I bought a ticket on the SBB site from Brienz to Milan. I have all the steps on the ticket, the departure and arrival times, the platforms, the transfers, but once the train gets to the station in Domodossola, all direction stops.
I don't know what platform to get on, basically. I only have the one barcode for the SBB ticket. Do I just produce this barcode once we stop in Italy? Will they tell me what train to take to transfer to? I'm just very confused by this. Any help is appreciated.
If you have the QR code and it is the only file they sent you then you are OK to go (if there was more than one file make sure it isn't the receipt!).
Do you even have to change trains at Domosdossola? It is where SBB hands over to Trenitalia but some trains go through to Milan.
If you are using two regional trains they try to use adjacent tracks, but in any case you won't be alone because most of the people who get off the Swiss train wil be going further (don't follow those going to Locarno, they go to an undergound area of the station).
If you can get this to work on your phone https://iechub.rfi.it/ArriviPartenze/en/arrivalsdepartures/Monitor?placeId=1253&arrivals=False it's the live platform screen for Domodossola - and it is LIVE so it may show nothing if you try it during the evening in USA because of the time difference, italian time is at the top of the screen..
if you look at the link just above you'll see an "i" in a circle at the end of each line. Click on that and it gives you the stations and times. The departure tracks are only listed for the next couple of trains, more will show as time is approaching.
Can you say exactly which train you have grabbed - it should say on your ticket, and if there are two it will say that too.
When is your travel date? And what time?
The step by step instructions you have are a courtesy. Train travelers are expected to find out where their next train is on their own. SBB does give you platform info etc..., but without guarantee, and only in so far they actually know. In Switzerland track assignments are fairly static, but in Italy they are not. So SBB probably does not know this. And neither does probably Trenitalia.
In the past we bought train tickets without even knowing the schedule...
What you need to note down for yourself is for each train in your route what the deprature time is, and what its destitation is. Then the process at each station is the same: You get. off at a station. Then you look at displays or listen to announcements to find out where your next train is. You then proceed to your next train and get on.
So you go to Brienze and look for the train to Interlaken. Then in Interlaken you look for a train direction Basel or Zurich, and ride it till Spiez, then in Spiez you will look for a train to Domodossola. etc...
But tells us your travel date and time, and maybe I can be of more help. For example, normally you would not have to change trains in Domodossola...
Remember: This is mass transit. Your ticket is an entitlement to travel, it is not an instruction manual. You are largely on your own when it comes to finding your way.
Thank you everyone for your replies. Thank you for not being as mean as other places online for travel questions, too. >.>
The train isn't until October, but I'm trying to get this sorted to the best of my ability before the trip. I've never taken public transit before, and I haven't been out of the country since 2005 (I'm an American). No, I suppose that the tickets aren't meant to be instructions, but when they give you instructions for most of it, and not part of it, it does raise questions, I would think.
I am getting the impression that I simply remain on the train, but I'm not quite sure. The website is confusing. I did get a ticket with a QR code from SBB. Just the one.
There is this note from SBB:
"Important information on regional trains in Italy.In Italian regional trains, an automatic check-in takes place at the scheduled departure time. The digital ticket can be obtained through the partner railway. An internet connection is required."
Which makes it sound like I just visit the train station once I get off in Domodossola, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask, because this is very new to me.
The train is R 2407. The departure time is 12:55 from Domodossola, and it's on 10.10.2026
From this information, it looks like you have 62 minutes at Domodossola. That is plenty of time to get any questions answered and grab a snack at the station buffet.
Your ticket should start at 9:37 from Brienz, with train changes at Interlaken Ost, Spiez, Brig, and Domodossola. Cost for a point-to-point ticket is 70.30 CHF.
Since these tickets in Switzerland are good on any trains on that route for the day, I have a small suggestion. Instead of leaving on the 9:37 train from Brienz, take the 9:02 train. That will connect to a train at 9:29 to Spiez, then you connect to the RE1 train to Domodossola. This is the same train you are currently connecting to in Brig. This is a very scenic train, passing through Kandersteg. Your current train from Spiez to Brig uses the Loetschberg Base Tunnel, which goes completely under the mountains. This way has better scenery and one less train change along the way. SBB shows an identical price of 70.30 CHF for a point-to-point ticket. Something to think about, and you have 5 month to mull it over.
I have switched to the 9:02 train. Thank you so much, this is something I've been wanting for most of my life. I'm so excited and scared.
But yes I do have some time to figure it out once I get to Italy. I need to get better at my Italian, at least.
My other huge issue is getting to Brienz from my hotel in time. I'm staying at the Grandhotel Giessbach, and there's no transportation that early. So I guess I'm either going to get what I have to assume is a very expensive taxi, or schlep the trails.
I am seeing a later departure that leaves from the hotel itself. I'd be taking the ship over the lake to Interlaken, and then it's also another route that doesn't have tunnels. Arth-Goldau to Lugano. Is that a good, scenic trip?
The scenic route via Kandersteg does have a tunnel, the old Loetschberg Tunnel. It is shorter than the new Base Tunnel, and the route climbs into the mountains, then the tunnel, then descends to Brig along the side of the mountain,
Going via Arth-Goldau and Lugano, it depends. To start, the train from Brienz to Luzern is very scenic, but unless you specify otherwise, Arth-Goldau to Lugano uses the brand new Gotthard Base Tunnel that is the longest land rail tunnel in the world, like 25 miles, completely under the mountains. There is the old route that uses the old Gotthard Tunnel, and that route is much more scenic. Of course. it takes longer as it is mostly over the mountains. You can get it by specifying "via Goeschenen" in the SBB trip planner. The train is called the Treno Gottardo, and it goes from Luzern every other hour. In between, you have to make a connection at Arth-Goldau. This train does not go to Lugano, so you have to change trains in Bellinzona. There are connections there direct to Milan.
