We will have the Swiss Travel Pass for 8 days. We know that will take us Domodossolo. To continue Milano Centrale,
1) do we need to buy a separate Italian Rail Pass or just a single trip fee?
2) If it is a single trip fee, can we purchase that online ahead of time and does that reserve a seat on the same train from Spiez, Switzerland to Milan?
3) Or do we have to purchase the Domodossolo to Milan on the train?
Thanks for any help
You can buy the ticket from Spiez to MIlan ( the direct train, no changes) online from either Trenitalia or SBB. Either one will give you an opportunity to enter your Swiss Pass and it will deduct the cost of the travel covered by the Pass. Seat reservation is included.
For the 14:05 direct train from Spiez to MIlan, the Swiss Pass reduces the cost of your ticket from €39 to €24. On SBB, the price with the Pass included ed is 28 CHF. So the Trenitalia price is slightly lower (24€ = 26.7 CHF at today's rate). But the SBB site allows you to choose your seat, at least whether you want a window or aisle seat. I don't know if you can choose on Trenitalia.
To find the option for entry of the Swiss Pass on Trenitalia, choose that direct train and then scroll down below the price chart to "see other offers". Choose "GA Switzerland". (GA stands for General Abonnement, or price reduction). If on SBB, where it asks about passes for Switzerland, choose "GA 2Kl ( assuming younare buying 2d class), even though it only mentions the full-year Pass used by Swiss residents. Your Swiss Pass has the same effect.
I should add that people have reported problems with US VISA cards on the national train websites. I had no problem with buying tickets on SBB with my AmEx card, however.
If neither website will accept your credit card, try trainline.eu
I did not see if they will let you apply your Swiss Pass discount, however.
Or you could just go to the Trenitalia (Italian Railways) site: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
and buy a ticket from Domodossolo to Milano Centrale.
If you do that, you have to look up when the train you want reaches Domodossolo, to ensure you are buying a ticket for the correct train. Show the Swiss ticket inspector your Swiss Pass, the Italian inspector who gets on at Domodossolo will want to see your Italian ticket.
It isn't always a direct train from Spiez to Milan, in some cases you need to change at Brig (train comes from Geneva, Swiss train from Spiez to Brig). The SBB website will list those options, the Trenitalia one will not; Trenitalia does not list trains that run totally outside Italy.
Another option is to take the regional express from Spiez to Domodossola at 10:12. This is a bit more scenic route partly over the mountains and through the old Loetschberg Tunnel. At Domodossola, there is a 57 minute wait for the next regional train to Milan, time enough to buy tickets for 10.80 EUR per person and grab a quick lunch.
