Transportation Malpensa to Monterosso

For Monterosso, it's better to fly into Milan than Florence. Overall, it's better to fly into Pisa. If you fly into Milan, there is a train from the airport to Milano Centrale. Actually, there are two different trains. Just make sure that you don't take the other one to the Cardona station. You want Milano Centrale. At Milano Centrale, you take a train to Monterosso. Every two hours or so, an Intercity train will take you to Monterosso with no train changes. The other runs will require 1-2 train changes.

Thanks Larry - I'll check air into Pisa before I finalize Milan. Cheers

drc, Especially from this area, it will be difficult to find flights into Pisa, so your best bet is to fly into Milano / MXP. You'll likely be arriving at Terminal 1, so you have two choices: > Train to Milano Centrale and then transfer to another train for the trip to Monterosso. There's a station right at the airport. There are some direct trains going to various points in Italy from Malpensa, but for Monterosso you'll have a least one change. > Use the Malpensa Shuttle (Bus) from the airport to Milano Centrale and then travel by train to Monterosso. The fare is €7.50 (as I recall) and the trip will take about 50 minutes (depending on traffic). You can buy tickets from the driver or inside the Terminal. It's an easy trip, and that's often the method I use. Were you planning to buy rail tickets from Milano to Monterosso when you arrive in Milan? Which Hotel are you staying at in Monterosso? Happy travels!

Hi Ken, That sounds like the best option - I've been looking at flights from Vancouver to Pisa and they're pretty much a nightmare. By the time you factor in the train from Pisa, Milano is the better option. We have booked Il Giardino Incantanto for our stay in Monterosso - took your advice and we are now staying there 5 nights and hope to do a day trip to Portofino and Portovenere before heading to Lucca where we will join our friends who have now decided to come along. They don't have as much time as we do so we'll be doing Cinque Terre on our own. I really appreciate the help on these boards! Ciao

I'm just wondering - where would I find out if there is a train from Malpensa to Genoa and then a train from there to Monterosso - would that be a better option or am I further ahead to go to Milano Centrale and take a train from there?

drc, Could you clarify why you need a train to Genova? My suggestion would be to travel directly from Milano Centrale to Monterosso. Use the Trenitalia website to see the departure times and details of trains on that route. There are some direct trains (ie: no changes) from Milan to Monterosso, with a travel time of ~2H:52M. Others have one or two changes in one of the Genova stations or possibly La Spezia. Whether you'll be able to use the direct train will depend on which train you can connect with. What time will your flight be arriving at MXP? Although it's possible to walk to your Hotel, you'll likely be tired and jet-lagged so you might want to take a Taxi from the station. When you arrive at Monterosso station, go down the stairs to the Sottopassagio (tunnel) and turn left. When you exit onto the street, there should be a Taxi close by. Your Hotel may be able to arrange transportation, but of course they'd need to have some idea when you're arriving. That's the method I used last year - I called my Hotel from the train when I was about half an hour from Monterosso, and they had a Taxi waiting. Cheers!

drc, What Ken from Vernon said. We took the train in 2007 from Vernazza to Monterosso and then on to Milano Centrale in the early am. Then we bought bus tickets to Malpensa but now the train would work just as well. Just got back from Italy 3 weeks ago and we used the Malpensa train to MIlano Centrale and then onwards to Venice. Worked like a charm. Any questions, feel free to PM me. Ciao. Sherry

With new and increased frequency trains from Milano Centrale to Malpensa, I don't see the point of suggesting a bus shuttle that can often get entangled in Milano's road traffic (since they are doing some major-ish work near the Central Station on the road network). It was a good suggestion when trains from Malpensa only reached Cadorna, but no longer (since 2011).

"(since they are doing some major-ish work near the Central Station on the road network)." Hopefully any "major-ish road work" will be completed soon. I often arrive at Terminal 2, so the Malpensa Shuttle is usually the easiest option.

This is all very helpful - thank you very much! The reason I was asking about Genoa was I was wondering if there was a train directly there from Malpensa which might be fast than going to Milano Centrale and then transferring from there - but from the sounds of things I was off base. I really makes the most sense to take a train from Malpensa to Milan Centrale and then then train to Monterosso. I haven't actually booked the flight yet as I was waiting for feedback from this board - which I now have thanks to all of you - so I can go ahead and book - I'm looking at a Lufthansa routing through Frankfurt - gets into Malpensa around 2 pm. Looking at Trenitalia and timing we likely won't make a direct train unless the schedule changes between now and next April, but that's aokay.
All of the help has made this much easier! Ciao!

drc, most any train run that you take from Milan to Monterosso will go through Genoa. A few Intercity trains will make the stops but continue without a train change. Many other runs will require a train change in Genoa. You can see all of this on www.trentialia.com.