Train from Malpensa airport to Rome

eican, I don't think you have to worry about the trains filling up so just buy your tickets in Milan. The only benefit to purchasing in advance is being able to land some economy fares, if available, but as you noted, there are issues with refunds and changes.

However, higher-priced, base-fare tickets do allow for changes up to one hour before you are to board your scheduled train so purchasing these in advance is also an option:

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ac62bd6bc1abf310VgnVCM1000008916f90aRCRD

And yes, Milano Centrale is a very big station so you can buy your tickets from an agent at a window.

A good reason for taking the Malpensa Express train versus a cab is that they're never affected by problems on the highways (rush-hour slowdowns, accidents, etc.) but we've also used the Malpensa Shuttle Bus and been very happy with that:

http://www.malpensashuttle.it/web2011/e-percorsiorari.php

OK - lets take this a step at a time.

1. If you are arriving July 20, 2015, you are too late any advance purchase ticket for Super Econ or Economy fares. No point in buying a base ticket on line at this time. Buy it at the station or airport. Train rarely sell out. Worse case is that you may not get four seats together but you should be in the same car. Your are correct that you will need a chip and pin card for the ticket machines. You can buy your ticket to Rome when you buy the ticket for the Malpensa Express at the airport. That probably will be the easiest and quickest way. Train will take about an hour. Be sure to go to Centrale as there are two stations that the airport train goes to.

2. Go to Trenitalia.com, plug in July 20th 10 AM, and make a note of the time departures for Rome. Probably every hour to maybe two hours. And, of course, you will see the fares.

3. Depending on time between train, there is a grocery store in Centrale where you can buy lunch items, wine, etc. for the train ride to Rome. Even if you have an hour between trains, use that time to freshen up and get a little exercise before boarding the Rome train. Because you will sleep in the Rome.

PS - Just did a quick check for Monday. There are trains are 1015, 1100, 1115, 1200, 1215, 1300, etc. That looks like the pattern for all day more or less.

Your first step at the airport might as well be getting cash from an ATM, so you have options when you turn around to buy the train tickets.

Thank you everyone for your helpful advice! It's good to know I needn't stress about trains filling up. I can just relax and realize that it'll all work out!
Happy Travels.
Eileen

elcan,

For travel from MXP to Milano Centrale, the easiest method is the Malpensa Express. Once you've collected your luggage, go to the airport rail station and buy tickets for both the M.E. and the next train to Rome. As Frank mentioned, it would probably be a good idea to print out a list of the departure times so you have some idea what's available. You can use a Kiosk or staffed ticket window, depending on the queues. With the train from Milan to Rome, as you're buying tickets at the last minute you'll likely be paying Base fare which is the highest tier, but that's the safest method as you won't have to worry about missing your train due to flight delays.

You'll arrive at Milano Centrale in one of the outer offset tracks (Bin. 1 or 2?) and you'll have to walk from there into the main area. It's a busy place, with large TV screens blaring annoying advert's and lots of people. Be sure to watch your bags carefully. You might want to pick up some Paninis and soft drinks for lunch on the train, as they'll likely be better quality than "train food". There are lots of small food stands there and also Mickey D's and Burger King if desired.

NOTE that you MUST validate your tickets for the M.E. prior to boarding or risk hefty fines. Also note that the M.E. has two routes, one going to Centrale and one going to Cadorna. BE SURE to board the correct train.

When you arrive at Milano Centrale, check the electronic board for the track no. (Binario) of your train to Rome. The train no. (ie: ES-9718) will be written on the tickets. These trains have compulsory reservations, so you'll have an assigned Car No. (Carrozza) and Seat No.'s (Posti) and you must sit in those spots. Larger luggage items can be place in the racks at the end of your Car and smaller carry-on items (especially those with valuables) can be kept on the racks above your seat.

Don't worry about trains being full. If one did happen to be fully booked, another train will be along in an hour or so.

Buon Viaggio!

I am not the greatest fan of airport ATMs unless it is an emergency. It is trend for airports to lease their space to private ATMs such as TravelEx so that all of the ATMs are handled by one service. I would not use an airport ATM unless I was absolutely sure it was a bank owned ATM. Unfortunately that can be difficult to determine.

Train to Milano C.LE is faster and cheaper:
€12 per person (€48 for 4 people).
A taxi from Malpensa to Milan city center (any location) is a €90 flat fee.

We did the opposite direction in the fall. Getting your tickets from an English-speaking agent at Malpensa is the best idea I think. They can explain things to you and you can pay with your credit card. I did and it's an ordinary signature card.

We wanted to get to Malpensa quickly from FCO so we got all our tickets at FCO (airport to Roma Termini, Frecciarossa to Milano Centrale, and on to Malpensa). It was pricey but worth the € for us.

No one has mentioned the fast trains between Milano Centrale and Roma Termini. Getting there in 3 hours on a fast train might be worth the € for your family, too.

Hopefully not to confuse the situation but Italo runs high speed trains out of Milano Garibaldi as well and can also be reached by the Malpensa Express-----be sure your Malpensa express train is going to Milano Centrale for Trenitalia ---in either case be sure to validate your tickets on the Malpensa Express.

Paul