We are flying into Milan on a Sunday in September about 11 am.
Do we have to reserve seats on a train to Florence.
It looks like there are lots of trains running on Sunday
We worry that if any of our flights are delayed we might than miss our train even if we make reservations.
Is this something to worry about or are we over thinking this.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32401 posts
Buying tickets when you arrive is the best idea. As you noted, there are frequent trains on that route, and from Milano Centrale you can travel either on Trenitalia or Italo.
You'll first have to take the Malpensa Express from MXP to Mikano Centrale. DON'T forget to validate your ticket prior to boarding the train. Also be sure to board the train for Centrale as the Malpensa Express has another route that goes to Cadorna.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23653 posts
Second, when you buy your ticket for the train to Milan you will know you schedule so you can buy, at the same window, the tickets to Florence. Give yourself about 30, 40 minutes in Milan for the restroom and buying some snacks for the train ride to Florence.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
Install the Trenit app on your smart phone, if you have one. Then you can buy the train tickets on your phone. As soon as the plane wheels hit the ground, turn on your phone and buy tickets for Milano Centrale (something to do while you patiently wait for the plane to taxi to the gate). The tickets are good for four hours after the train you choose, because they are regional trains to Milan. So you don't have to worry about missing the train there; it's probably not going to take four hours to get from the terminal through immigration and baggage claim to get to the airport train station.
Then once you get on the train to Milano Centrale, buy the tickets to Florence. That WILL be a reserved train that you need to make, though. Looks like about 45 min from the airport to Milan, so book with that assumption, giving yourself enough time to connect.
This way, you won't have to wait in line at any ticket windows or figure out ticket machines or worry about validating tickets. But, you will need a working smart phone as soon as you land in Italy - a good bet for T-Mobile US users or people who have already bought a European SIM before arriving in Italy. (Or AT&T or Verizon users who will just pay for the roaming plans. Sprint users get free data roaming too, assuming they can get their US CDMA phones to roam on GSM in Italy, quickly.) If you can't get your phone to work at first, then fall back to buying paper tickets.