Milan's Malpensa Airport & Beyond- please advise

You should. Baggage claim is a little slow, but customs is easy. I don't know where Gallarate is, but unless it's very time consuming to get there, I would think that you would easily have enough time to do this. It could take you up to 30 minutes to get your bags in some cases, so keep that in mind, but I think it's doable depending on how long it takes you to get from the airport to Gallarate. Not being able to speak Italian won't be an issue as many airport people speak English.

If your flight is more or less on time, your baggage shows up without surprises etc, you are likely to be in the arrivals hall by 11.30

There is a bus from malpensa airport to gallarate train station but it only runs a few times a day and takes forever (it follows a very indirect route with many stops)

bus services from malpensa

this bus (unlike most other lines) leaves from a specific spot close to the railway station i.e. you have to go one level down from the arrivals level, following the Malpensa Express signs until you get to the railway station lobby with the train ticket machines, then head towards the toilets at the furthermost right-hand corner and exit the building from a door nearby

so, assuming that it is not a Sunday and you are lucky enough to catch the 11.30 bus, i do not see why you wouldn't catch your train (the bus will take more or less 45 minutes and drop you right in front of the gallarate train station, where trains bound to switzerland usually leave gallarate from platform number 1, so even if the bus ends up taking an hour you will still easily make your connection)

if you miss the 11.30 bus, you will probably have to spend about 30-40 euro for a taxi (just ask for "stazione ferroviaria di gallarate" and the driver will understand where to take you): it is very unlikely that the ride will take much more than 30 minutes, so even if you board the taxi a few minutes after 12 you would have to be quite unlucky to miss your train

I agree with #2, although the traffic in Milan can be really annoying on working days.

I once had a bus breaking down twice between Linate and Malpensa and subsequently missed my connecting flight, so you never know. It is Italy - enjoy it...

Hello all!

I'm travelling to Brig, Swizerland and I am in a quite similar situation.
My plane is scheduled to arrive at Terminal 2 at 12:00 and I want to catch the train from 14:57.

Please traveljerk, tell me how was your journey, because I'm also a newbie to Malpensa Airport.

I also want to ask you all how crowded is the train station, and how long may take to get a ticket from Gallarate station.
(I will travel on 30th August)

Is it a more resonable option to get to Milano Centrale and take the train from there?

Thank you in advance!
Adrian

hi Adrian,

I am travelling on July 23, so will let you now my experience by mid August. You can book a ticket online on Trentalia, pay for it and collect ity on arrival. But I am going to purchase it on arrival. I think it will be very chaotic to go to Mialno Central, time consuming and busy.

Good luck,

Surush

Gallarate station is NOT crowded (except on working days when there are commuters going to Milan in the morning and coming back in the evening)

Especially at amidday on a day like 30 August (which is still holiday season in Italy) my bet is that there will be very few people around, maybe just you and the person at the ticket window

If you are buying an international ticket on the Trenitalia website you can only pick it up from a limited number of stations, you can check on the list but I believe Gallarate is not one of those

On the other hand, as soon as you get to the arrivals area in Malpensa you will see (very visibly in front of you, after you exit from the sliding doors) a travel agency that offers all sorts of land transporation, and you can definitely buy train tickets from them at the same price as from a Trenitalia station

Thanks to Partireeunpomorire for his latest inputs. I guess buying a ticket from the travel agency at Malpensa sounds great. Cheers