milan to cinqueterre

Fastest (and most expensive) would be by private car - door to door. Otherwise by train. There are several airports in Milan. You have to get to Milano Centrale. There are two direct trains from Milan to Monterosso. One leaves Milan at 18:05, arrives to Monterosso at 21:05, next one leaves Milan 21:10, arrives in Monterosso 1 minute after midnight. There are several trains in between with one or two train changes. If you want to see details of schedule check Deutsche Bahn website or Trenitalia website.

We are seniors, rented a car at MXP and drove there in around two hours.

Dear Madam/Sir
There is a train to Monterosso from Milan Centrale.
You would have to take the train from the airport to Milan Centrale to catch it.
I see an Intercity leaving at 18:05 from Milan Centrale direct to Monterosso.
It takes about 3 hours.

If you say the exact day then we can give you better information

There is a direct train at 6:05 pm from Milano Centrale, but I doubt if you could make that one as it will take an hour to get to Centrale from the airport, and you have to allow at least an hour from landing to getting off the plane, getting through immigration control, getting your luggage and walking to the airport train station for the Malpensa Express train to Centrale.

There is a train at 7:05 pm that will get you there with a single connection at Sestri Levante. If you miss that one, you might as well wait for the next direct train at 9:10 pm that will get there by midnight.

There is a train at 7:05 (19:05) pm that will get you there with a
single connection at Sestri Levante.

That's the one I'd do as I also don't think you'd make the 6:05 (18:05). This is assuming your plane gets in on time. Is your flight into Malpensa?

carrie,

A few comments to add to the other replies.....

It would help to have some idea whether you've travelled in Italy before, and whether you're familiar with using trains in Italy? There are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of.

As the others have mentioned, travel by train is by far the easiest and quickest method, especially after a long international flight. Which train you'll be able to connect with depends on how long it takes to clear Passport control, collect your luggage and get to Milano Centrale.

The trip from MXP to Milano Centrale takes about 52 minutes via the Malpensa Express. You can buy tickets at the airport rail station and I believe you can also buy your ticket to Monterosso there. A couple of important points to mention.

• The Malpensa Express has two routes, one to Milano Centrale and one to Milano Cadorna. BE SURE to board the correct train!
• You MUST validate (time & date stamp) your ticket prior to boarding the train or you'll risk hefty fines!

You might want to pack along a printout from the Trenitalia website showing the departures from Milano Centrale to Monterosso. That way you'll have an idea which train you'll be able to use. It the train requires a change and one segment is via Regionale, again you must validate the ticket prior to boarding the train. If the train is an Intercity or Freccia, you'll have assigned seating and don't have to validate the tickets.

Using a random date, I found departures at....

• 18:05 (direct)
• 18:25 (one change)
• 19:05 (one change)
• 19:35 (two changes)
• 21:10 (direct - last train of the day)

Where are you staying in Monterosso? Be sure to tell the hotel that you'll be a "late arrival".

We, too, are seniors. We used the rail system fairly extensively with ease. Take a taxi or the airport train to Milan Centrale and catch a train to LaSpezia, then on to Monterossa. Unless you have a lot of luggage (we travel very light) or are handicapped, it should not be a problem. You do not need to purchase tickets ahead of time, but it can save you money to do so. Read up on it ahead of time, relax and enjoy. If your schedule allows, stay a night in Milan close to the train station, rest up a little, and start the train adventure the next day.

Just one more note? If/when you check the Trenitalia website for schedules, you want to choose "Monterosso" and not "Monterosso Marche" from the dropdown selection for your destination.

Be sure to tell the hotel that you'll be a "late arrival".

Great advice from Ken. A lot of the accommodations do not have 24/7 desk staff so you don't want to arrive and find yours closed up.

A taxi would be expensive and fighting traffic. If you can get your luggage from the carousel to the taxi stand, the train station is not much further. There is a gentle ramp down to the track level. Tickets are 12 EUR, and the trains go every half hour and the train deposits you at track level at Centrale. You can buy tickets all the way to Monterosso at the Trenitalia kiosk in the airport train station. The Inter City trains have seat reservations included with the ticket.

A few further comments on a couple of points mentioned above....

" Take a taxi or the airport train to Milan Centrale"

I would not suggest taking a Taxi from the airport to Milano Centrale, as the cost will be far higher than using the Malpensa Express (especially if traffic is heavy). If you have an unlimited budget, that's different. Taking a Taxi may be longer than the M.E., which travels from the airport to Milan in ~52 minutes (and no worries about traffic delays).

catch a train to LaSpezia, then on to Monterossa"

If you use one of the direct trains to Monterosso, you don't have to go to La Spezia first. To do so would require back tracking and would be a waste of time.

"You do not need to purchase tickets ahead of time, but it can save you money to do so."

Buying advance rail tickets to connect with a flight can be somewhat risky. If the tickets are for an express train (Freccia or Intercity) which have compulsory seat reservations and you miss the train you've booked due to flight delays (or whatever), your advance purchase tickets are worthless and you'll have to buy more at full price.

Ditto to the above: a cab from Malpensa to Milano Centrale would be very expensive and may take longer than the express train. And La Spezia is SOUTH of Monterosso so you won't go through there from Milan.