MXP in Milan to Florence

Italotreno.it runs only fast trains. On trenitalia.com, to find the fastest trains you can list the search results by time of travel.

Both companies' high speed trains go from Milano Centrale to Firenze SM Novella in 1 hour and 55 minutes. You won't find a faster option.

Italotreno's walk-up fare is usually cheaper than Trenitalia's.

Since there is free wifi at MXP she can get all the train tickets online while walking to the airport station. She must take the airport train to Milano Centrale, not the one to Milano Cadorna.

There is a Map on MXP's official site; pics of the signs pointing to the Airport train station can be easily found on the Web.

Hello KRS,

I would recommend the trenitalia app for your phone if you're going to be buying or changing trains on the go. I downloaded it at the insistence of a local and it was really helpful.

It will show you the progress of trains in real time and the assigned platform of trains so you can go straight there rather than check the platform signs when making a quick change. It will also allow you to buy tickets on the go - like while walking for the train - rather than waiting in line for the ticket machine when the train you want is at the platform.

It's never entirely smooth when you deal with Italian trains, but it also part of the adventure.
Have a great trip,
=Tod

There are several you tube videos about 1)Taking the train from the airport into Milan, and the high speed trains between Milan and florence. If your daughter looks at those videos in advance it might be a confidence booster for her.

I did this same route in September, only the opposite direction. I would encourage her to have the app on her phone as previously mentioned. Then she can buy her ticket for Milan Central when she knows which train she will be on after clearing immigration. One advantage of using the app is that you do not need to worry about validating your ticket if it is on your app. On the way to Milan Central, she can look up and book her next train because she will know the time her train is arriving in Milan Central.

There are not assigned seats on the train from the airport to Milan Central and it can be a bit crowded. She should not be discouraged. She will have a reserved seat on the high speed train.

I looked at a few of the Youtube videos and you are right, they were helpful. I mentioned the idea of downloading the app to her as well. Thank you everyone for your input!

Goodness, this just isn’t getting easier. My daughter in law just texted pointing out that her flight leaves Milan at 11am on the 12th and we’re concerned she may end up having to go up the night before in order to make her flight. I found one train leaving Florence and arriving at Milan Centrale at 8:50, but she’d have to take the train to the airport from there, so that would be cutting it close. Does anyone have any ideas or know of something I don’t?

No. It's rather easy. She needs to spend the night before the flight in Milan or near Malpensa, because no train from Florence can get her at the Malpensa airport before 10:16 and that is only 45 min. before her flight out, therefore insufficient for a timely check in.

Unless Trenitalia adds more airport trains after December 11, the first train to MXP that she could reasonably take departs from Milano Centrale at 9:25 AM and calls at the airport T1 station at 10:16 AM.

By the current schedules, she'll have to pick a different airport or to enjoy a last aperitivo in Milan the night before flying home.

She will have to spend the night before in Milan or near MXP
No question

If we decided to go to Bologna the day before, then I’d go back to Florence and she’d go on to Milan, are there lockers at the bus station where we could store her things while we explore the town?

Yes
At the train station( take the train!)
https://usebounce.com/city/bologna/bologna-centrale-station

That’s a good plan

Been there. Done both.

Assuming that her flight from Milan is non-stop back home to the US, she will need to be at the airport 3 hours before departure. Note that if she has a European connection, she might not need to be at the airport so early.

She could stay at a hotel within walking distance of Milano Centrale and take the express train to the airport, BUT with an 11:00 departure she would still need to get up at 0:dark:30, get ready, have breakfast if the hotel serves it early enough, check out, walk to the station, buy a ticket and get on the train. I've done this staying at the Hotel Berna, but my flight home left in the afternoon, so I wasn't so pressed for time.

If she stays at an airport hotel, or one nearby with a shuttle, it might be more expensive, but she wouldn't have to get up so early. I've also done this and stayed at the Moxy at the airport.

Something she might be able to do is to buy a round trip Frecciarossa (fast train) ticket when she arrives at MXP or Milano Centrale and make the return from Florence later in the day on Sunday, 11/12.

She can do the same thing for the Malpensa Express between MXP and Milano Centrale and save a few €, but it must be done online. See last paragraph below.

Note that on the Trenitalia search site, you can limit to Frecciarossa trains by clicking on Main Solutions and choosing FRECCE. That focuses on fast trains only.

Also please note that even some of them have one train change. There's minimal extra time involved, but the potential for confusion with any train change is great, especially in a jet-lagged state. She should choose an option without any train changes.

Here's a link to the Trenitalia search site in English:
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

Here's a link to info on buying tickets between MXP and Milano Centrale in person at MXP. Scroll down to see a round trip discount option. It's only possible online, but a ticket agent might be able to help her with that.
https://www.airportmalpensa.com/airport-train.php

Edited to add: On Saturday, 10/12 There are many fast train options from Firenze SMN to Bologna Centrale that take about 40 minutes with no train changes. Similarly there are also many fast train options from Bologna Centrale to Milano Centrale on 10/12 with no changes. Those take between 1 hour and 1 hour and 40 minutes, depending on how many stops there are along the way. Click on details to see where the stops are.