Trains, Milan

I arrived in Milan by train from Viareggio, a seaside town near Cinque Terre.
It was an amazing journey as the train passed through all 5 Cinque Terre towns with the utmost amazing train journey ever in my life !
Nevertheless, I was in only 1 Cinque Terre village : Corniglia.

Train stations are clean and precise, with very efficient indications, you simply cannot get lost! There are big panels with arrivals and departures, number of trains, rail, destination, really, everything you need! You should be really clumsy in order not to get around successfully. :))))
This photo originates from Porta Venezia underground train station, a bit before 23h. There was absolutely NOBODY!!! It seems like after 9pm nothing happens on the streets of Milano (except some dangerous areas, and the places to go out of course!)

Milan is a very hectic town with a lot of traffic and enormous mess. Do not take a car to go there. Take the train. There are very fast, frequent, efficient and convenient trains from surrounding places, that will take you to the heart of the city, like Suburbano trains or Interregional ones. The main stations are Milano Centrale of course, and then Porta Garibaldi, Porta Venezia, P.Vittoria... The maps are everywhere, you can't get lost! It's very easy to move to and around Milano... The trains are clean and comfortable...

This was actually our second trip through the MIlan train station. The first was on the way to Venice and that was truly a blur in my mind as we did little more than move from one train to another. This time, however, Milan was our destination and we needed to take note of our surroundings.

This is a big place. Built on a grandiose scale in the early 20th century, it is one of the biggest train stations in Europe and I found it to be a bit intimidating. A very busy place and, it seemed to us, to lack a very intuitive pattern of egress. What seemed to contribute to the confusion is the main ticket hall's location which is at grade with the train platforms but 2-3 stories above street level. The prospect of carrying our luggage down a very long flight of stairs was daunting. Ultimately we located the escalator to the far left end of the gallery (when exiting the platforms). Taxi queues were located at the exit at the bottom.

The building itself is magnificent but sadly the concerns of transit took precedence over our quest for aesthetics.

Milan is a transport hub with direct trains to major cities all across Italy and to neighbouring countries, including Zurich, Naples, Venice, Paris, Rome, and Munich. Italian trains are generally very good value for money.

This has got to be one of the most beautiful train stations anywhere. It opened in 1931. It is located about about 5 km northwest of the Duomo and Galleria. Premium international (EC) service and premium (IC) domestic service connect Milano Centrale with major European cities. Metro Line 3 links Milano Centrale with Piazza Duomo.

The train station is a beautiful, grandiose building. Construction on this building began in 1920 after two competitions were held for its design. The Piazza Duca stretches out in front of the station. There is a metro station located out front under the Piazza.

I have now been to Italy several times and each time have travelled around this fabulous country by train.

Once you get the hang of it, train travel in Italy is easy. It is also a great way to see the beautiful countryside on the way to your next destination.

I have travelled a couple of times using a rail pass, but the last couple of visits have just purchased tickets for each individual trip as we went.

That said, we often have purchased tickets a day or two in advance - particularly if the particular train requires a seat reservation, or if it is a busy time of year.

Purchasing a little in advance also means that you don't miss the train you want to catch due to a huuuuuge queue for tickets...

Last trip we used the automatic ticket machines at the stations and found them excellent.

Also, I have travelled both first and second class, and didn't really find much difference - travel second class and you can use the extra money to buy more wine/food etc

Just remember with all tickets that you need to validate them in the small yellow ticket machines before you board your train.