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An Astoro train at Zurich HB
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Through the Alps by train from €29
SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) and Trenitalia (Italian Railways) jointly operate an excellent train service between major Swiss cities and Milan, with a handful of trains continuing to Verona & Venice, Bologna or Genoa. These trains are branded EuroCity, a generic term for quality train in much of Europe. They're operated by either bullet-nosed Astoro trains, some owned by SBB some by Trenitalia, or new Swiss Giruno trains.
Video: Milan to Zurich by EuroCity
train
Travel tips: Luggage, WiFi, food & drink...
How to check train times, fares & tickets
Routes operated
Zurich - Lugano - Como - Milan (Gotthard route).
Geneva - Lausanne - Montreux - Brig - Milan (Simplon route)
Basel - Bern - Spiez - Brig - Milan (Lötschberg & Simplon route)
Basel - Lucerne - Como - Milan (Gotthard route)
A handful of these trains extend beyond Milan, to Venice, Bologna & Genoa.
What are the trains like?
Giruno trains
These swish new Giruno trains now operate all Zurich-Milan services. Officially designated RABe 501, their party trick is level boarding - between the wheels they are low-floor with easy level access from platform onto train. The trade-off is an unusual layout inside, with a floor that's low between the bogies and slopes up over the wheels with some of the car-end seats raised on platforms either side as you can see in the photos below. There's a restaurant car with cafe-bar counter, the train has power sockets at all seats and free WiFi. There is one 1st class car with seats grouped around tables for 4 and tables for 2, this what you get if you select business when booking. I explain how to tell if your train is due to be a Giruno or Astoro/ETR610 in the travel tips section. Giruno seat map.
A Giruno train at Zurich HB.
Astoro trains
These classy tilting pendolino trains, designated RABe503 Astoro by the Swiss or ETR610 by the Italians, have 1st & 2nd class and a restaurant car. They're excellent trains, fully air-conditioned with power sockets at all seats, and seats line up with the windows for great views. Until early 2020, all Swiss-Italian EuroCity trains were operated by these Swiss Astoro trains or their Trenitalia-owned ETR610 equivalent, but SBB's new Giruno trains have now taken over all Zurich-Milan services. Astoro seat map.
A Swiss SBB-owned Astoro train about to leave Milan Centrale with a EuroCity train to Bern & Basel.
Trenitalia trains
Trenitalia provides the rolling stock for some Switzerland-Italy departures, using its ETR610 pendolino trains. To all intents and purposes these are identical to SBB's RABe503 Astoro trains, but with a different exterior & interior colour scheme. You could get either a Swiss or an Italian train. Seat map.
A Trenitalia-owned ETR610 about to depart from Milan Centrale for Geneva.
Route map
You can see how the Gotthard Base Tunnel on the Zurich-Milan route saves a lot of time compared to the old route with the spirals & original Gotthard Tunnel.
Click for larger map. Highlighted = Zurich/Basel/Geneva-Milan train routes. Green = scenic routes. Red = high-speed lines.
Reproduced from the excellent European Rail Map with kind permission of the European Rail Timetable people. I recommend buying the European Rail Map for your travels and a copy of the European Rail Timetable, www.europeanrailtimetable.eu with shipping worldwide.
Scenery & sights
These trains pass some great Alpine scenery and various Swiss & Italian Lakes. Here's a summary of what to look out for on each of the four routes.
The Simplon route
Geneva - Lausanne - Montreux - Brig - Milan
After leaving Geneva the train runs alongside Lake Leman all the way to Lausanne, with great views of the lake on your right hand side when heading south. Shortly after Lausanne you'll pass the beautiful Chillon Castle on your right, using the lake as its moat. Northbound you can see it as you approach, southbound there's little warning before you're next to it. Watch out for hilltop castles, including at Sion on your left when going south. You'll also pass many vineyards.
