Train question (Italy and Switzerland)

See https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/switzerland-rail-passes for the details of the Swiss Travel Pass or Half-Fare Card options. When the parents have either one of those products, the Swiss Family Card allows your children to travel free on all Swiss transport, regardless of whether the adults are getting full coverage from the pass or buying a discounted ticket.

On the Italian side, you'd need to buy tickets (for reserved date, time, and seat assignment) from Monterosso or other Cinque Terre town to the border point at Domodossola. If you had Swiss Travel Passes and Family Card in hand, they would kick in there, providing full coverage to your next hotel location (assuming that it's not above Wengen). A Half-Fare Card would also start working from there, but you'd have to book the half-price adult tickets separately at www.sbb.ch. Connecting trains within Switzerland don't need reservations.

You should buy tickets from CT to Milano Centrale at Trenitalia. Then buy tickets at www.sbb.ch/en for Milano Centrale to Interlaken. When you put in the the passengers, there is a drop down box for discounts. Click on Half Fare Card for adults, and G.A 2nd cl for each kid plus their ages and that they are traveling with parents. I get a price of 169 CHF, so that is 63.50 CHF per adult which includes half fare for the portion in Switzerland and the full fare for the Italian portion. The kids will be 14 CHF each for the Italian portion, and free for the Swiss portion.

The Half Fare Card is good to the Jungfraujoch, as is the Family Card.

You will need the Half Fare Cards and Family Card on you when you travel, as the best train is a direct train to Spiez, then change to a train to Interlaken. Looks like you might have to buy through Rail Europe, SBB's US agent.

I have used the Swiss Travel Pass (purchased from the RS website) twice and found it a great value.

Ok one more thing. So on the SBB when i play around entering how many passengers and the route do i enter me and my husband as having the half price card (which i understand has to be bought on RS separately) then enter kids as Juniors? It wouldn’t let me do that to see price but maybe it’s because i actually have to have a card number. SWISS trains can you not make a reservation? And reservation for seats? Just makes me nervous because my own train expierance so far was a couple years ago from Budapest to Vienna and we had a reservation for the train then made one for the seats once we arrived. I’m so glad we made reservations for the seats because otherwise it seems like a free for all and with the children with us i want to be more organized. Also how “on time” do most of the trains run? WHen i would do one long leg say Cinque Terre to Spiez it would give a layover of like 10 min. Yeah no ! So would book separate . Ok so that was more then one thing lol thanks

If you have a half fare card, you pay the same as a childs fare (6-16). It is exactly the same ticket.
If you have a family card that allows your kids to go free, you don't have to buy them tickets.

SWISS trains can you not make a reservation? And reservation for seats?

You can make reservations on some trains, but it is not normal. The normal procedure is to get on and grab the nearest free seat. I would only make a reservation if you had a group of 10+, to ensure you sat together.

Also how “on time” do most of the trains run?

Usually on time, possible 1-2 minutes late sometimes.

WHen i would do one long leg say Cinque Terre to Spiez it would give a layover of like 10 min.

10 minutes to change trains is normal. 5 minutes is usually enough in a small station. Sometimes the trains stop on opposite sides of the same platform - super easy.

If you have a Half Price Card, there is no need to buy tickets in advance. There is (usually) no discount for advance purchase, you pay the same price at the station on the day (or the day before). Tickets are valid on any train that day (no reservations).
Use the SBB website, or the SBB app, to look up train times. Remember the rule, the minimum service level is one train in each direction per hour, on all routes and stations. If you just turn up at the station, there will be a train within 60 minutes - its the law. It is designed to be a "turn-up-and-go" service.

What is your date and desired routing. There is no "Cinque Terre" station, just 5 separate towns with their own train stations. Which one are you going from?

A 10 minute transfer time for Cinque Terre trains can be problematic as they often run behind due to crowding in the area. You will need reservations if you take an IC or Freccia train to Milan, but that will be included in the ticket price. Also, you will have seat reservations if you book one of the direct EC trains from Milan to Spiez.

Once in Switzerland, no reservations are needed. Trains are so frequent, that if you do miss one, you just wait for the next one. You ticket is still valid for any train on the stated route for the rest of the day.

You can buy the Half Fare Cards and Family card on-line. You print them out on A4 paper (8 1/2 by 11 works fine). You have to give all the names and birth dates of the children, your name, and the date of your first travel day when validity to start. You may have to do 2 transactions, one for you and the kids, and one for the spouse. Credit card transactions can also be a problem. They use 3-D security, so you need a separate 4-digit PIN associated with the card with something like Visa Checkout. Also, people report american Express works.
https://www.sbb.ch/ticketshop/b2c/artikelspezSTS.do
Detailed questions, contact SBB with the contact form. They a very good at getting you answers by the next business day.
https://www.sbb.ch/en/meta/contacts/domestic-international-group-travel.html

Thank you ! I almost got it. (I think) (i dont think i did this much “homework “ when i was in school.

