Trains, Milan

This is a mandatory thing to be done in Italy before getting up in the train.

The train tickets have a validity of 3 to 6 month from the acquisition date and in order to be used for a trip should be validate.

The validation machines are to be found all over the station (look like yellow boxes - see picture) and at the beginning of the platforms in the biggest stations.

The ticketing machine or in Italian "sportello rapido" (rapid office) was my good "friend" during this trip to Milan.

Will the long, unfinished line at the ticketing desks buying a train ticket in due time was something like mission impossible.

Although at first sight, it may seem difficult to use, the menu is in six languages and very easy. More over, for the ones who did a previous research on Trenitalia (see the above tip) it's even easier because menus are identical.

"Sportello rapido" can be found in almost all the train stations around Italy and in Milan station are to be found both on the right and left side of the ticketing offices.

The machines are accepting all types of Euro banknotes and coins, just be sure that you choose the right one because there are also machines that are accepting only credit cards.

Milan has 5 important train stations: Stazione Centrale, Milano Lambrate, Cadorna, Rogoredo and Garibaldi.

Stazione Centrale is the main station, while Cadorna is the central-city destination for the shuttle train from Malpensa airport and the other three are used for regional links.

Beside the above mentioned train stations there are other smaller stations used for short distances rides, like Piazza Genova Train Station used for the links with the city of Alessandria.

With the help of the Internet site of the Italian Railway I perfectly planned my trips by train around Italy.

The site is offering detailed information about all the trains with the complete schedule and prices.

There is also the possibility to acquire the tickets on-line.

.
Milan Central Station, in Italian,
Stazione Centrale di Milano or
Milano Centrale, is one of the
main European train stations.

It is a railroad terminus officially inaugurated in 1931 to
replace the old, 1864, central station, which was a transit
station and couldn't stand the new traffic caused by the
opening of the Sempione tunnel in 1906.

King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy laid the cornerstone of the
new station on April 28, 1906, before a blueprint for the station
had even been chosen.

1 more image

I flew to Athens via Milan's Malpensa airport in September 2005.

On both the outward journey and the return journey, I had several hours between connecting flights and, not wanting to stay in the airport for that length of time, ventured into Milan city centre for a bit of sightseeing.

On the outward journey I caught the"Malpensa Express" train from the airport to the conveniently located Stazione Cadorna, just a few minutes walk from Castello Sforzesco and a 10-15 minute walk from Duomo. The journey from the airport to Cadorna took approximately 45 minutes and cost 11 Euros each way. Tickets can be purchased from the helpful information counter in the arrivals hall and must be validated in the machines on the platform.

On the return journey I opted for the cheaper option and caught the "Malpensa Shuttle" bus to Stazione Centrale. The journey took a little over 1 hour and cost 5 Euros each way.

I didn't find Stazione Centrale to be as conveniently located as Stazione Cadorna and if I was in this position again I would undoubtedly pay the higher price for the added convenience (and shorter journey time) of the Malpensa Express.

The central train station of Milano is a jungle of people from all nations colors and continents in a rush to catch their train or explore the city.
You can buy tickets from automats or from the kassa.
It is actually the only place in town where I saw people in a hurry , as for the rest , everybody was just flandering around the center.
They must have a "who's gonna be the slowest" competition - I think ;)))))

I will be taking the train to and from Milano. I made my reservations on Monday for a Friday departure and Sunday return. On Friday I will be taking the Eurostar, which advertises itself as a big time saver, but in fact saves only ten minutes versus a regular inter-city train. The cost for Eurostar is €15 in second-class, the cost for inter-city is about €14.50... However, inter-regional trains take over two hours to reach Torino from Milan, are reservation-free and tend to have a less... classy... crowd. Avoid if possible, ESPECIALLY late at night when you are a woman alone!

It is best to make reservations when travelling on a busy train, this way you will definitely get a seat. In the morning trains are full of commuters, on long weekends they are full of families on holidays.