Best way to get from Milan's Malpensa airport to downtown Milan?

There is no traffic potential if you take the train. There is more room on the train. There's more than one toilet on the train. If you never been to Milan Airport the train is easier to find.

Depends on what you consider "downtown" Milan. The Malpensa Express train alternates between destinations of Milano Cadorna station, which is close to the Last Supper church and the Duomo, and Milano Centrale station, which is further away from Duomo, but a location with more hotels. The bus also goes to Milano Centrale.

Trains do not have traffic to contend with, and the trains to Cadorna are quicker, 40 minutes, vs 60 minutes to Centrale. The train departures are about every 15 minutes, alternating between Cadorna and Centrale.

Thank you both for your advice! Train definitely seems to have advantages. I understand that we can buy tickets at the airport, with no real need to buy in advance. We are going in late Sept., so hopefully fewer crowds.

I was in Milan two weeks ago and took the train to Milano Cardona station. I transferred to the Metro there to get to my hotel. It was painless. That is what I would recommend.

Penn

The train from Malpensa is the fastest way to Cadorna or Centrale. It’s called the Malpensa Express. It’s €13 one way. Tickets can be bought from machines right before the stairs/escalators going down to the platforms. No need to purchase in advance. Just make sure to validate your tickets before boarding. The validating machine is electronic as are the tickets which are also refillable. When we arrived on Saturday morning @7 that’s what we did and have always done.