Changing trains at Milan Central

It is not difficult at all. The Malpensa Express come into the main arrival hall, on the far side (opposite the police station). I'd say giving yourself 10-15 minutes should be more than enough time. It's hard to say exactly as trains change tracks often at the last minute. Just check the board when you arrive. Milano Centrale is not difficult to navigate. Good luck.

I agree with Jack, Milano Central is very easy to navigate, just get off the airport express and walk to the front of the train and you will see the big board with all the departures and it will tell you which track to go to. If you purchase your ticket at the airport for the express ask to see if you can also get a ticket for the train to Varenna, I've done that before.

Your going to love Lake Como! This is our favorite spot in Italy, the ferry's will take you everywhere and the mornings and evenings are beautiful when the lake is calm.

Download the Trenitalia app and purchase your tickets that way

You might want to familiarize yourself with the app before trip

This regional train should already be sitting there, so board as soon as you can to get the best pick of seats. There is no reserved seating on regional trains. If you need snacks at the train station, have one of you to get snacks, one of you to get seats.
Safe travels to beautiful Lake Como!

If you need snacks at the train station, have one of you to get
snacks, one of you to get seats.

Lol. I suddenly had a vision of the OP sitting and looking from the train as their SO ran alongside the train as it pulled out, their arms full of snacks.

Thank you. Good useful information!
I have the Trenitalia app on my phone. It was easy to navigate, but depending on the time of travel, the calendar seems to be off a day. I am a little unsure as to whether I am buying tickets for the actual day I want to travel. I also have the italiarail,com website bookmarked for use.
At this moment actually, it seems that the app is not working. I can not access any information from it. Maybe they are having technical difficulties?

There have been recent posts on the forum about getting Trenitalia to show you the correct day. Unfortunately, I haven't paid close attention, but do a search or hope someone who knows will post for you.

Or you might try a new post titled "Trenitalia showing wrong day" to get some attention.

Italiarail is a third party reseller
Stick with the actual train company- Trenitalia

It’s got to do with the time zone you are in-different from Italy now

App is working fine for me now-correct day etc and when you are in Italy it will work fine

These are regional tickets that can’t sell out and price never changes so there’s no reason you need to purchase in advance

If you do purchase at kiosk or window you will have a paper ticket which must be validated before boarding

If purchased online or app-no validation needed
Ticket is good for 4 hours after validated ( or start time on advanced purchase) so if you purchase on app at MXP or on your way to Centrale and miss your train, you can take any similar train in next 4 hours.

That route has trains about every hour.

abby,

I have a few comments to add to the others....

The trips from MXP to Miilano Centrale and onward to Varenna-Esino are very easy. This website provides all the details on the Malpensa Express - https://www.milanomalpensa-airport.com/en/from-to/by-train . Note that the M.E. stops at several other stations in addition to Milano Centrale, so be sure to board the correct train.

It's very easy to buy tickets when you arrive at MXP, either from a kiosk or staffed ticket office. The kiosks have English-language options. As mentioned earlier, when using locally purchased tickets, it's very important to validate (time & date stamp) the tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel. Failure to validate can result in hefty fines, which are collected on the spot. This doesn't apply to tickets purchased online. You may find this helpful - https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=italy+rail+validation+machines#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:28ad5b0d,vid:ja7EotElSUc .

On the trip to Varenna, you might want to sit on the left (when facing forward) so that you can see the lake when it appears. The destination on the sign board may say Tirano or whatever, but that's the correct train to take. The trip is about 1H:03M and it's a good idea to be ready to disembark promptly. You'll go through a tunnel just prior to arrival in Varenna.

where can we purchase our tickets for the regional train to Varenna?

Why making two separate purchases? Get a through ticket from MXP to Verenna-Esino either at the airport station or via app when you exit the Customs area. Those trains have no reserved seating and can't sell out. I'd get paper tickets at the counter, even if you must remember to time-stamp before gettin' on the train.

I like Regional paper tickets because of the 4 hours window, I know I can freely take the next train if anything happens.

there are @24 different platforms where the trains come and go.

As you can easily see on google maps, track 1 and track 24 are less than 0.2 miles away.

There are monitors headed "Partenze/Departures" hanging over each platform. Do not wait to be under the big one in the main hall to look for your next train's departure track.

You must look for the train code and departure time, not for the final destination. Varenna-Esino is an intermediate stop.

Do we need cash for this purchase or can we use a credit card?

You need a chip&pin credit card, staffed counters and some ticket machines still take cash.