Beyond Brig the train enters the famous Simplon Tunnel, which opened in 1906 and gave its name to the Simplon Orient Express. The tunnel is 19 km (12 miles) long but it takes just 8 minutes to pass through. For most of the 20th century it was the longest railway tunnel in the world, from 1906 until 1982 when a longer tunnel opened in Japan. The Swiss-Italian border is inside the tunnel so when you emerge into daylight you're in Italy. South of the Simplon Tunnel the train runs along the shores of beautiful Lake Maggiore (see the photos below) with great views across the lake on your left hand side. The train usually calls at Stresa before arriving in the awe-inspiring Milan Centrale. One early morning train from Geneva continues to Verona & Venice Santa Lucia.
Lake Léman near Montreux, with Chillon Castle visible in the haze. Right hand side going south.
Passing Chillon castle on a Milan-Geneva EuroCity train on a sunny September day. Right hand side going south - but blink and you'll miss it!
Sion castle in the early light, seen from the morning Geneva to Venice train on the Simplon route. Left hand side going south.
Entering the Simplon Tunnel. A northbound Milan-Geneva train enters the famous Simplon Tunnel, once the longest rail tunnel in the world.
The Lötschberg route
Basel - Bern - Brig - Milan
Most Basel-Milan trains go via Bern. As the train leaves Bern there are great views of Bern's Aare River gorge and its bridges. After calling at Thun you'll see Lake Thun on you left, and shortly after calling at Spiez (junction for the line to Interlaken) the train enters the Lötschberg Base Tunnel, opened in 2007 and 34 km (21 miles) long, the train takes 16 minutes to pass through. After the stop at Brig the train passes through the Simplon Tunnel, opened in 1906 and 19 km (12 miles) long, transit time about 8 minutes. When you emerge from the tunnel, you're in Italy. There are great views as the train runs along Lake Maggiore on the left hand side, before arriving in Milan Centrale.
Lake Maggiore. Trains between Geneva, Lausanne, Basel, Bern & Milan on the Simplon & Lötschberg routes pass right by the shores of Lake Maggiore. This is Lake Maggiore seen over lunch in the restaurant car of a Milan to Basel train on a bright winter's day.
The Gotthard route
Zurich - Lugano - Como - Milan &
Soon after leaving Zurich HB you'll get great views of the Zugersee & Vierwaldstattersee lakes, both on the right hand side as you head south. Between Arth Goldau & Lugano the train passes through the World's longest railway tunnel, the impressive Gotthard Base Tunnel opened in 2016. It's 57 km (35 miles) long but the train takes just 20 minutes to pass through at up to 155 mph. After Lugano the train passes the beautiful Lake Lugano (see the photos below) with views to your left and then right, most but not all trains then call at Como San Giovanni before arrival at the magnificent Milan Centrale. One mid-morning train from Zurich continues to Verona & Venice.
The Man in Seat 61 says: "Until 2016, the Zurich-Milan trains travelled over the Gotthard pass through dramatic track spirals and the original much shorter (15 km) Gotthard tunnel, reaching a maximum altitude of 1,154m (3,786 feet) above sea level. The trains now use the new Gotthard Base Tunnel, cutting journey time by replacing the most scenic hour of the Gotthard route with 20 minutes in a 57 km tunnel, and only reaching 550m (1,805 feet) above sea level. Those of us who remember the old route might find the altered route a disappointment. Those unencumbered by such memories will find plenty of scenery on the new route, from delightful Swiss meadows and mountains to the beauty of Lake Lugano. But it's no longer even in the same class as the much slower, narrow-gauge Bernina route. The new tunnel polarises the decision between fast and moderately scenic and slow but fabulously scenic."
Basel - Lucerne - Lugano - Milan
Only one direct train a day runs Basel-Lucerne-Milan, but other Lucerne-Milan departures are possible with a change at Arth Goldau into one of the Zurich-Lugano-Milan trains. From Arth Goldau onwards this route is the same as Zurich-Lugano-Como-Milan described above.
Villages & vineyards seen on the Zurich-Milan Gotthard route on a wintry day.
