Whenever you decide to travel from/to Milan by train, Milano Centrale aka Milan Central Raiway Station, will be for you an inevitable point of reference. More than 90% of all trains leave or arrive here.
Intro
This impressive building of enormous dimensions is easy to find. It’s situated in Piazza Duca d’Aosta, 1. It looks really too large and sometimes intimidating for first time train travelers.
It was inaugurated first time in 1931 to replace the old central station built at where is today Piazza della Repubblica. It’s a typical authoritarian building from Mussolini period with bombastic sculptures of muscular animals from mythology: winged horses, lions, bulls and eagles, symbolizing strength and authority. For more about the station’s history see – Wikipedia Milan Central Station.
Milano Centrale – Milan Central Railway Station
Here’s what you’ll find on this page:
- Train station overview
- How to find you train binary
- Restaurants, coffee bars and supermarkets
- Where to sleep near Centrale
- Transfer station near the station
See other related pages:
- Malpensa Express
- Travel from Milan to Rome
- Travel from Milan to Venice
- Travel from Milan to Florence
- Travel to Milan
- Milan airport transfers
Centrale station overview
The Milano Central station is the most important railway hub of the Lombardy region and the second in Italy, after Rome station with almost 120 million passengers every year.Every day more than 800 trains arrive and depart starting from regional, regional fast, intercity, national and international high-speed trains operated by Trenitalia and Italo, train companies.
This station is also an important crossroad of all airport transfer services from main Milan airports from Malpensa, Linate and Bergamo airport.
How to find your train binary
This huge train station has 24 train binaries (platforms). All train platforms with a spacious public space are above ground level, very conveniently connected with lifts and escalator down to ground level in case you don’t want to use the normal staircases down to the station’s main entrance on the Piazza Duca d’Aosta. In any case the handling of all kinds of suitcases is really easy for passengers.
All train platforms (24) are numbered from left to right as you look towards the trains and each number clearly indicates the train in question. Before you enter the platforms area, big departure boards shows which platform each train leaves from and there are clear train departure indicators on each platform.
- Platforms 4 to 21 are lined up one next to the other while high-speed trains to Florence, Rome and Naples (red arrows) typically depart from platforms 14-17, in the center.
- Binaries 1 to 3 are a bit set back, reachable by a short walk down platform 4.
- Platform 1 is dedicated to trains to Malpensa International Airport Terminal 1 and 2 with two types of trains – Malpensa Express and regional trains (‘R”‘category) for Malpensa 1 and 2 terminal.
- Platform 21 has a particular significance. It’s called platform of the memorial of the Shoah of Milan, from where hundreds of Jews were sent between 1943 and 1946 to Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. It’s remained unchanged after the Second World War with four domestic animal wagon. Today is a memorial museum.
Milano Centrale – where to eat&drink
While waiting for your train, Central Station offers a great choice of restaurants, coffee bars and supermarkets.
Some of most recommended are:
- For a coffee, try the Moka cafe. It’s on the first floor with a balcony overlooking the trains.
- Obicà Mozzarella Bar is an Italian restaurant, pizzeria and cafeteria in Milan Central Station, on the first floor with a balcony overlooking the trains.
- You’ll also find a McDonald and a Burger King at the platform 21 end of the Galleria Commerciale and a Roadhouse Grill at the other end.
- Bistrot Milano Centrale, part of Autogrill chain is very popular place open until 21:00 and gets good reports.
Hotels near the station
There are lots of hotels near Milan Centrale station if you need to stay overnight between trains.
If you are traveling on budget there are some nice and relatively cheap B&B in close vicinity of Central Station.
Here are some with good references like:
- B&B Casa Grace Centrale
- B&B Settembrini Centrale
- Teodora B&B Centrale
- Hotel Milan b&b Centrale
If you are traveling in a group of people or as a family, some apartments and suites properties could be a good choice to spend a night there. I suggest:
- Budget Centrale Apartments
- Central Station Milano Suites & Apartments
If you are on a business trip, some very good hotels are a right place for you. My choice falls on cozy:
- Measure Business Hotel Central
- 43 Station hotel Centrale, Starhotels Echo Centrale
- Starhotels Anderson Centrale
Travelers with special needs such as luxury hotels, will not be disappointed if they chose Excelsior Gallia Luxury Hotel Centrale, just across the street. A luxury in a great style.
Transfer bus stations near Centrale
Milan Central Train Station has excellent bus connections with all Milan’s airports. All bus transfers from principal airports have their arrival and departure bus stations on the both external sides of impressive Centrale train station building.
Looking at the station’s main entrance on the Piazza Duca d’Aosta , on its right side on Piazza Luigi Savoia, there are bus stops of following airport transfer company:
On the right side of the building – Piazza Luigi Savoia
- Air Bus connects the Milano centrale station (departures from Piazza Luigi Savoia) with Linate airport 7 days a week with departures every 30 minutes. See all Linate airport transfers.
- Orio Shuttle connects the central station (departures from Piazza Luigi Savoia) with Bergamo Orio al Serio airport every day with departures every 30/40 minutes.
- Terravision Bus Stop – Bus connection to Bergamo Bgy Airport with Terravision company (5€) one way and connection Milano centrale with Malpensa Telminal 1 and 2.
On the left side of the building – Piazza IV November
- Malpensa Shuttle bus stop at Piazza IV Novembre, corner of Via Giovanni Battista Sammartini. See the above map.