Those direct connections to Milan are EC trains that require seat reservations, at least upon entering Italy. They are included with the ticket price.
It would help if you told us your exect travel date.
The normal route would be Brienz to Interlaken to Spiez, and then from there a direct train to Milano.
Alternativelly you could go via Luzern.
If you end up selecting a trip that enforces a change of trains in Domodossola then either:
- You are not picking the best route
- Or there is something else going on, and timetables are not yet complete. There are quite often closures on the simplon route.
In order to find out what the typical routes are just do a search for a day in next week. (same weekday as you plan to travel on). That will give you an idea of what to expect.
You can safely wait with booking trains. Train travel is mass transit. It is not necessary to book that far in advance. You can get some reductions when you do so, but you do not need to do this half a year in advance. If you wait till August we will knoe more.
If you tell us your actual intended travel date I can look up for you if there are some issues on the Simplon line on that date. If that is the case the best option for you would be to travel via Luzern in stead.
I believe the OP stated his travel date as Oct 10, 2026.
this is all getting very confusing....
The start at 09:02 has two options, one with a short connection at Spiez and a huge one at Domodossola, the other with more time at Spiez and still over an hour at Domodossola. The overall journey time is the same. The first option uses the Lötschberg Base Tunnel and misses a huge amount of scenery, the second uses the classic route with the scenery and the short original Lötschberg tunnel.
The 09:37 option also uses the base tunnel, and adds a transfer at Brig into the previous option coming over the classic route -after the scenery. All three go through the Simplon tunnel.
There are also two options shown at 09:25 via Luzern and Arth Goldau, both use the Gotthard base tunnel (which misses much of the scenery on that route), the first gets you to Milan faster but there is a very short transfer at Lugano, the second is less hectic and is a direct train from Arth Goldau to Milano.
As WengenK points out, there are direct trains from Spiez to Milano that would make it a much simpler journey - but not around that time of day. It would be a start at 07:02 or 11:02 instead - and they use the scenery avoiding Lötschberg Base Tunnel.
The optimum itinery for ease and scenery is to set departure to 10:02 with a specified route of via Kandersteg, which puts you on the international train at Brig and continues beyond Domodossola to Milano. This means you start one hour later, get the scenery, miss the transfer at Domodossola and are only 20 minutes later into Milano.
As for the confusing message about Italian check-in, I'd like to see it in context - this sounds like a route generated message that isn't always relevant to that ticket (like telling you the toilets aren't working at a station you won't be using anyway). As far as I can tell that rule is for Italian "Digital Regional Tickets" not International or Long Distance tickets that happen to use a regional train.
I'm staying at the Grandhotel Giessbach, and there's no transportation that early. So I guess I'm either going to get what I have to assume is a very expensive taxi, or schlep the trails.
a beautiful location and a grand old hotel. Enjoy.
How are you arriving there? Boat? Bus?
It is a lovely boat trip, and would be a really nice way to start your trip to Italy.
or schlep the trails.
that would really be an adventure. With luggage? It isn't close, it isn't level.
Ok. So October 10, Giesbach to Milano.
I would really advise you to go for one of the direct Spiez - Milano trains. The other options all involve long waits, and there is not much in Domodossola to keep you occupied for an hour.
If the schedule of the trains via Spiez are not convenient then head the other way, to Luzern, and travel down to Milano over the Gotthard.
Ask the hotel to arrange for a transport to Brienz.
The thing about the Italian check is relates to the fact that SBB cannot sell you on line tickets for Italian regional trains, because they use a completely different principle than Swiss trains use.
So in stead they will book a ticket for you, and give you the booking reference, which you then use to download the ticket in the Trenitalia app. Another reason to avoid them and try to be on a direct EC service.
Thank you, folks. I have a lot to think about. This is all exactly what I wanted to know.
It boils down to how much time I'm losing if I leave later, vs spending 40CHF on a 15-minute taxi. I do care about the scenery. I have heard that I don't need to schedule out for these trains, but there's a few that are already sold out in the upper class tickets (or executive seats in Italy). Also a substantial discount. I'm just trying to get everything done while I'm calm and in front of a computer instead of alone with a backpack and a ton of stress.
a beautiful location and a grand old hotel. Enjoy.
How are you arriving there? Boat? Bus?
It is a lovely boat trip, and would be a really nice way to start your trip to Italy.
When I land at the train station in Brienz, I'm going to wait for the boat, and then take the funicular up to the hotel. Very excited!
I have heard that I don't need to schedule out for these trains, but
there's a few that are already sold out in the upper class tickets (or
executive seats in Italy).
If your trip is in october it is pretty much impossible that trains are already sold out. Trains do not sell out weeks or months in advance. If they would they would be useless.
If you are trying to book trains in October and getting messages that no seats are available then this is because seat inventory has not been loaded yet.
.....or that the Italians haven't loaded their full timetable, again!
The symptom of schedules not being fully loaded is trains just not being there. You see that when you for example try to find a trip from Zurich to Bologna and the system finds a route for you via Austria, because the Swiss and Austrian trains (including the ones OBB operates in Italy) are in the system, but the Italian ones aren't.
Seat inventory not loaded results in trains being shown on www.trenitalia.com, but with the mention that purchase is temporarily not available.
Trains sold out will actually be shown as such. But that rarely happens, and usually only very close to departure. For example, right now I still see availability on all Milano - Venice trains. Just going to a station, buying a ticket, and traveling is still possible. You do of course pay full price when you do so.
