I'll be flying in from Malaga to Milan Malpensa on a Friday afternoon (12:45) in mid June with my family of 5, and need to get to Venice that same day. My hotel in Venice is at Marco Polo Airport. I need opinions about the following: Is it better/faster to get a rental car at MXP and drive, or take bus at MXP to Milano Centrale then fast train to Venice? Thanks!
Posted by
Minneapolis, MN, USA
8700 posts
IC trains, not high-speed EuroStar Italia trains, run directly between Milan and Venice.
Allow up to an hour to retrieve your luggage and clear immigration/passport control. It's a 50-minute bus ride from MXP to Milano Centrale. If all goes smoothly, you MIGHT be able to catch the 14:35 train. Realistically, you probably should assume you'll be taking the 15:05 train which arrives at Venezia Mestre at 17:28. Then you'll need to take a bus to Marco Polo (around 20 minutes).
viamichelin.com gives a minimum driving time estimate of a little over three hours from Malpensa to Marco Polo. Allowing for time to pick up your car at MXP and for stops along the way, your total driving time from airport to airport is likely to be nearly the same as going airport bus-train-airport bus.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19275 posts
There is a train line from Malpensa airport to Milan. The Malpensa Express is privately run and goes into Cadorna station. The trip takes 36 minutes and trains leave every 30 minutes from Terminal 1. It shouldn't get held up in traffic like a car or bus.
I had to go to the Italian side to find the fares. An adult costs €11 one way; children(?) are half price. From Cadorna station it is a short subway trip to Milan Central.
There is also a 25 min bus ride to Gallarate station, south of the airport. But it takes 36 min by regional train from there to Milan Central, so that trip is over an hour with connection times.
Posted by
OP
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
4 posts
Thank you for your input. Does anyone know if the 50 minute bus ride to Milano Centrale is generally true to time, or does it really take longer?
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Nieves,
It's a bit difficult to predict the travel times using the Malpensa Shuttle (Bus) as this can be affected by "traffic issues". I'd probably assume that travel time would be as usual, and hope for the best.
As you're going to be transferring to a train for Venice right away, the Shuttle is probably a better option than the Malpensa Express. The Shuttle will drop you right outside Milano Centrale. If you use the Express (train), you'll have to use Metro or a Taxi to Milano Centrale.
Happy travels!
Posted by
OP
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
4 posts
Thank you all for your input. One more question, will my luggage be secure at the bottom of the bus (I will have 5 pieces), and is the disembarkation/luggage retrieval process orderly and organized upon arrival???
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19275 posts
Cadorna station and Centrale station are on the same S4 line, 5 stops away from each other. You can see the Milan metro map here.