The daily direct train to Zurich is typically scheduled to depart at 15:18 and arrive at around 22:30 on Monday to Saturday and an hour earlier on Sunday.
After September 2nd the daily arrival time will be 19:30, because from that date the Monday to Saturday services will also revert back to using the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland.
Though if the timings of this direct train don't suit, the other option is to take a train to Milano Centrale and connect there for a train on to Zurich.
Particularly good connections are usually available when departing from Venezia S. Lucia at around 05:40; 11:45; 12:45; 13:45 and 15:45.
Taking an overnight journey isn't a feasible option on this route.
When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.
6hr 9min
Daily
1 x direct train per day
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
Italiarail lives up to its name by selling tickets for rail journeys within Italy and the core feature of its service is that it is primarily designed to be used by international visitors to Italy.
So the English translations of place names are used when looking up journeys and the terms and conditions for using each type of ticket are clearly explained.
It also clearly points out the additional costs of upgrading to other classes and types of tickets while spelling out the additional benefits of doing so.
Though Italiarail will charge a booking fee, typically of around €3.
The Early Bird service
Italiarail has launched an 'early bird' pre-booking service for journeys by Frecce trains.
Tickets can be booked up to a year ahead of travel at a flat-rate price per route, before the tickets have been released for sale by Trenitalia.
If when they are placed on sale, the price is cheaper than what you have already paid to Italiarail, it will automatically refund the price difference.
Conversely, if the price is more expensive, you won't be charged the price difference.
You can also have the peace of mind of securing your seat(s) on the Frecce train(s) when you are first planning a trip.
If before the tickets are placed on sale, you decide to change your plans, you can request a refund; but once the tickets are released for sale, you will then be bound by the terms and conditions of the ticket(s) you have booked.
Trenitlalia is the national rail operator in Italy and in addition to its cheaper types of ticket; it also typically offers other discounts available to non-Italians, which include:
Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.
The three key advantages of using Omio are
The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Venezia S. Lucia daily at 15:18 and arrive in Zurich at 22:27 on Monday to Saturday, but on Sundays it uses the Gotthard Base Tunnel, so arrives an hour sooner.
Final Destination: Zuerich/Zurich
This train also calls at: Lugano (connect for Locarno); Bellinzona and Arth-Goldau (connect for Luzern and Basel)
The train will reverse direction on departure from Milano Centrale.
Aside from the views on the right as the train departs Venice and a brief view over Lake Garda, as the train leaves Desenzano, the Italian section of this journey is unexceptional, but things become a tad more fabulous once the train has passed through Chiasso and crossed the border into Switzerland.
Once you're in Switzerland, look out for these highlights:
The views from the left over Lake Lugano, as the train nears Lugano.
The crossing over Lake Lugano - with great views from both sides of the train.
South of Lugano station, the views over the lake switch to the right.
After departure from Lugano, the train will now travel through the new Ceneri Base Tunnel.
After departure from Bellinzona the train will enter the world's longest railway tunnel, The Gotthard Base Tunnel - so long that it takes the train around 18mins to pass through it.
Despite the fact that this train now travels through The Gotthard Base Tunnel this is still a scenic journey through the Alps.
After the train has exited the tunnel and travelled through Schwyz, there are views on the left over Lake Luzern, which aren’t available when heading south on these trains.
Then shortly afterwards, before Arth-Goldau, also on the left there are views over the Lauerzersee.
After departure from Arth-Goldau there are some beautiful views over Lake Zug - also on the left.
(All of the videos were taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction)
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
(When looking up this journey on Trenitalia select Zuerich (city) as the arrival station)
This one direct train of the day is usually scheduled to depart from Venezia S. Lucia station at 15:18, so target that time when looking up this journey.
When looking up this journey you will see other options which involve:
(1) taking a train from Venice to Milan, and then connecting there into a
(2) another train from Milan to Zurich
But if you do opt to change trains in Milan instead, then pay particular attention to the time allowed to change trains.
It's not particularly uncommon for the Frecce trains from Venice to arrive in Milan 20 - 30 mins late; and any ticket you have booked will only be valid on a specific train on to Zurich
This is a route on which having to swap tickets to a later connecting train, in the event of a delay, is definitely a scenario to avoid if possible.
Travelling with InterRail and Eurail:
Rail Pass users will need to pay a reservation fee prior to boarding this train, but it can be the best option for a Venice to Zurich journey.
If you opt to travel to Zurich, by making a connection in Milan, you'll need to pay the rail pass reservation fees on both the Frecce train from Venice to Milan AND the EC train from Milan to Zurich.
OR avoid the fees completely by making more connections and experiencing a slower journey.
7hr 30min - 8hr 30min approx
Daily
up to 11 x optimum connections per day
ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.
Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.
The three key advantages of using Omio are
The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.
When looking up the journey by train from Venezia / Venice by train, the ticket agents will show dozens of options for indirect journeys, as there are multiple train services that operate along the length of the route.
However, the optimum alternatives to taking a direct train, involve making only one connection between trains in Milano Centrale and have an end-to-end journey time of 7hr 30mins - 8hr 30mins.
The journeys with a time of around 7hr 30mins / 7hr 40mins have easily timed transfers between trains of 45 to 55 mins.
So these journey options are slower than taking the direct train, but they offer two benefits:
Final Destination: Milano Centrale
All trains also call at: Venezia Mestre and Verona and Brescia
Some trains also call at: Peschiera del Garda and or Desenzano del Garda
Virtually all of the Frecce services on this route to Milano Centrale are now provided by the new type of Frecciargento E700 train.
*There is usually 2 x departures per hour, but there is a gap in the the departures between 08:20 and 10:50.
Final Destination: Milano or Torino
All trains also call at: Venezia Mestre, Padova, Verona
Most trains also call at: Vicenza
The Frecciarossa/Frecciarossa 1000* trains have now completely replaced the Frecciabianca trains on this service, since the opening of the high speed line (that these trains use) between Brescia and Milano.
*Two departures per day are by Frecciarossa 1000 train
Two of the daily depatures are EC trains that are heading to Switzerland
The EC trains are 10 mins slower, as they don't use the high speed line - but they can be around €10 cheaper than the Frecciarossa trains.
On the Journey:
If you're on the right of the train (when facing the direction of travel) keep a look out between Desenzano and Peschiera for a fleeting, but incredible view of Lake Garda (weather permiting).
Final Destination: Zurich
Connect in Zurich for destinations without direct trains from Milan including Chur, Munich, St Gallen and Stuttgart
These trains also call at: Arth -Goldau (change for Luzern) and Zug
The first hour of this journey is unexceptional, but things become a tad more fabulous once the train has passed through Chiasso and crossed the border into Switzerland.
Once you're in Switzerland, look out for these highlights:
The views from the left over Lake Lugano, as the train nears Lugano.
The crossing over Lake Lugano - with great views from both sides of the train.
South of Lugano station, the views over the lake switch to the right.
After departure from Lugano, the train will now travel through the new Ceneri Base Tunnel.
After departure from Bellinzona the train will enter the world's longest railway tunnel, The Gotthard Base Tunnel - so long that it takes the train around 14mins to pass through it.
Despite the fact that this train now travels through The Gotthard Base Tunnel this is still a scenic journey through the Alps.
After the train has exited the tunnel and travelled through Schwyz, there are views on the left over Lake Luzern, which aren’t available when heading south on these trains.
Then shortly afterwards, before Arth-Goldau, also on the left there are views over the Lauerzersee.
After departure from Arth-Goldau there are some beautiful views over Lake Zug - also on the left.
(All of the videos were taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction)
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
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