How to get from Malpensa to Milan

Prices, timetables and ticket rules below were checked on the official Malpensa Express, Trenord and bus company sites on 5 October 2026. The taxi fare comes from press reports, because the city’s official fare page could not be confirmed.

Malpensa to Milan: all options compared

Option	Price	Time	Where it arrives
Malpensa Express, Cadorna route	€15 one way, €25 return	37 to 43 min	Milano Cadorna (metro M1 and M2)
Malpensa Express, Centrale route	€15 one way, €25 return	51 to 57 min	Milano Centrale, with a stop at Porta Garibaldi
Bus (Terravision, Autostradale, Malpensa Shuttle)	From about €4-5 online	40 to 70 min, more in traffic	Milano Centrale
Taxi	€114 per car, fixed	About 50 to 60 min	Any address in the City of Milan
Uber Black	About €126 on average	About 45 min	Your address
Private transfer	About €100-180 per car	About 50 to 60 min	Your address

Times for the train are from the official timetable. Road times depend on traffic on the A8 motorway, which can stretch a bus ride to 70 or 80 minutes on weekday mornings.

Which option is best for you

• Hotel near the Duomo, Brera, Navigli or Magenta: take the Malpensa Express to Cadorna. It is the fastest route and the one that runs latest at night. Cadorna has metro lines M1 and M2 for the last stretch.
• Hotel near Centrale, Porta Nuova, Isola or Porta Garibaldi: take the Malpensa Express on the Centrale route. Watch the time: the last train from the airport to Centrale leaves Terminal 2 at 22:37.
• Tight budget, traveling solo: a bus to Centrale booked online costs about €4-5. Plan for traffic.
• Family or group of three or four with luggage: the €114 taxi works out at about €28-38 each and drops you at the door. If you would rather take the train, the Malpensa Family ticket is €36 for two adults and two children aged 4 to 17.
• You want someone waiting with a sign: book a private transfer in advance.

Malpensa Express: two routes, two stations

The Malpensa Express is run by Trenord and stops at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 (Terminal 2 is used only by easyJet). Two separate routes leave the airport, each every 30 minutes, so check the destination on the board before you board.

Cadorna route. Stops at Busto Arsizio Nord, Saronno, Bovisa and Milano Cadorna. It does not go to Centrale or Porta Garibaldi. The trip takes about 37 minutes from Terminal 1 and 43 minutes from Terminal 2.

Centrale route. Stops at Busto Arsizio Nord, Saronno, Bovisa, Milano Porta Garibaldi and Milano Centrale, with a few extra small stops on some runs. The trip takes about 51 minutes from Terminal 1 and 57 minutes from Terminal 2. Pick this route if you are connecting to a high-speed train at Centrale.

Both routes cost the same, so the choice comes down to where you are staying and what time you land.

Malpensa Express timetable

From the city to the airport, trains leave Centrale at :25 and :55 past the hour, and Cadorna at :27 and :57.

Route	First train	Last train
Centrale to Malpensa	05:25	23:25
Malpensa T2 to Centrale	05:37	22:37
Cadorna to Malpensa	04:57	23:27
Malpensa T2 to Cadorna	05:20	00:20

The official Trenord pages disagree with each other by a few minutes on some of these times, and one page lists an earlier first train from Cadorna at 04:27. Check the live timetable on malpensaexpress.it or in the Trenord app before you travel.

How much the Malpensa Express costs

Ticket	Price
Adult one way	€15
Adult return	€25
Child aged 4 to 13, one way	€7.50
Child under 4	Free
Malpensa Family (2 adults, 2 children aged 4 to 17)	€36
Terminal 1 to Terminal 2	€2 adult, €1 child

The return ticket has a catch. If you buy it at a ticket machine or office, you have to use both legs on the same day. If you buy it online or in the Trenord app, the return can be used within 30 days. Some older articles still quote €13 one way, which is no longer the price.

How to buy and validate your train ticket

You have four ways to pay.

1. Online at malpensaexpress.it or trenord.it, with Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, PayPal or Satispay.
2. In the Trenord app for iOS and Android, with the same payment methods.
3. Contactless with Pay&Go. Tap a Visa, Mastercard, Maestro or American Express card, or a phone or watch, on the Pay&Go turnstile or totem at the start of the trip, and tap again at your destination. You are charged €15 one way, or €25 if you make a return trip the same day.
4. Machines and ticket offices at the airport. At Terminal 1 the station office is open 06:30 to 21:00 and the arrivals hall office 07:00 to 21:00. At Terminal 2 the Trenord offices are open 07:00 to 21:00.

