I'm looking for the most budget friendly train journey. I understand if I purchase as far in advance as possible for the Italy leg, I get best fares. I'm seeing 19E for Domodossola - Venice SL leaving at 10:17 (I will be traveling in May which isn't available yet, so I'm using April dates for research purposes). When I look at trains from Murren to Domodossola I can arrive at Domodossola at 10:08. Is that enough time to make 10:17 train?? If not, there is an earlier train arriving at 9:12. That same train (EC 51) continues to Venice but Trenitalia shows it as not purchasable on every day I check. Why would that be?? Also that 19E price only works for 2 passengers, when I put the third one of us in, that 3rd person fare is higher. Is that typical?
If I'm attacking this all wrong, I'm open to suggestions. Thank you!
Posted by
Minneapolis
1223 posts
Hi amosk.
- From what I'm seeing, EC51 does not go to Venice; it goes to Milan, where you could connect to EC 37.
- The nine minutes in Domo would be enough time IF your incoming train is on time. But trains can be delayed. If it were me, I wouldn't cut it that close.
- There are usually a very limited # of super discount seats per train. Perhaps there are only 2 seats left at that price level.
Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32222 posts
amosk,
One of the easiest trips from Mürren is a departure at 07:06, which will get you to Venice at 14:40. Some of the solutions after that will take considerably longer. There are two routes to travel from Mürren to Lauterbrunnen, and the one suggested uses the BLM route. From Interlaken Ost there are two easy changes at Spiez and Brig, and then direct to Venezia Santa Lucia via EC-37.
I haven't checked but you may be able to pre-purchase the segment from Brig to Venice on either the Capitaine Train or Trenitalia websites, up to 120 days prior to travel. The other segments you can either purchase at sbb.ch or at the local station when you arrive in Switzerland. I don't believe there are any price breaks for advance purchase in Switzerland (but hopefully one of the others can confirm that).
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
We take this journey in reverse almost every year. We usually book Venice S.L. -> Milano Centrali via www.trenitalia.com where you can get super cheap fares by booking early. So you should book your tix Milano Centrali -> Venezia SL as soon as they are available. The rest of the legs you can book via www.sbb.ch or www.trenitalia.com or just buy them when you are in Switzerland.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16401 posts
Also consider going the other route ( via Luzern and the Gotthard Pass) which may take a bit longer but is more scenic. The Spiez-Domodossolamroute has two long tunnels under the Alps, the Lôtschberg Basistunnel and the Simplon tunnel. The route also has tunnels but they are much shorter, so you can see mountains, glaciers, and valleys.
And compare prices, looking at the Sparangebot fares ( for advance purchase) on SBB (equivalent to Smart Fares Trenitalia). These are available for international (cross-border) journeys on EC and IC trains.
I see a Sparangebot price of 10 CHF for Arth-Goldau ( where you pick up the international train) to Milan on the EC 15, versus 32 CHF for Spiez to Milan.
Of course, getting to Arth-Goldau from Mürren may cost more than Mürren to Spiez---but not if you will have a Swiss Pass of some type.
Posted by
OP
indiana
112 posts
Thank you for your help. I hadn't heard of Captain Train - that helped my search process. Lola, we are arriving in Murren through Lucerne because of the beautiful views you mentioned. As we head to Venice I think we will take the fastest route. I need the 120 day window to get here so I can buy and quit fretting over the details!