Lake Lugano, seen from a Milan to Zurich train on the Gotthard route.
Video: Milan to Zurich via the Gotthard
This video takes you on a journey from Milan to Zurich via the Gotthard Base Tunnel on a Swiss-owned Astoro train.
Travel tips
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How to tell if your train will be a Giruno or Astoro
Girunos operate most Zurich-Milan Gotthard route trains from 13 December 2020 onwards. Other routes are operated Astoro (Swiss RABe503 or Italian ETR610, same thing). But here's how to confirm: Look up your train at the Swiss Railways website www.sbb.ch. In the search results, click on your train to see details. Assuming it's a direct EuroCity (EC) train between Switzerland & Milan, if the list of train facilities includes TT Tilting Train then it will be an Astoro, either a Swiss SBB one or an Italian Trenitalia one. If the facilities do not include TT Tilting Train then it's due to be a Giruno which doesn't tilt.
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Should you go 1st or 2nd class?
2nd class is absolutely fine, no need to pay for 1st class unless you want to. There are no 'extras' in 1st class on these trains, paying for 1st class merely means more leg and elbow room, with seats arranged 2+1 across the car width rather than 2+2, although that means there are solo seats and tables-for-two on one side of the aisle in 1st class which are great if you're travelling alone or as a couple. 1st class is carpeted and is usually quieter with more laptops tapping, 2nd class has a synthetic floor, and is often busier than 1st class with more families and kids.
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Silenzio, family, priority & business seats
The trains have 1st & 2nd class, but when booking you can select various types of seating. In both classes you can select Silenzio (quiet carriage) or priority seat (extra space for people with mobility problems). In 2nd class you can select family seats if you have small kids. In 1st class you can select business which simply gets you 1st class seats in the car with seats around tables for 4 and tables for 2, which you might want even when travelling for leisure.
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Boarding your train
There's no check-in, just be on board the train a minute before departure time when the doors close.
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Luggage
Like any European train, you take your luggage in with you and stick it on any suitable rack near your seat, see the photo below. Nobody weighs it or measures it, so no worries.
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Which side of the train gets the best views? See the scenery section below.
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Seat reservation
Reserving a seat is optional for journeys within Switzerland, you can sit anywhere you like. However, seat reservation is compulsory for journeys to or from Italy and tickets for international journeys on these trains come with a reserved seat automatically included. A small electronic display above each seat shows whether or not that seat is reserved, and if so, for what sector.
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Food & drink
The restaurant car serves meals, beer & wine. You do not need to (and cannot) reserve, just go along and sit down at any free table. Enjoying a waiter-served meal as the Alps glide past the window is one of the pleasures of rail travel, treat yourself! The restaurant car also has a counter serving snacks & drinks to take back to your seat, you can just see the edge of the counter in the photo above.
You are of course free to bring your own food and drink along to eat & drink in your seat, even a beer or bottle of wine if you like.
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WiFi & power outlets
There are power outlets at all seats, and free WiFi on both Astoro & Giruno.
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Milan Centrale
Milan Centrale is an attraction in its own right, see the Milan Centrale station guide which explains the layout of the station and good places for a beer, coffee or meal. If you're travelling from, to or through Milan Centrale make sure you take time to look around you, it's a magnificent landmark.
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Zurich HB
If you're using Zurich HB, see the Zurich HB station guide which explains the layout of the station and good places for a beer, coffee or meal.
Times, fares & tickets
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Fares from Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, to Milan start at €29 in 2nd class or €49 in 1st class.
These are advance-purchase fares branded smart or mini which vary in price like air fares. The standard fully-flexible price bought on the day is much higher, for example Zurich to Milan is €76.00.
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You can buy tickets for these trains at www.thetrainline.com or www.raileurope.com, both easy to use, in €, £ or $, overseas credit cards no problem. There's a small booking fee. It's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.
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For a more detailed explanation of how to buy tickets from anywhere in Switzerland to anywhere in Italy click here.