Train from Milan to Venice -HELP!

IMHO with an overseas flight...There are too many variables to book the train. Wait until you arrive, yes you may pay a bit more, but all will be okay. If you absolutely must book in advance, give yourself 3-4 hours from when you are due to land, that way you have some time built in for delays, the worst case senario might be a great coffee and snack while you wait for the train.

It takes an hour from MXP to Milano Centrale train station, trains run hourly to Venice. It is tough for every train to sell out...there would have to be a World Cup or something going on for that to happen! LOL

I never book trains in advance, because I like to have options open, and don't mind paying a bit more.

Enjoy your trip!

I am totally okay with paying a bit more to not have anxiety wondering if I am going to catch my train. My main concern was having to wait forever at Central to catch a train to Venice because they were sold out or something. However, if getting on a train isn't usually an issue, I will wait to book. Thank you for your advice!!

Many of us here don't recommend buying advance rail tickets on the high speed trains to connect with an incoming flight. The tickets come with compulsory seat reservations and if you miss the train you've booked for whatever reason, the tickets are worthless and you'll have to buy more at full price. The safest method is to just buy your tickets when you land.

You should be able to buy tickets for both trains at the airport. You'll first need to take the Malpensa Express from MXP to Milano Centrale. The trip is about 52 minutes. You can buy tickets at the airport but DON'T forget to validate them before you board the train or you'll risk hefty fines! One other point to note is the the Malpensa Expres has two routes, one to Milano Cadorna and one to Milano Centrale. BE SURE to board the correct train.

Your ticket from Milan to Venice will specify your reserved Coach (Carrozza) and reserved Seat (Posti) numbers.

It is likely to be a long train from Milano Centrale to Venezia Santa Lucia, so be sure to look for overhead signs with carriage numbers when you get to your track. Tough getting through crowded aisles if you board a carriage other than the one on your ticket.

A quick look at the schedule shows there is a direct to Venice about every hour in the morning and every 2 hours or so in the afternoon, so I wouldn't worry about being stuck in Milan.
Unfortunately, I don't think you will be able to buy a ticket at Malpensa-I tried to for Parma, and had to buy one in Milan Centrale. Another thing is that my chip card doesn't work in the ticket machines, so would urge you to get at least €100 from an ATM at the airport. Tickets look to be about €60 one way.

If the cost of the ticket in advance is small enough that you don't mind losing it, then why not. If you have 4 hours between ETA and the train you might be ok. I would not try it with any less time, and as a rule I do not like to buy in advance. On several U.S. to Europe flight we've been 2 + hours late. Just food for thought.

I have purchased super saver tickets in advance to save in excess of 40 Euro. Strategy is to allow 4 hours between arrival at MXP and departure from Centrale. Once, the airline lost my luggage, resulting in significant delays while filling out paperwork. I made it to Centrale with literally 7 minutes to spare! But it added a little excitement to the beginning of the trip and I had plenty of time to recover on the ride to Pesaro.

Allowing four hours from flight arrival to train departure is certainly one solution and that should work in many cases. However, if the flight arrives on time, I'd much rather continue to my ultimate destination as soon as possible. Hanging around a station waiting for a train in a jet lagged and miserable state is not my idea of a "fun" holiday. Pay the higher fare and buy tickets when you arrive.