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I need to travel from Malpensa Aeropuerto (Terminal 2) to Domodossola (and beyond). I'm aware that there is a direct bus that is faster than the train, but it's only several times per day. Rather than waiting some 3 hours for the bus, I could get to Domodossola faster by taking the bus Autolinea “GALLARATE – MALPENSA – CASTELNOVATE” from Malpensa to Gallarate, according to this timetable. Where and how to I buy tickets and board this bus? I did find a notice that I believe to be about relocating the place to get off the bus from Gallarate to Malpensa Terminal 2, but I can't find information on where to get on the bus and where+how to buy tickets. Do I buy them on the bus, or do I need to pre-book somewhere?

(It's also possible to travel in a roundabout way including local buses and trains: for example, Trenitalia proposes I take a local train from Terminal 1 to Busto Arsizio Nord, then transfer to Busto Arsizio, take another local train to Gallarate. That seems slower and more cumbersome than either other alternative. Travelling via Milano Centrale is an enormous detour of more than 80 km).

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    I've done this route once the other way round (although from Brig, which is one more station from Domodossola over the Swiss border) and found it the easiest to take the train to Milano Centrale and then take the airport shuttle bus to Malpensa. The buses to/from Milano Centrale are much more frequent than those to Domodossola and in this manner you only have to change once. The bus takes cash as far as I remember and I bought the ticket to Milano online (over the Swiss Federal Railways). However, it should be possible to buy tickets with card at Milano Centrale.
    – drat
    Jan 14, 2016 at 1:20
  • @drat My actual destination is also in Switzerland but I can't make it there the same day. Milano Centrale is quite a detour.
    – gerrit
    Jan 14, 2016 at 9:28
  • Yes, but the stretch Milano Centrale to Domodossola is only 1:20 if you get one of the faster trains and it will take you 40 minutes to 1hr to reach Milano Centrale, it might still turn out faster than local buses and trains. Especially considering that sometimes local public transport can be quite unreliable in Italy. Of course I don't know your specific connection, so yours might well be faster and less of a hassle.
    – drat
    Jan 14, 2016 at 9:34
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    @drat True, but the last fast train from Milano Centrale departs only 90 minutes after my flight lands in Malpensa, so although I might make it, it doesn't leave a lot of margin to assume I will. Thank you for the reminder that this option exists, though; it is worth trying if arrival and following formalities go smoothly.
    – gerrit
    Jan 14, 2016 at 9:59
  • @drat And it's only 7.5 km from Malpensa Terminal 2 to the Gallarate train station (where the fast train does stop), whereas it's 92 km from Malpensa to Milano Centrale and back to Gallarate. It's an extreme detour (worse from Terminal 2 than Terminal 1). So I would probably rather take a taxi to Gallarate than the roundabout route via Milano Centrale, and I don't expect 7.5 km by taxi to cost much more than 92 km by bus+train…
    – gerrit
    Jan 14, 2016 at 11:08

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There is a local bus from Malpensa to Gallarate. It is operated by a company called S.A.C.O.. It has a bus stop at the north west side of Terminal 2, which is not at the same place as the other buses.

SACO bus stop at terminal 2
S.A.C.O. bus stop at the north end of Malpensa terminal 2.

These buses connect to the train station in Gallarate. In January 2016, I paid €1.80 and the bus took roughly 15 minutes. At the time, the applicable timetable was available here. It doesn't go very often.

Some of the Eurocity trains Venezia - Milano - Domodossola - Genève stop in Gallarate. I believe not all. In Gallarate, there are ticket machines to buy train tickets to Domodossola and beyond. They take cards (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro). There is also a staffed ticket office.

Depending on the specifics of the itinerary, Malpensa – Gallarate – Domodossola may be an attractive alternative to the Comazzi Alibus. The Comazzi Alibus requires pre-booking, but the local bus from Malpensa to Gallarate does not. For my January 2016 trip, I took the Gallarate bus combined with the Eurocity train on the way north, but I took the Comazzi bus from Domodossola on the way south.

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That is the bus company that provide direct transfer to Domodossola from Malpensa ( MXP ) airport :

http://www.comazzibus.com/eng/index.php

If the bus schedule meet your needs , I strongly suggest to get it , better then change multiple transportation .

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  • I already mentioned that one in my question. The downside is that it departs 3 hours after my flight lands at MXP. If the flight is on time and landing formalities go smoothly, I can arrive to Domodossola hours earlier than this bus does.
    – gerrit
    Jan 14, 2016 at 14:33
  • Yes is not so easy to reach Domodossola from MXP apt , let me check a minute , at what time do you arrive in MXP ?
    – Patrizio La Rosa
    Jan 14, 2016 at 14:35
  • Normally I land at 17:50 at Terminal 2. Comazzi bus to Domodossola departs at 20:50 and arrives normally a bit after 22:00. If I manage to catch the 19:58 train from Gallarate I arrive Domodossola at 20:43. It may be worth trying and I believe it should be possible, but despite the short distance (7.5 km) it seems not so easy to reach Gallarate from Malpensa. Even Busto Arsizio is a big detour, in particular from Terminal 2.
    – gerrit
    Jan 14, 2016 at 14:42
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    About the link , they mean the bus stop was relocated on march 2015 ,. 1) Gallarate just close to the train station ( bus slot ) just outside the train station on the left .
    – Patrizio La Rosa
    Jan 14, 2016 at 16:30
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    2) About the T2 on Malpensa airport bus stop is moved 150 mt far away , at the shuttle stop T1/T2 P5
    – Patrizio La Rosa
    Jan 14, 2016 at 16:30

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