We will be arriving at 14:30 in Milan (centrale) for a 11:30 next day flight home from malpensa. Would like to try to see the duomo and galleria, seems like we will have time.
Where should we stay? And what is the best way to get to Malpensa? Family of 4.. thanks!
There are a lot of hotels walking distance of Centrale. Stay at one of them, take the Metro to the Duomo area from there and do your touring late afternoon/evening, return to your hotel. Next morning, take the 7:25 Malpensa Express train from Centrale to Malpensa airport, getting you there by 8:22, plenty of time for your flight check-in.
Sam has summarized it pretty well.
There's also a bus option from Centrale to the airport. When I took it a couple of years ago I found the legroom pretty tight. At the time bus ran more frequently than the train. I would choose the train next time.
I can recommend 2 hotels that are only about 2 blocks from the main train station
Centrale.
Hotel Berna and Hotel Garda - I've stayed in both of these budget hotels. Perfect location, metro station is on the corner.
I even walked from the hotel to the Duomo.
In the AM go to the central train station and you can take a train for bus that goes right to the airport.
I can second Hotel Berna! Great place, great location and awesome breakfast buffet!
kaj,
One other option you could consider is to stay closer (within walking distance) of the Duomo and Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele. There are lots of hotels in that area (check the RS Italy guidebook). One that you could look at is the Hotel London. That area is also within easy walking distance to Via Dante which is a large pedestrian street with lots of restaurants and shops, and the Sforza Castle.
From your hotel in that area, you can take a short Taxi ride to Milano Nord Cadorna to connect with the Malpensa Express which has some direct departures to the airport which take 37 minutes at a cost of €13 PP. There's a departure at 07:57, arriving MXP at 08:34 (that's a shorter travel time than from Milano Centrale).
We always stay at the really nice 4 star Hotel Berna located about 400 meters from Stazione Centrale on Via Napo Torriano. The property is extremely clean, the staff is first rate, and they serve the best breakfast in the city.
In the past we used the Milano Shuttle bus from Malpensa to the stazione, but now we use a private car service and it's door to door.
The metro is just up the street at the stazione making for easy movement around the city.
Buon viaggio,
