Trains crowded to Cinque Terre from Milan Malpensa? Car rental in CT?

When are you going?

I’ve not been to the Dolomites or to Lake Como, and it’s been 5 years since taking a train west from Milan, but I can assure you that the CT area itself will be crowded, and maybe super crowded. This is based on my visit in October 2021, and the report from some friends who were there last month. They couldn’t get on local trains some days, and had to wait for the next one that had space. We saw tons of people, with streets shoulder to shoulder in Vernazza, and a constant stream of hikers coming up and down the main street in Monterosso, and a mob at the rocky “beach” there, too. The main trail between Vernazza and Corniglia was very very busy.

Maybe the train from Milan to CT wouldn’t be super crowded - maybe - but you’ll likely find a lot of people in the CT once you arrive. Again, I can’t speak about the Dolomites or Lake Como, but you might want to consider them, rather than the CT, to potentially miss super crowding.

If you do go to the CT and want to pick up a car there, I’d imagine that La Spezia, a city much larger than any of the 5 towns, would be the place up pick up your car.

Thank you for the input! I definitely will be thinking of the Dolomites instead! We went to Vernazza about 6 years ago and loved it, though only stayed 2 nights so were hoping to go back. Since we're traveling in September, that doesn't sound like a good idea.

Dolomites it is - at least for now, haha!

We drove a rental car Milan to Cinque Terre, then Santa Margherita Ligure to the Dolomites.

I would go from Milan to Monterosso by train. There are a few InterCity trains that require no change along the way, however those trains tend to sell out, especially the ones in the morning, therefore book in advance. Intercity trains are not crowded because, like airplanes, the seats are reserved (no standing passengers allowed). Regional trains are like commuter trains (no reserved seats), therefore they can get crowded like subway or suburban trains in NYC at rush hour.

Regarding renting the car for your lake Como leg, I would take the same IC train back to Milan Centrale station and pick up the car downtown Milan (all companies have an office in or near the Milan Centrale station. If you want to minimize driving you could even proceed by train to lake Como and rent a car there. There are rental car offices with the main rental companies in Como or in Lecco.
No problem returning the car at Malpensa. It’s like returning at any major airport. The car rental return is inside the airport parking structure.