Milan airport to Venice

Last year direct train service was begun between Malpensa and Stazione Centrale. From Centrale you can directly transfer to the train for Venice. This would be the easiest method of transit. You do NOT want to go to Cadorno and then to Centrale. You can buy advance tickets on line at a discount on Trenitalia or at Malpensa. You can take the Milan Shuttle bus to Milano Centrale and then walk up a flight of stairs into the stazione because the shuttle delivers you to the side of the stazione. Buon viaggio,

Laura, We did a similar trip last May. Being the first trip to Italy, I was very concerned on how all the train tickets and stuff worked. It was very easy. Like the previous post, take the Malpensa Express to Milan Centrale. It is very easy to find the express train to Venice at Milan Centrale. Even buying the tickets from the machine was easy, although I never figureed out how to get seats side by side instead of across from each other. We took public transportation every where. Milan to Cinque Terre, to Lucca, to Siena, bus to Florence, train to Venice and back to Milan. We never bought the tickets in advance, just so we had more flexibility. I had a copy of the schedules so I knew when the next train was if I missed one. Everything worked very well.
Have lots of fun!

Thank you everyone for your help. I feel much less anxious now!

Laura, As the others have mentioned, you have a choice of travelling either by train or Bus. The train will usually have at least one change at Milano Centrale (but sometimes more changes depending on which train you manage to connect with). Travel time to Milano Centrale is about 43 minutes. You could also travel from the airport to Milano Centrale via the Malpensa Shuttle (Bus). Fare is only 7.50€, which is very reasonable and the trip is about 50 minutes, depending on traffic. The Bus will drop you at the side of the station, and you'll have to walk around to the front and up the stairs to reach track level. If you need to buy rail tickets, there are automated Kiosks there. If you'd prefer to use the staffed ticket office, it's also at street level as I recall (there's usually a LONG queue, so the Kiosks are a better choice). Your trip to Venice will likely be via EuroStar Italia / Alta Velocita (fast train - reservations compulsory). Note that your destination station will be Venezia Santa Lucia (there's more than one station in Venice). When you walk out the front door of the station, you'll see the Grand Canal and can board a Vaporetto there. Happy travels!

You can save a lot by buying your Milan to Venice ticket in advance. You will want the Eurostar, aka Frecciabianca ( white arrow) fast train from Milano Centrale to Venezia Santa Lucia. Ther is really only one train station IN Venice. Mestre is a poser on the mainland and if you end there you have to transfer. Best to go directly to Venice S.L. Use Trenitalia.com to see the schedules and buy tickets.

Thanks for all your help. One other related question; how long should I allow between my flight arrival and boarding the train? I understand it will take about 45 minutes to get from the airport to the train station but am wondering how long to allow to get luggage, go through customs and then get transport to the station.