So just trying to think if its a good deal for us to get a Swiss pass or half pass or nothing. If coming from MILAN —-> DOM its 75$ for all of us. Then DOM ——> SPIEZ is 150$ for ALL Then SPIEZ ——-> WENGEN is 50$ for all.

But then if we would go to say SCHLITHORN that’s like 378$ alone for 5 (is that right?). and even travel from WENGEN to GRIN is 192$ and WENGEN TO MURREN is 63$.

We also need to get up to BASEL from there to Return flight to Hungary and that trip is about 200$.

So if my understanding is correct THO it seems a Swiss pass is expensive for 3 days for 2 adults and 3 children is about 460 $ or so its still prob best to buy that because it could almost pay for itself in a trip to Schilthorn right?
THANKS!

sometimes I don't get abbreviations. grin?

I'm not sure where you are getting your prices from. Switzerland doesn't use '$', it uses Swiss Franks (abbreviation CHF), and all prices are in Franks.
You also don't say how many "we" is. The three children travel free with a Childrens card, but how many adults?

You can look up prices on the SBB website.
Domodossola to Wengen is CHF 70.40 full price (or CHF 35.20 with a Half Price card), 2nd class per person. You do not need to buy separate tickets for each train. Just buy one ticket from A to B.
Wengen to Basel airport is CHF 79.80 full price (or CHF 39.90 with a Half Price card), 2nd class per person. That price includes the bus from the station to the airport.

The prices and options for the Swiss Pass and Half Price Card are here: https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/travel-in-switzerland/international-guests.html
The map showing what is covered by these passes is here: https://www.sbb.ch/content/dam/sbb/de/infotexte/uebersichtskarte-sts.pdf

How many days will you be in Switzerland? If only 3 days (2 nights in Wengen), then yes, the 3 day Swiss Pass with the Family Card works best if you are going to the Schilthorn. If you are staying longer (and not moving around), then the 3-day Flex Pass works for a bit more money.

THANK YOU I know they use CHF but its not much different the USD so i was just estimating. (Smile)
Now my problem is was going to stop in Domodossola so the Swiss card would kick in but there would be a 3 hour wait from the train the arrives from Milan to Domo.

Now my problem is was going to stop in Domodossola so the Swiss card would kick in but there would be a 3 hour wait from the train the arrives from Milan to Domo.

I find that strange, I thought both routes (Milan - Domodossola and Domodossola - Brig) were more frequent than that. And there are some through trains where you don't even have to get off the train at Domodossola. If you give us dates and times, I can double-check.

When people type '$' on this (or any other) website, readers don't know which kind of '$' (CAD, AUD, SGD). I looked at your profile - blank, so I had no clue where you were from. You may think in USD, I think in CHF or EUR!
And I have seen some posts where people think '$' is also the symbol for Euros and pounds (it's € and £).

We need from Milan (actually Cinque terre) to Wengen July 28th

I looked up Monterosso (the largest of the 5 towns) to Wengen on 28th July on the SBB website. There were many options. the fastest (7 h 46 min, 4 changes of train) was:

Monterosso dep 14:55, IC 674. Milano Centrale arr 17:50
Milano Centrale dep 18:23, EC 56, Spiez arr 20:53
Spiez dep 21:36, ICE 10373, Interlaken Ost arr 21:57
Interlaken Ost dep 22:02, R 197, Lauterbrunnen arr 22:22
Lauterbrunnen dep 22:30, R 397, Wengen arr 22:41

Note that option does not require a change of train at Domodossola (though it does stop there). So you would have to have your Swiss tickets (Half Price Card + tickets) in your hand before you boarded the train in Milan.
If that is too late for you, there are options at 08:39, 10:55 and 12:55 which have more changes and take longer. For example:

Monterosso dep 08:39, R 24450, Sestri Levante arr 09:19
Sestri Levante dep 09:27, R 24742, Genova P. Principe arr 10:46
Genova P. Principe dep 11:23, EC 140, Milano Centrale arr 12:50
Milano Centrale dep 13:29, R 2148, Domodossola arr 15:07
Domodossola dep 15:48, IR 3326, Brig arr 16:16
Brig dep 16:48, IC 8 829, Spiez arr 17:24
Spiez dep 17:33, IC 61 10977, Interlaken Ost arr 17:57
Interlaken Ost dep 18:05, R 183, Lauterbrunnen arr 18:25
Lauterbrunnen dep 18:37, R 383, Wengen arr 18:49

That gives you 41 minutes at Domodossola. Is this the sort of info you are getting?

I was looking at this on the italiaRail site. Monterosso to Milan leaving 6:54 and arriving 9:55 to Milan would be 70$ USD 1st class.
Then leaving Milan direct to Spiez (2 hours 30 min) 11:23 —-13:53 Spiez but that is 290$ USD. That’s the only place our Swiss card would take effect if i am correct.

