Ground Transportation Questions for Milan and Lake Como

Kika,
You can travel via, 'Malpensa Express' train from Malpensa to Milano Centrale.
It will cost you €12/pp & travel time is about 52 minutes.
Make sure you take the correct train to Milano Centrale not to Milano Nord Cadorna Station.
Don't forget to validate your train ticket before boarding the train to avoid hefty fines!

The train you will take from Milano Centrale to Varenna is a Regional (Regionale) train, so you can purchase it anytime before you
plan to travel to Varenna. If you will be returning to Milano, make sure you purchase a return ticket, as you cannot buy tickets at the Varenna station.

Regionale train tickets are valid for 60 days from the date of purchase, and good for 6 hours once you validate them, so you can actually buy your tickets at the airport or when you arrive at Milano Centrale.

You can check train schedules here:http://www.trenitalia.com
You will want to choose 'Varenna-Esino' from the drop down menu when using above website.

Both the Malpensa Express train and the train to/from Varenna are operated by the private company Trenord. They have a ticket window at the Malpensa train station, so you can get all your tickets at once after you land.
The trains run every half hour to Milano Centrale. If you are staying in Milan first, and your hotel is near the Duomo area, you can also take the train to Milano Cadorna. That one also goes every half hour and is a bit quicker because it only make one or no stops. The key is to get on the right train, not hard to figure out.

Pricilla and Sam

Thank you for your responses! Sounds like it will be very straightforward to get all of my tickets at the airport! However, I am a bit confused by the comment about taking the train to Milano Cardona. Is that the name of the station at the airport? Were you suggesting that when leaving Lake Como I can go straight from Varenna to Milano Cardona on a faster train? I apologize for being confused.

Kika,

I am a bit confused by the comment about taking the train to Milano Cardona. Is that the name of the station at the airport? Were you suggesting that when leaving Lake Como I can go straight from Varenna to Milano Cardona on a faster train? I apologize for being confused.

You can take the 'Malpensa Express' (ME) train from the airport to either, Milano Centrale or Milano Cadorna.

If your hotel is near the Duomo (historic center), you can take the ME to the Cadorna station & this train will only take about 35 minutes.

If your hotel is near Milano Centrale, then take the ME to Milano Centrale. This trip will take about 52 minutes.

You can check Google map to figure out if your hotel is closer to Milano Centrale or Cadorna station.

Once you arrive in Milan, you may take a taxi or the Metro (from either train station) to your hotel, but the taxi will be more convenient especially since you'll have luggage.

Having said all this, I presumed you will be staying in Milan before heading to Varenna, correct?

The trains run between Varenna and Milano Centrale. The airport trains have separate ones for Cadorna and Centrale in Milan, alternating every 15 minutes.

" I am a bit confused by the comment about taking the train to Milano Cardona. Is that the name of the station at the airport?"

Milan has many train stations (I believe Roberto said over 20) as it's a large city. They all have the name of Milan Something - Milano Centrale, Milano Cadorna, Milano Porta Genova, Milano Porta Garibaldi, etc.

Since trains run on fixed tracks, they can only go to certain stations. A train to or from "Milan" will only stop at certain stations, and you must know which one(s) your train is using. There are two train lines from the airport: one goes to Milano Centrale, and the other to Milano Cadorna. Cadorna is closer to the center (and faster to boot), so that's good if your destination is Milan itself. But if you're catching the train from Milan to Varenna, that train leaves from Centrale, so you must connect there; if you take the train from the airport to Cadorna, you'd have to take the Metro or a taxi to Centrale.

The same system is used in other large Italian cities. Rome has Roma Termini, Roma Tiburtina, etc. Venice has Venezia Santa Lucia (Venezia SL) and Venezia Mestre. Florence has Firenze Santa Maria Novella (Firenze SMN) and several others. Usually, you want the first one I listed for each city (Roma Termini, Venezia SL, and Firenze SMN), but you have to double check, to avoid missing your train by going to the wrong station.

Priscilla, Sam and Harold,

Thank you all for your very clear responses! I feel so much more confident with this information. I will purchase all of my tickets at the airport and plan to take the ME to Milan Cardona (as I am staying near the Duomo); and a round trip from Milan Centrale to Varenna; and the ME from Milan Centrale to get back to the airport when I leave.

Again, I am incredibly grateful for the information!

Happy Travels to you All!

Grazie Mille!
Kika

Kika,
You're most welcome!
Will you be staying in Milan the night before your flight home?

If you decide to stay in the same hotel, as at the beginning of your trip, you can take the Malpensa Express from
Cadorna station & you'll get to the airport much faster (29-35 minutes) than if you travel via Milano Centrale (52 minutes).

Enjoy your trip!

Varenna is GORGEOUS......we also took the ferry over to Bellagio to have that experience...

Thanks Priscilla! I actually booked a hotel right next to the Malpensa airport for my last night just to be safe. Therefore, I plan to travel from Varenna back to Milano Centrale, and then Milano Centrale to Malpensa late Saturday. I calculate that will be several hours of trains rides to get back but it seems like a good trade off to reduce the risk of missing my morning flight home.

Thank you again for all of your insights! Much appreciated!
Kika