We are flying to Milan in September. We will take the train to Milano Centrale from Malpensa Airport. We plan to take a train from Milano Centrale to Desenzano. Is it safe and/or necessary to order a timed train ticket now from Milano Centrale to Desenzano without knowing how long it will take us to go through Customs etc at Malpensa Airport? I ask because I booked train tickets ahead of time from Paris to Lyon and we missed the train to Lyon because it took more than two hours to go through Customs in Paris. Also, if you know the final stop on the Milan to Desenzano route, please let me know. Thanks for any insight you might have!
Posted by
Green Bay
21218 posts
Just buy when you get through customs with your luggage via the app, or at the Malpensa train station. The base fare for a 2nd class Freccia train ticket from Milano Centrale to Desenzano is only 26 EUR, or you can take a Regionale for 10 EUR with an extra 1/2 hour travel time.
The Freccia train final destination is Venezia S. Lucia. The Regionale final destination is Verona Porta Nuova.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1144 posts
Do you mean Desenzano del Garda? If so there is no need to buy a ticket ahead of time.
In Italy you can buy fast train Frecce ticket ahead of time at a discount but that discount comes with flexibility and refund restrictions. The local regionale trains don't change in price and can't sell out so there is no need to buy ahead of time. That route is served by a mix of fast and regular trains but the time difference between those does not justify buying ahead of time and worrying about it. Buy the next train that leaves once you know you'll be at the station. Coming off a plane the direct train with no changes would be more important to me than the speed given the difference on the route is <30 minutes between the two.
There is a Trenitalia app for checking schedules, buying tickets and tracking trains. Local regionale tickets must be purchased 5 minutes before departure and (now) validated/checked-in on the app at least 1 minute before departure time.
Have a great trip,
=Tod
Posted by
OP
Naples FL
16 posts
Sam and Hiredman,
Yes I meant Desenzano del Garda! Thank you both for your informative advice. I've avoided making the train reservations from Milan to Desenzano del Garda and now procrastination paid off for once. We're spending a month in Italy and I hope to have mastered the train system by then. Again, thank you for taking time to help me out. It's much appreciated!
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1144 posts
Don't over think it and just go with the obvious and the train system works fine in Italy. Anything new can be intimidating at first but after a couple of rides it will become old hat and you'll find yourself complaining about it right alongside the locals.
Joking aside the train system is used by commuters, senior citizens and school kids everyday since it is just the way people get around in much of Italy. Just remind yourself that you're just pretending to be Italian for a while and join in. It's far from perfect but everyone is in it together and it works pretty much as you would expect. Even in large cities (except Bologna) the train tracks are laid out from one end of the platform to the other in order and you check the board (or your phone these days) and head to that platform. If you have a transfer in a small town it probably only has a couple of tracks and at worst you'll need to cross under the tracks to the other side but probably you can just wait 5-10 minutes for the next train and get on.
Once you're over the initial worry and have taken a couple of trains the rest becomes more of the same.
Have a great trip,
=Tod
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA
700 posts
There is both bus and train service between Malpensa and Milano Centrale. I have taken both but going to the airport.
I have stayed in Desenzano de Garda. Its a nice little town and you can take a short ferry to Sirmione.