If we did Monterosso to Milan leaving the Same 6:54 direct to Milan 9:55 the next train to Domodossola isn’t leaving Milan tilll 13:29 putting us into Domodossola until 15:07 next train to Spiez 17:58 getting there 20:53. (Looking still on ItaliaRail)

If i look on SBB from Milan it would leave Milan at 9:29 with us needing to be on the 5:17 train out of Monterosso and getting us into Wengen at 14:49 with 5 changes it says (but going through Domodossola)

So the leaving Monterosso at 5:17 am would maybe be the cheapest route but with more switches and leaving very early that’s the part that concerns me is traveling with the children (10,13,15).

So if i have this correct i am trying to figure if it is still better to buy the Swiss pass. ( maybe i am making this harder then it is)

The Swiss pass tho i think would save us because it still would be good from SPEIZ to Wengen and all the traveling to any town from there even to the top of Schilthorn?? If i am correct. Then since we have to get to BASEL to get our flight back to Budapest then we could use it for all that. And maybe stop and look around shop in Interlaken or Bern on our way North? Do you suggest best shopping or stopping for lunch in Bern or stop in Interlaken or both. Thank you much
Niki

Then leaving Milan direct to Spiez (2 hours 30 min) 11:23 —-13:53 Spiez but that is 290$ USD. That’s the only place our Swiss card would take effect if i am correct.

No! As we discussed earlier, if you have a Swiss Pass or Swiss Half Price card it is valid as soon as your train crosses onto Swiss-owned tracks. On that route, that is Domodossola. You can see this on the official Swiss rail map I posted earlier:
https://www.sbb.ch/content/dam/sbb/de/infotexte/uebersichtskarte-sts.pdf

If (repeat if) you have a Swiss Pass, you only need to buy an Italian ticket as far as Domodossola.

P.S. with a Swiss Pass you can get a free "Swiss Family Card" which allows your three children to travel free. That tilts the economics in favour of a Swiss Pass if you have kids.

Sorry i know the Swiss card would take effect in Domodossola BUT we can go FASTER just MILAN DIRECT TO SPIEZ in 2 hr 30 min , SO then if i have the Swiss card still it would not make that route lower price. Going Monterosso to Milan leaving 6:54 am would get us to Milan at 9:55 which would be too late because the train to Domossola leave 9:29 , then the next one leaves 13:29, that makes for a longer day because we could be already in SPiez at 13:53.

:0) (smile)
Thanks

Sorry i know the Swiss card would take effect in Domodossola BUT we can go FASTER just MILAN DIRECT TO SPIEZ in 2 hr 30 min , SO then if i have the Swiss card still it would not make that route lower price.

Niki, Yes it would, I think you are misunderstanding something. You do not have to change trains at Domodossola. You can still take the 11:23 from Milano Centrale, buy a ticket to Domodossola and use a Swiss Pass from Domodossola to Spiez WITHOUT HAVING TO GET OFF THE TRAIN.
You just need to know which route your train is taking, the pass starts at the first Swiss station the train passes through.

That train (EC52) is actually going all the way to Frankfurt. The full list of stops is:

Milano Centrale dep 11:23
Stresa arr 12:19 dep 12:21
Domodossola (I) arr 12:43 dep 12:48
Brig arr 13:16 dep 13:20
Visp arr 13:26 dep 13:28
Spiez arr 13:53 dep 13:54
Thun arr 14:03 dep 14:04
Bern arr 14:24 dep 14:36
Olten arr 15:02 dep 15:05
Basel SBB arr 15:29 dep 15:38
Basel Bad Bf arr 15:44 dep 15:52
Freiburg(Breisgau) Hbf arr 16:20 dep 16:22
Karlsruhe Hbf arr 17:29 dep 17:31
Mannheim Hbf arr 18:10 dep 18:12
Frankfurt(Main)Hbf arr 18:59

OH MY GOODNESS I GOT IT! I was not opening the correct parts showing the ENTIRE ROUTE so i was thinking that the 11:23 train from Milan to Spiez did not go through Domodossola!!

Thank you SO MUCH! Now just to remember to get off at Spiez then i can continue to Wengen (with not having to buy tickets with the Swiss pass).

Cheers!

One more small question......is it worth the 1st class ticket or is 2nd class fine and confortable?

2nd class is perfectly OK. 2nd class is 2+2 seating, 1st class is 2+1. More info and photos here: https://www.seat61.com/Europe-train-travel.htm#First%20or%20second%20class%20..?

Trains can only go on tracks, so it has to go through Domodossola (or one of the other rail lines that cross the Italian/Swiss border).
Planes can "jump" from one location to another without going through the intermediate places, trains (and cars) can't!

P.S. of course you must have your Swiss Pass before you board the train in Milan.
As you can see it only stops at Spiez for 1 minute ("arr 13:53 dep 13:54"). Be sure to be waiting at the door with your luggage.

Oh vey!

I went to purchase 2 adult Swiss travel card and then the family card (450+ free family card). But when i registered everyone online it added the YOUTH TICKETS ALSO.....

I can just delete those through my checkout correct? Because the family card makes all children under 16 free
Thank you