Train from Milan to Cinque Terre Monterosso

You'll need to go to Milan Central station to catch a train to Monterosso. You can get from Malpensa to Milan Central station either by train or bus. Both are scheduled for about 50 minutes travel time, but the bus can take up to a half hour longer when traffic is heavy. With a 9:00am arrival at Malpensa, there's a fair chance you could make the 11:10 train, which has changes in Genoa and Sestri Levante. An alternate choice would be to take the 12:10 train, which is direct (no changes), arrives about 40 minutes later at 3:02pm and costs about 5 euro less.

Thank you for the great response!

We just took that train a few weeks ago. If you have not been to Milan before, consider checking your luggage at the train station and taking the metro to see the Duomo and Galleria. It is quick and easy and well worth it to get a fast and memorable view of Milan. Total time for the everything described above is less than two hours. The train to Monterosso is not bad. After Genoa it is very scenic. Good luck!!

Isabel, I've made that trip several times, so quite familiar with the details. As Frank mentioned, you'll need to go from MXP to Milano Centrale first via the Malpensa Express, and then connect with the train to Monterosso. I'd suggest checking the Trenitalia website to get some idea of the departure times of the trains that will be operating the day you arrive. One point to note is that there are two routes for the Malpensa Express, one to Milano Centrale and one to Milano Cadorna. Be sure to board the correct train! I'd suggest using the 12:10 departure from Milano Centrale, as it's direct (no changes), arriving in Monterosso at 15:02. After a long international flight, a direct train is always the option I look for. There's no way I'd stop in Milan after an international flight for sightseeing. Given the usual chaos at Milano Centrale, using the Deposito Bagagli service could take some time, and you wouldn't want to miss your train (especially when tired). IMO, your time would be better spent in Monterosso. It's a great place for recovering from jet lag! Which hotel are you staying at in Monterosso? The station is in the "new town" so a short walk may be required. If you need information on restaurants, post another note. Happy travels!

Thanks to all so much for the great info. I have just discovered this site and am so pleased. We are staying in Monterosso at The Porto Roca hotel - room with sea view!

Forgot to ask one more thing....should I buy the train tickets in advance from Trenitalia? If I give myself two hours I can catch the 11:10 train. A few days later I am taking the train from Monterosso to Venice Santa Lucia. Any tips here? Ken in Cananda - would love some restaurant tips. Love to eat where the locals eat & have maybe one night out for a splashy dinner. Other than that would prefer light, fresh food.

Isabel, Hotel Porto Roca - very nice! It's a bit of an effort to reach but they provide pick up from the station. Once you get there, you may not want to leave! I wouldn't pre-buy tickets for the 11:10 train. Two of the three legs on that are via Intercity trains which have compulsory reservations. If your flight is late and you miss the train, your tickets are worthless. The third leg is via Regionale (DON'T forget to validate), and you won't easily be able to pre-purchase tickets for that. In the same situation, I'd buy tickets at the station at MXP for the entire trip to Monterosso. While you'll pay a bit more, that's a safer bet in case of flight delays. Monterosso restaurants - a few of my favourite "haunts"..... > Cantina di Miky (new town, near the station). Sit in the slightly crowded outside patio overlooking the beach and ocean. I like their Pesto Lasagna. > L'Alta Marea (old town, up Via Roma). The food and service is always good there and I often have my usual "welcome back to the Cinque Terre" meal there - Trofie al Pesto. > Al Carugio - (old town, in a small side street off Via Roma). Again, the quality and service has always been good. > Ristorante Belvedere (old town, right on the beach - you'll have to walk right past it to get to Porto Roca). Again, great food but service can be slow when they get busy (understandably). Don't worry about the rumbling overhead - just the trains. They have a seafood dish that's baked in a big earthenware pot (kind of "pot luck") that's very popular. Ristorante Miky (same family as the Cantina) is also good but very posh. Ciak (old town) is popular but I've never dined there. Cheers!

Hi. Buying a ticket at Milan Central Station is daunting. I would go to the Trenitalia ticket counter at the airport and buy your ticket to the central station and then on to Cinque Terra (if they are nice enough to do it - they can be difficult). There are also ticket machines at the airport and at central station - but be aware that you'll need a chip and pin credit card to buy a ticket in these machines (not many US credit cards utilize this technology). Lots of places in the central station for sandwiches, coffee, etc. So if you have extra time, it's a fine place to chill. Also lots of shops!

Isabel, your choice to go the Venice from the CT is frequently done. It's a 5.5hr-6.0hr train journey with 2-3 train changes. Some runs will route you via Milan. Others will route you via Florence. There are no direct trains that will you from the CT to Venice.

@Laura, "but be aware that you'll need a chip and pin credit card to buy a ticket in these machines (not many US credit cards utilize this technology)." When I was in Italy a few weeks ago, I found that the ticket Kiosks at Firenze SMN were utilizing the "Chip & PIN" system on my credit card, rather than the magnetic stripe. The machine asked for a PIN this time (on previous visits, that didn't happen). However, I watched some couples from the U.S. buy tickets with magnetic stripe credit cards, and they didn't seem to have any problems at all. I suspect the machines are configured to use both technologies, at least during this transition period. I'm not sure if the Kiosks are set up the same way at all stations in Italy. Cheers!