Pay&Go readers are at both terminals, at the Cadorna turnstiles, at Porta Garibaldi (platforms 6, 7 and 13), at Bovisa, at Saronno and at Busto Arsizio Nord. At Centrale there is a single totem on platform 3, so look for it before you walk to your train. If you tap with Apple Pay or Google Pay, an inspector will ask for the virtual card number shown in your wallet app.

Trenord’s Pay&Go page lists American Express but does not say whether every card issued outside the EU works. If you want to be certain, buy the ticket in the app before you land.

You do not need to validate a Malpensa Express ticket. There is no stamping machine to look for. Digital tickets show a QR code that becomes active from 00:01 on your travel day. One rule catches people out: an ordinary Trenord regional ticket is not valid to or from the airport, even on the same line. You need a Malpensa Express fare.

Malpensa bus to Milan

All the airport buses run between Malpensa and Milano Centrale. They are cheaper than the train and slower when the motorway is busy.

• Terravision runs nonstop from Terminals 1 and 2 to Centrale every 30 minutes. Fares start at €4 one way and €8 return with dynamic pricing, so the price rises as the bus fills. The ride takes about 40 to 50 minutes. Luggage is included. terravision.eu
• Autostradale goes to Centrale and Piazzale Lotto, with a special fare of €4.99. It allows 70 minutes for the trip. Buses leave Malpensa from 05:00 until 02:30, which makes Autostradale the option for late arrivals. At Terminal 1 the stop moved to Level -1 in January 2026; at Terminal 2 it is outside exit 7. autostradale.it
• Malpensa Shuttle (Air Pullman) also runs to Centrale. Its website shows only a bundle with the MilanoCard city transport pass, from €19.90, so check the plain one-way fare on malpensashuttle.it before you go.

Booked online in advance, a one-way bus ticket usually costs about €4-5. Bought at the stop, expect €10-13.

Taxi from Malpensa to Milan

Taxis from Malpensa charge a fixed fare to the City of Milan. The figure reported by the Italian press from 2024 to 2026 is €114 per car, including tolls, luggage and any number of passengers, to any address inside the city limits. The official fare page from the city or the region could not be checked, so confirm the price with the driver before you set off.

Take a white taxi from the official rank outside arrivals. The ride to Centrale takes about 50 to 60 minutes. Ignore older guides that quote €90.

Other fixed fares from Malpensa reported by the same sources: €94 to the Fiera Milano exhibition center in Rho, and €128 to Linate airport.

Uber at Malpensa

Uber’s Malpensa pages list Uber Black and Van, which are licensed chauffeur cars. Uber puts the average Black ride to Milan at about €126 and 45 minutes. The app cannot book a regular taxi from the airport, and UberX does not exist in Italy.

Private transfers

A private transfer is a car booked in advance, with a driver who meets you at arrivals. Prices quoted by transfer companies run from about €100 for a sedan with two passengers to €180, per vehicle. That makes it close to the taxi fare, and worth it mainly if you want a fixed pickup time, a larger van or a driver waiting when you land late.

Arriving late at night

Plan the last stretch before you fly, because the train stops earlier than most people expect.

• Before 22:37: both Malpensa Express routes are running.
• 22:37 to 00:20: only the Cadorna route is running. From Cadorna, take the metro or a taxi to your hotel.
• 00:20 to 02:30: no trains. Autostradale buses still leave for Centrale until 02:30.
• After 02:30: take the €114 fixed-fare taxi or book a private transfer before you fly.

If your flight is delayed, check the live timetable on landing, because the last departures differ by a few minutes between official sources.

Going home: Milan to Malpensa

The same options work in reverse. Trains to the airport leave Centrale at :25 and :55 and Cadorna at :27 and :57, with the first Cadorna train at 04:57 and the last trains around 23:25 from both stations. Autostradale buses leave Centrale from 03:20, which helps with very early flights. If you are flying out of Linate or Bergamo instead, see our guide to Milan’s airports.