I wonder if some of you might share advice on the workability of getting a train from Malpensa Airport to Vernazza in the Cinque Terra this May (last week)
I suspect that we would have to travel to Milan and then transfer. Has anyone done this? How long is the trip? Is it a workable alternative to renting a car?
Appreciate any advice
Michael
we did this trip last march. take the shuttle bus from mxp to the central train station. from the train station to vernazza was aprox 3-3.5 hrs with a train exchange in genoa. all went well with help from the friendly italian folk's !! i have no experience with driving this trip with a car to answer the 2nd half of your question.. good luck :):)
You would indeed have to go to Milan to get a train to Vernazza through Genoa. From Milan, the train trip is 3 1/2 - 4 hours. Airport to Milan (by bus) is about 45 minutes.
Yes, it's preferable to renting a car. While you can technically get to Vernazza from Malpensa by car in under 4 hours, there is limited parking above the town and you'd have to pay the cost of parking and days of rental use while you're in Vernazza with no way to use the car.
Both Bruce and Doug have the answer. I would just add that with very few exceptions, tourist cars are not permitted in the five towns. There are parking lots above the towns with shuttle transit but during the high season, they often fill up and they will close the roads into them.
The bus to Milan and the train to Vernazza is highly recommended.
Like Bruce, I've also done the trip from Malpensa to Vernazza and have a couple of additional thoughts. Not all trains from Genoa stop in Vernazza, so ask for a train that does. Otherwise, you'll have an 2nd change in Levanto or Monterosso. Most trains from Milan arrive at main level of Genoa train station and depart for Cinque Terre from subterranean level, but there's an escalator. You'll receive either 2 or 3 separate tickets for the trip. Best to validate for each segement upon arriving at that platform. Not sure what time your flight arrives, but I was in Vernazza by about 12:45 using bus and trains.
Michael,
I'd also strongly suggest using train rather than rental car. As the others have suggested, take the shuttle to Milano Centrale and then buy your ticket to Vernazza.
Note that your train may also access the Cinque Terre via La Spezia rather than Genoa. you'll likley have to transfer to the smaller local train.
If you know the approximate time you'll be arriving at Milano Centrale, you can research the available trips to Vernazza either using the bahn.de or trenitalia websites. That will provide you with a clear idea on the exact travel times (keeping in mind that "exact" is a relative term in Italy), how many changes and which cities you'll be changing in.
Happy travels!
