Italy Q&A: Getting from Malpensa Airport to Varenna

Here’s another of my Italy Q&A posts. Trudy left this question in a comment right here on the Italy Logue:

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?

Y’know, Trudy, I think your friends are smart to want to get the heck out of Malpensa Airport and to Varenna rather than waiting for you and your husband! I mean, as far as airports go it’s just fine… But really, Malpensa vs. Varenna? No contest. So - let’s get your friends out there without a car.

What I’d recommend is that your friends take the Malpensa Express train from the airport to Milano Centrale (the central station), and then hop on a train from there to Varenna. That’s just one change, and no traffic to worry about.

So, here are the details for your friends:

• Malpensa Express - The Malpensa Express train has two routes into Milan, and the one your friends want is the one to Milano Centrale (via Porta Garibaldi), which takes about 50 to 57 minutes. The other route goes to Milano Cadorna, which isn’t where the Varenna trains leave from. Both airport terminals have a station, and a one-way ticket is about €15 in 2026. Coaches (Terravision, Autostradale and Malpensa Shuttle) also run from the airport to Centrale if they’d rather take the bus. You can read more about all the options in my article on getting from Malpensa Airport to Milan.
• Train from Milano-Varenna - Trains for Varenna from Milan‘s central station leave about once an hour throughout the day, so there’s no need to book tickets in advance. Your friends can just head up to a ticket agent whenever they arrive at the station and book tickets for the next train out. It’s roughly a one-hour journey - they’ll just need to be sure to get on a train that doesn’t require a change midway through. Most won’t require a train change, but there are a few that do, and it’s an unnecessary hassle - make sure your friends ask the ticket agent which trains are direct for Varenna. Do note that they’ll likely have intermediate stops between Milan & Varenna, but intermediate stops are different than train changes! These are regional trains with fixed fares, so tickets are cheap, and you can check the current price on trenord.it. Second class is perfectly fine for most travelers - you can read more in my comparison of first class and second class on Italian trains.

I hope that helps your friends, and I hope you all have a fantastic trip!