Transportation from Milan to Naples

I don't know which airport in Milan you will arrive. But all of them have bus connection to the center of Milan. One even has train connection. There are several hotels in walking distance from Milano Centrale (train station). We stayed in one which was very good, unfortunately I forgot the name. Book your train tickets ahead. It will be cheaper. There are many fast trains called Eurostar from Milan to Naples, stop only in Rome. They take about 4 and half hours. Book them on Trenitalia website. You can also read schedule there. To check schedule (but not to book) is easier on Deutsche Bahn website. You will get all necessary information when you click on Travel Tips on this page.

As Lija said, there are several hotels within walking distance, not to mention easy to find, once you get off the shuttle bus at the southwest corner of the train station and head south. This will be great practice to see how well everyone packed for themselves.

Hardly any of them are cheaper than $150 a night, but for around $180, you can find a serious bit of upgrade, worth the value, in this convention-tailored city. This is not my thing at all, but if you love staying a luxury places (on a Friday there will likely be no convention bookings to compete for price) Milan is a good place to use Priceline at the last minute.

Marie,

Your first task will be to get from MXP into Milan and the Malpensa Express will be the quickest method. You can buy tickets at the airport rail station, and the trip is about 52 minutes. Note that the M.E. has two destinations, one to Milano Centrale and one to Milano Cadorna, so be sure to board the train to Centrale. Also note that you MUST validate your tickets prior to boarding the train, or risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!

As you'll be leaving the following morning to go to Naples, I'd suggest using one of the hotels close to Milano Centrale. There's a good selection of hotels in that area, and some of them are listed in the guidebook. You might have a look at Hotel Garda which is only about a five minute walk from the station (once you know the way). You could also have a look at the Best Western Atlantic which is across from the Garda and has family rooms. There's a Bank with ATM's on the corner of the street where the hotels are located. Also, as you'll be travelling with kids there's a McDonalds nearby (at the end of the hotels street and facing Milano Centrale, it's to the right side - there are also McD's and BK in the station).

Were you planning to pre-purchase your tickets for the trip to Naples? There's a direct high speed Freccia train departing Milano Centrale at 10:00, arriving Napoli Centrale at 14:15 which would be a good one to use. Note that tickets on those trains have compulsory seat reservations which are specific to train, date and departure time, so can only be used on the ONE train listed on the ticket. If you're caught without valid reservations for the train you're riding on, you risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!

I've stayed at Hotel Garda several times; breakfast is available but not included in the room price. Across the street, Hotel Berna does include breakfast but is a bit more expensive than Garda. You can look at booking.com for reviews by recent guests of these and other hotels near Milano Centrale.

If you decide to forgo breakfast at the hotel and choose Hotel Garda, there are several cafes at Milano Centrale where you can buy breakfast and a put together a one-stop picnic lunch for the train ride to Napoli Centrale. The train will not stop anywhere long enough for you to get something to eat, and the food on trains is pricey and pre-packaged, with very limited variety.

I guess your are doing the train because of cost; children under 12 are free but they do need a ticket, however would urge you to look at Easyjet. Assuming you are arriving in the morning, you could fly to Naples in the afternoon for about $120 or so, which will be cheaper than any hotel of consquence near Centrale, and begin your tour a day earlier.

Trains to Napoli depart from either Milano Centrale (Trenitalia, state company) or Milano P. Garibaldi (Italo Treno, private company, much better - no state employees handling you, no career bureaucrat designing its website -, newer trains, fewer services per day).

Check which has the better prices and schedules on the day you are going to travel and plan a hotel near the station of departure.