I will be arriving in Milan on 9/4/09, a Friday, at the Malpensa airport. I want to spend a few hours in Milan before proceeding to Monterosso. I plan on getting a train to Monterosso, and will likely take the train from the airport to Milan. Here is my confusion...I do not know what train to take to Cinque Tere. It makes the most sense to leave my luggage in a locker while touring the city, however, where do I get the train to Monterosso? Is that a different train station than the one where I will arrive from the airport? If it is a different train station, should I get on a subway or bus and leave the baggage at that particular station? Where will I purchase the ticket for Monterosso? Should I make the purchase ahead of time, if so, I am skeptical of being locked into a particular departure time, as I may run late. Help, I read Rick's book, but can't figure this one out!
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Mark, most likely, you will take a bus from Malpensa to the Milan central train station. There is a train that departs Malpensa but it goes to the Cadorna station and not the main train station. At the Milan train station, you take one of several runs a day for the 3hr ride from Milan to Monterosso. CLICK HERE to see the train schedule for 9/4/09. Click on NEXT for later trains. Don't worry about getting locked into a departure time. No seat reservations are permitted on the R trains and they aren't required on the IC trains although you can pay 3Euro to get reserved seats. Most of the runs to Monterosso are IC trains. Just get on early and find your own seat. There will be no departure times on your tickets (unlike the high-speed Eurostars). You can get on any train of the same class as your ticket (R or IC).
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32352 posts
Mark,
This is a fairly easy. As Larry indicated, take one of the two Airport Shuttle Buses from Malpensa to Milano Centrale. Check www.malpensashuttle.it/e-default.htm for the details and prices. You can pay the Driver. You could also take the Malpensa Express train, but that terminates at Cadorna station, so you'd have to take the Metro or a Taxi to Milano Centrale.
At Milano Centrale, there are no storage Lockers AFAIK. There is however a "Luggage office". Look for the words "Deposito Bagagli". There should be information in the Guidebook on that. I believe the office is open from 06:00 to 23:00, so watch your time when you're touring Milan.
Getting to Monterosso al Mare from Milano Centrale is fairly straight forward. You might want to check either the Trenitalia or bahn.de websites to get some idea on the timing of trains on the day you'll be travelling, so you know which train you want to take, and whether there are any changes. When you've got that figured out, simply use one of the automated ticket machines to purchase your ticket. I believe the machines there will still accept magnetic strip credit cards.
You could also use the ticket office (Biglietteria), which is two floors down from track level. There are "moving sidewalks" to get there, so no stairs to deal with. There's often a large queue at the ticket office, but there are more ticket machines next to the office. The machines on that level accept Euro cash as well as credit cards.
Be prepared for the chaos of Milano Centrale, as it's a very busy place (I was there a week or so ago). Also, watch your valuables!
Happy travels!
Posted by
Omaha, NE, USA
8 posts
To get around Milan use the Subway - it is a good system