro is going to get you close enough.
http://maps.google.com/maps
Incidentally, when I just put via Gaudenzio into Google maps, it gave me a result near Linate airport but nowhere near Porta Genova or St. Agostino Metro stops - so I’d recommend putting your exact apartment address in (it could be there’s more than one via Gaudenzio).
If you have trouble with figuring that out, email me and I’ll see if I can help further. I’m reachable at jessica (at) bootsnall (dot) com.
We’re travelling from Malpensa airport to Genoa and want to go by train. There are 22 in our party. Any tips?
G
Wow, 22 people in your group? For starters, know that you won’t find seating all together. You don’t say when you’re traveling, but with a group that large I’d expect to be broken up into 2-3 smaller groups (at the very least) just about any time of year. So I hope you’ve got a few “leader” types in the group who know what’s going on & can coordinate the mini-groups!
You’ll need to take the Malpensa Express into the Stazione Centrale in Milan (you can also take the bus from Malpensa, whichever suits you), and then catch a train from Milan to Genoa. The train trip will take you roughly 1.5-2 hours, depending on the train you choose (it’s closer to 1.5 hours if you get a train that doesn’t require you to switch somewhere en route).
So, you can purchase tickets in advance using the Trenitalia website, or you can book them when you arrive at Milano Centrale - just remember to be patient with whoever’s at your ticket window, since you’re buying 22 tickets! Alternatively, if your group is going to be doing a lot more train travel in the country, you might want to look into getting Italy railpasses for the group - they act as tickets, and if you’re only taking trains that don’t require reservations, you can just hop on and off without purchasing anything else (though don’t forget to validate your railpass before your first journey!).
Dear Jessica
Your advice was so helpful and prompt. Thanks.
We are travelling at the end of Feb - would you advise us to pre-book and pre-pay for tickets? The students are aged from 13-18 and there are two adults accompanying the party. Is there a student or group discount?
Finally, could I ask if the tickets are tied to a specific train or bus or if they are transferable if our flight is delayed?
Thanks so much!
G
If you’re getting Eurail passes, the ones the students can buy are cheaper (they’re for under-26-year-olds). I don’t think there’s a student or group discount for regular train tickets, though.
Malpensa Express tickets are tied to a specific departure time, but you can buy those when you arrive at the airport so you won’t need to worry about that (with so many to buy, I hope you’re arriving when the ticket windows are open so you can get them from a person rather than trying to figure out the ticket machine!).
Train tickets themselves aren’t tied to a specific train, but reservations are. If you’re concerned about making a specific train, I’d wait and buy tickets when you arrive at the Milano Centrale station. Then you can just buy tickets for the next train to Genoa (and reservations if needed) without worrying about losing money on your reservations.
Dear Jessica:
Is the Malpensa Express ticket covered by an Italy railpass? If not, can one use the Italy railpass to get to Malpensa from central Milan via Gallarate?
Hi, Jeff, and thanks for your question. As far as I know, the Malpensa Express isn’t covered on the Italy railpass, nor is there a train to Malpensa that is. I’ll double-check to make sure, but I think it’s totally separate.
Okay, Jeff, I checked with a couple people and they say that the train company which runs the Malpensa Express (the only bus to/from the airport) is a completely separate one from the trains which run throughout the rest of the country - so their suspicion is that it’s not included, either.
If the 11 euro cost of a ticket is really a concern for you, there are cheaper buses which run from Centrale (instead of Cadorna, where you’d catch the Malpensa Express) to the airport, which you can read about here:
http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a-trip/getting-to-from-malpensa-airport-by-bus.html
Hope that helps!
There are four of us travelling from Malpensa Airport to Cesano Maderno. Would it be easier to travel by train or taxi and what are the costs involved?
Cesano Maderno is a half-hour outside Milan by train, so I’m not sure I’d recommend taking a taxi - unless you’ve got copious amounts of money to hand over. And looking at the train schedules, there are regular trains leaving for Cesano Maderno from Milano Nord Cadorna station - which is the station the Malpensa Express arrives at, making it super easy to make the trip by train.
I don’t know when your flight gets in, but it looks like there are trains from Cadorna to Cesano Maderno just about every hour, so if you miss one you won’t have to wait hours for the next one. You’ll just need to buy a ticket at Cadorna station after you’ve arrived on the Malpensa Express. Times and costs of the Malpensa Express are listed in the post above, and I can’t find ticket price information for the Cadorna-Cesano Maderno journey online.
Thank you for this information - I’m sure it will be really helpful when my friend and I go to Milan end of April.
I am having trouble with figuring out when trains and buses go places. For example, after Milan we are going to Brescia - then taking a bus to our hotel by the lake. These are the directions I got from the hotel: We don’t know the number but it is a blue bus and you must take from Brescia station direction Sirmione - Verona. During the day there is one every hour.The stop bus near the hotel is called Colombare cimitero.
The web site is: http://www.trasportibrescia.it
When I go to the website I think it is line26 that we want - but there are so many comments about festival days and holydays - I’m just hoping the hotel remembered that we are arriving on Sunday April 26th and the bus runs that day. If anyone can figure this out for me I’d appreciate it…
TIA
June
Hi, June:
You’ve still got time before you arrive in Brescia, so I’d suggest you email your hotel again to find out for sure whether the bus will be running on Sunday, April 26th. There are, as you say, a crazy number of festivals/holidays in Italy, and they vary by region so it’s nearly impossible to keep track of them all. So while I can probably hunt down information for you, if you’re already in touch with the hotel it’s probably best to check with them directly as they’ll be more aware of whether April 26th is some kind of festival day this year.
Generally speaking, on Sundays bus schedules tend to be lighter, meaning buses will run less frequently than during the week, but they still run. So while the weekday schedule might be one bus per hour, Sundays may be slightly less frequent. And again, the hotel should be able to confirm this for you.
Have a great trip!
Ciao,
Jessica
Hi,
I have been trying to find out if there is a place to store luggase at the Cadorna airport after getting off Malpensa Express?
Thanks,
Reeli
I meant the Cadorna train station
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