Help with Milan-Lugano-Zurich train advice please

Posted by malajoshi on 03/13/25 02:02 AM

Hello! We'll be travelling (family of 4 with two teenagers under 16) in late March through Italy and Switzerland with the following itinerary:

Days 1-7: Italy- Rome/Florence/Venice (already booked, don't need advice here)

Day 8- (March 20) Venice to Lugano (via Milan)-- I have booked the Italo train (prima business) from Venice to Milan Centrale, but am not sure what the best option is to connect via train to Lugano as I can't seem to book this through the Italo (or Trenitalia) website. Is there a commuter train? We would like to visit with friends in Lugano for dinner that evening.

Day 9 (March 21)- Lugano to Zurich- We have one day to get from Lugano to Zurich. We'd like to take a scenic train from Lugano to Zurich and will be staying at an airport hotel in Zurich. Any suggestions on SBB booking? Should we just wing it at the Lugano train station or book in advance? Family pass? How does that work?

Day 10- Morning flight back home to Canada via Zurich

Thank you in advance for your suggestions!!

Posted by Sam

Green Bay

03/13/25 02:26 AM

21892 posts

You should be able to see the EC train from Milano Centrale to Lugano that goes every 2 hours, at 10 past the odd hours (11:10 am, 1:10 pm, 3:10 pm, etc), and book it at www.trenitalia.com

There are also regional trains operated by TILO, a joint venture between the Swiss canton of Ticino and the Italian province of Lombardy. You can buy tickets at www.sbb.ch/en. Trenitalia does not sell them for some reason.

The most scenic way to get to Zurich is with the Treno Gottardo. You need to take a train from Lugano to Bellinzona and get the train there. It is direct to Zurich HB every 2 hours. At Zurich HB, take any train to the airport, they are virtually continuous.
At www.sbb.ch/en, put in Lugano to start, the Zurich Flughafen as the destination, then put Goeschenen in the via box. That will get you on the Treno Gottardo. Departures from Lugano are at 30 past the even hours (8:30 am, 10:30 am, etc).

The Treno Gottardo uses the old route mostly over the Alps, except for the old Gotthard Tunnel. If you do not enter via Goeschenen, you will be routed through the Gotthard Base Tunnel, which is a very long tunnel completely under the Alps. You will get to Zurich quicker, but the inside of the tunnel is not very scenic.

Posted by Sam

Green Bay

03/13/25 03:42 AM

21892 posts

I should add that you do have the option of taking the Bernina Express, which is a bus to Tirano, then the Bernina Express train to Chur, over the Bernina Pass, then a train to Zurich, then to the airport. The cost of the section from Lugano to Chur is 612 CHF for 4 without any reductions, and it will take over 10 hours compared to 3 3/4 hours by the route I gave you previously. There is only one departure every day at 10 am and you must buy seat reservations for the bus and train at www.rhb.ch/en.

Posted by WengenK

Wengen

03/13/25 12:19 PM

2828 posts

If you buy the Milano to Lugano ticket for the hourly RE (commuter) train you have the following advantage:
- Ticket is good for four hours. So if your train to Milano is late and you miss the train you planned to take you just take the next one.
- The ticket includes free transport in Lugano within those four hours, so you can just hop on the bus to your hotel.

However, it is possible that your accommodation in Lugano offers you the Ticino ticket. This is nowadays a digital ticket, so you should get it already before your arrival. Since this ticket gives you unlimited travel on all public transit in Ticino you would only need a ticket from Milano to Chiasso. (And you can just stay on the train in Chiasso).
The same for your departure day you would only need as ticket from Bellinzona if you take the base tunnel route, or Airolo if you go the mountain route.

In Switzerrland you can always "wing it" with regards to train tickets. Tickets never ever ever sell out. Most people buy their ticket before travel. However buying the ticket in advance can give you some savings.