Train from Mürren to Milan

The simplest and probably cheapest is to just buy the the whole thing in one purchase on sbb.ch. It will offer you the option of the direct EC train from Spiez to Milan with no change at Domidossola, and seat reservations on that train. It is the fastest route. If you buy in advance, like now fir early October, you should see a Special Offer price of 66 CHF instead of 102 CHF. Note that these tickets on the EC train are non-refundable and not changeable, but we have really enjoyed the savings on these tix.

Sasha had a finger fumble - that's SBB.ch

Oops. Fixed it

Thank you so much for the suggestion. I wasn't able to purchase the ticket on the app, so I thought it wasn't an option, but after your suggestion, I went to the website instead and see that it's an option there. I think I'll take the 10:28 train leaving Mürren. My only worry is that the time to change trains in Grütschalp is only 2 minutes. Is that enough time? I am assuming that with the Supersaver price, I can't catch an earlier train in Mürren to give myself more time, right?

All the passengers for the cable car at Grutschalp come from the little train from Mürren, so don't worry! It's all in the same building, you have about 20 meters to walk on the flat, if that!

Yup. The cable at waits for everyone to get off the train and into the cable car. They have to transfer the luggage cart and that takes longer than 2 minutes anyway.

That 10:28 looked like the best option to me too.

Thank you, Sasha and balso! Glad to hear that - will definitely purchase those tickets now!

Ok one final question haha! I am buying the tickets and they ask for your reductions. We have the one-month Half Fare Pass, but the only half fare option states: "Half-fare travelcard 1/2/3 years." Can I still select that since we do technically have a Half Fare Pass, or is that something different?

Your half-fare card is good even if it is not listed. They don’t list the tourist versions of the travel cards but they are valid for reduction—- as long as you are traveling within the 30 day period of validity.

Great, thanks Sasha! So I should select the option even though it doesn't match completely in order to get the discount right?

I see that brings the special offer price down to 51 CHF. But it also brings the “normal price” down to 66 CHF. The normal ticket would be changeable. I would buy that just to be safer and flexible in case your plans change. That would worth the extra 15 CHF to me.

That’s a great idea, Sasha! Thanks so much!

“So I should select the option even though it doesn't match completely“? Yes. A Half Fare card is a Half Fare Card, whether it is the 1, 2, or 3-year card used by Swiss residents, or the 30-day card which can only be purchased by visitors.

Note that the possible reductions also include “GA 1.cl ( or 2.cl), 1 year/GA subscription”. That is the full-coverage pass for Swiss residents, similar o the Swiss Travel Pass purchased by visitors for stays of up to one month. GA stands for General Abonnement, or complete eduction of payment for travel to zero. Visitors who have a Swiss Travel Pass, whether a consecutive-day pass or a Flex Pass, choose this reduction. Even though it is not listed, it is valid.

I agree with Sasha’s suggestion o pay the little bit extra to have a flexible ticket, just in case. I actually did just that a few weeks ago, because I kept changing my mind on the route between Basel and Milan. I started with Spiez, then changed to go via Luzern, and actually canceled for full refund and re-booked our tickets twice. It was all very easy.

Thank you, Lola! Your explanation is very helpful! I feel like I finally have the Swiss train system figured out - now onward to tackle France and Italy haha!!

I've been looking at tickets to go from Lauterbrunnen to Milan in early September. Was originally looking at the route from Spiez to Domodossola to Milan, but finding that there is construction on the tracks and so the route is train/bus/train. We didn't like the idea of all of the changes, so now we are routed from Interlaken to Spiez to Bern to Zurich to Milan. All of this ticketing stuff is very confusing!

I can't remember if anyone mentioned it, but tickets are cheaper on the Italian trains if bought in advance. And there are different levels of tickets; the cheapest ones have strict refund and exchange policies.

There isn’t much difference between SBB and Trenitalia for cross-border tickets. For the same Spiez to Milan direct EC train on the same day, October 5, the lowest price is 36 CHF for nonrefundable ticket, while the lowest fare on Trenitalia (Smart, also non-refundable) is €34.

Yes, the Trenitalia ticket is a bit lower, by a negligible amount. But if your journey starts in Switzerland, the advantage of buying on SBB is huge—- you can buy the whole day’s journey, say starting in Mürren, on one ticket and in one transaction. On Trenitalia, you can only buy the leg from Spiez to Milan. One would have to buy the rest of the journey separately, on SBB.ch or at the station.

Yes, there is conduction causing disruptions on the Spiez to Milan route in September. But not in October when the OP will be traveling.

Spiez to Domodossola to Milan, but finding that there is construction on the tracks and so the route is train/bus/train. We didn't like the idea of all of the changes, so now we are routed from Interlaken to Spiez to Bern to Zurich to Milan.

Wouldn't it have been much simpler and much more scenic to go Interlaken Ost on the Zentralbahn via Meiringen and Brünig Pass to Luzern and join the train to Milan there (possibly with a short hop to Arth-Goldau, possibly not). Much more straightforward.

I agree with Nigel (no surprise)

We are traveling in late August, arriving in Frankfurt and and heading to Milan via Switzerland. I noticed that track construction on the Domodossola route, so I changed our plans to avoid Spiez. But I wanted to avoid the deep Gotthard Basistunnel that the direct trains from Zurich to Milan use. So we will head to Luzern and take the Treno Gottardo which goes over the Alps instead of under them.

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/treno-gottardo/

https://unterwegs.sob.ch/de/pages/trenogottardo

This train connects Luzern with Locarno in Ticino, where one can board a train the rest of the way to Milan. However, I chose to leave the Treno Gottardo at Bellinzona, have lunch, and then catch another train to Milano Centrale from there.

Regarding Mürren to Spiez: The change in Grütschalp is a none issue as some have pointed out, as the cable car waits for the train. However the connection in Lauterbrunnen is not always guaranteed. So for this trip I would leave Mürren 15 minutes earlier.

On days that the Simplon route is closed I would indeed go via the Gotthard, and do so via Luzern. No need to detour via Zurich. Even though travel times are similar. the route via Luzern is much more interesting. Since most of that route is in Switzerland this is a good candidate for using a Saver Day Pass. You would only need the part from Chiasso to Milano.

My preferred route would be:

Leave Interlaken Ost 9:04. for l Luzern.
Take the 11:18 Treno Gottardo in Luzern direction Locarno. This is the train that goes over the scenic route. This train has a small bistro area with vending machines, but by all means take a picnic with you.
Then change in Cadenazzo for the RE train to Milan.

You can find times on www.sbb.ch when you plan Interlaken - Ost to Milano with "Göschenen" as a via.

If you do this using a Saver Day Pass, or a Swiss Pass you will need a ticket from Chiasso to Milano. Best just buy this at the station here, so you can get a flexible international one, valid all day. The RE trains on that route do not need reservations, unlike the EC trains.

Wengenk thank you for the info on that connection. I think we’ll take your suggestion and leave Mürren a little earlier than our ticket shows. I think we have that flexibility for the Swiss part of our journey, so I’m glad you mentioned it! Thank you!