Go straight from the airport into the heart of the Renaissance. Find out about taking the train from Milan Malpensa Airport to Florence.
Milan’s Malpensa Airport (MXP) is the second-busiest airport in Italy, after Rome’s Fiumicino, and one of the main entry points for international travelers. If your heart is set on Renaissance Italy, however, you’ll need to leave Milan and make your way to Florence.
Malpensa isn’t connected to Italy’s high-speed rail network, but it does have a train station from which you can get into Milan's city center and then continue on towards Florence. Taking the train saves you an hour when compared to driving the 220 miles (355 km), and you’ll be more relaxed in the process.
Frequent Trains from Milan Malpensa Airport to Florence
Getting from the Malpensa Aeroporto railway station to Milano Centrale in the city center is as easy as taking the regional Malpensa Express. It takes about 50 minutes and runs twice an hour throughout most of the day.
Once at Milano Centrale station, the high-speed Alta Velocità (AV) trains will whisk you to Firenze Santa Maria Novella in about 1 hour and 40 minutes. On this route, you can make the whole trip from the Milan airport to Florence in less than three hours. Tickets for the whole trip cost $44-67.
Your other option when you reach Milano Centrale is to take an Italo train to Firenze Santa Maria Novella. That trip typically takes 1 hour and 50 minutes.
Note that weekends and holidays typically mean less frequent service and sometimes longer travel times.
Direct Trains from Milan Malpensa Airport to Florence
There are no direct trains from Malpensa Airport, located outside of Milan, to Florence.
Amenities on Trains from Milan Malpensa Airport to Florence
The Malpensa Express trains are very simple, with no real amenities to offers its passengers. They’re similar to subways or commuter trains.
The top of the line AV trains are Frecciarossa, and these train cars are all equipped with air conditioning and power outlets in your seat for your convenience. There are both 1st class and 2nd class cars. First class passengers get a free drink and a choice of newspaper. A cafe car is available to all passengers.
Milan Malpensa Airport and Florence Train Stations
The train station at Malpensa Airport is located in Terminal 1 of the airport. Tickets can be purchased either at the kiosk during regular hours or from automated machines. Be sure to validate your ticket before you walk down onto the platform, as there are no validation machines on the platform or on the trains.
Milan's main station, Centrale, is a local transportation hub with buses and trams stopping outside and a Metro (subway) stop in a lower level of the station itself. Porta Garibaldi station is a smaller station, although it also has a Metro stop and several bus lines stopping nearby.
Florence's Santa Maria Novella station is close to the historic center, and is a major hub for city and regional buses, making it easy to get to and from the station if you're traveling light.