MILAN-MALPENSA airport into the city

No - even if you are on time
You have to disembark the plane, clear immigration, get luggage! The drive is at least an hour - and you will be traveling in at morning rush hour. Then store luggage??

Short answer: NO. The airport is about an hour travel time via bus or train and that doesn't include waiting for the train/bus, buying tickets, etc. If it is an international arrival at 8am, then you will be lucky to be in the city by 11.30, maybe noon. If not staying in the city, there is luggage storage at Centrale train station. Or just drop it at your hotel. They will hold it till your room is ready.

Impossible. Book a tour in the afternoon.

I wouldn't say it's IMPOSSIBLE, just not highly likely and something you'd have to rush to do, to make it possible at all. Sometimes flights do arrive early in Milan. This morning for example, Delta #418 from JFK arrived at MXP at 7:33 instead of the scheduled 7:50. (And sometimes they are late.)

Where does the tour depart from? What kind of a tour? A tour bus you'd miss if you arrive at 10:31? Or a walking tour you could catch up with? How much does it cost? Would you have to pre-pay and be out a lot of money if you miss it?

If you could wing it day of arrival and your flight is on time or early, you could give it a shot. Take the train into Milan, store your luggage at the station; take a metro or bus or taxi from there to the tour meeting point.

Look at the train schedules: there's a train from the airport to Cadorna (not Centrale) leaving at 8:50 (you could connect to Centrale by Metro) or 9:07 to get you to Centrale directly by 10:05. If your tour happens to leave from near Centrale (?), you could probably make it if you hustle. But if you can't get the 9:07 train, a taxi might get you there or might get stuck in traffic

Have a smart phone to buy your Trenitalia train tickets on your phone as well. And do hand baggage only if possible - if you don't check luggage that will reduce possible delays at the airport.

That's basically our schedule as well. We were looking into a "Best of Milan and Last Supper" from 10:30 am to 1:30pm.
I listened to Rick's audio last week and loved the thought of seeing the Duomo neighborhood. Then I found this tour through Veditalia (which does not tell us where the starting point is).

We may need to wing it as we need to allow time for lunch and catching the train to meet our tour group in Varenna at 5:00.

At worst, you'd lose the money you paid to book the tour. I suppose you could contact the tour company and find out where it meets or whether you could join it late. Or...find another tour closer to say noon, maybe a walking tour? Should be more options.

We may need to wing it as we need to allow time for lunch and catching the train to meet our tour group in Varenna at 5:00.

Am I understanding you are arriving in Milan at 8AM and start your tour in Varenna at 5PM that same day, and are trying to shoehorn in a Last Supper tour in between? If so, your optimism is commendable, but may be ignoring the reality of time zone changes and jet-lag. By the next morning you may regret having done that.

jan,

I have to agree with the others. I won't say it's impossible, but rather that it's highly unlikely you'll be able to connect with the Milan tour. The key phrase here is "our flight is scheduled to arrive at 8AM" which may not be the case. In addition to flight delays, there are numerous other factors that could affect this situation - queues at Passport control could be long, trains into Milan could be delayed, etc. On top of that, there are sometimes queues at the Deposito Bagagli at Milano Centrale, both for dropping luggage as well as retrieving it.

As someone else mentioned, were you planning to take the Milan tour right after an international flight and then go to Varenna to connect with another tour? There's no way I'd attempt that, but perhaps you're able to deal with jet lag better than I am. If you're taking a RS Italy tour, most of us here recommend arriving the day prior to the 17:00 tour introduction meeting.

Is this your first trip to Italy, and first time using Italian trains? If that's the case, there are a few things to be aware of. If you need more information, post another note.

Yes it is our first trip to Italy and first time using Italian trains. Unable to arrive any earlier. Since we can not check into the hotel until late afternoon, we hoped to see a bit of Milan. Any advise is greatly appreciated.

Luggge lockers at the train station and a nice meal. Relax don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourselves! Also check with the hotel maybe you can drop your luggage there and they can recommend a restaurant.

jan,

Could you provide a bit more information on your hotel - are you referring to your hotel in Varenna?

Based on my experience over the years, my suggestion would be to get from the airport to Milano Centrale, have a quick lunch inside the trackside security zone, and then head for Varenna. Even if your flight lands on time, you may not arrive in Milan until about 10:30 or so. The trip on the Malpensa Express is 52 minutes. You could also head straight for Varenna and have lunch there. You might find that after you've finished a fine meal, you may be starting to run out of steam.

If rooms haven't been serviced yet, most hotels will store luggage for guests until it's time for check-in. I'm sure your hotel in Varenna will do the same. In some cases, they may allow guests to check-in early if the room is ready.

When you buy tickets for Varenna, the official name of the station is Varenna-Esino. That may not be shown on the information signs, as that train usually carries on to Tirano or Sondrio. When you board the train, sit on the left (when facing forward) as that will provide the best views of the lake. The trip will be 1H:03M and the train will go through a tunnel just prior to arriving in Varenna. Be ready to disembark promptly as the train only stops for a short time. Watch others during the trip so that you'll know how to release the door.

One other note to mention. Watch your luggage both in stations and on the trains, so that it doesn't "disappear". I assume you'll be wearing Money Belts?

I'll send you a PM with more information on using the trains.

airport is surprisingly a long one hour trip by train into the city. Stops every few minutes at every town in between. Took forever!!

Just looking for some options with regard to purchasing a Super Economy ticket from Milan to Florence for a 4PM train with a flight from the US scheduled to arrive at 12:15PM or might it be smarter to buy a full price ticket on arrival at either MXP or Milan Central?
Thanks