This direct train connects Zurich and lake Lugano with Genova - where connections are available by train to the Cinque Terra and the Italian Riviera; and to ferries on to Corsica and Sardinia
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.
5hr 19min
Daily
1 x 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.
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:
Due to the *reconstruction work in the Gotthard Base Tunnel this train service is being turned around in Chiasso or Milano until at least September 1st.
Final Destination: Genova P. Principe
Note that this train does not serve, the other main station in the city, Genova Brignole
The train also calls at: Lugano (departs at 12:30) and Pavia and Tortona
Typical onward connections from Genova:
From the left of the train (when facing the direction of travel) the first highlight to look out for is the view over Lake Zurich, as the train ascends up from the shore.
Then, if the weather is behaving itself, after departure from Zug station comes what is now the highlight of the journey, the view over the Zugersee.
This lake with its mountain peaks on the far shore can be seen on the right for more than 15 mins between Zug and Arth-Goldau station.
The next beautiful vista to look out for comes after departure from Arth-Goldau station, when on the right, the train will pass by the Lauerzersee.
Then just to the south of here, also look out on the right for glimpses of the Luzernsee.
Now that the trains on this route use the Ceneri Base Tunnel the next scenic highlights on the journey
come shortly after departure from Lugano, where there are views over the lake, initially over on the LEFT.
and then the train will cross the lake, which is quite the wow moment!
After the trains have crossed the lake, the best of the views switch to the right.
The Italian section of the journey south of Chiasso is more mundane, despite the trains passing through Como, its namesake lake can't be seen from these trains and there isn't anything particularly special about the final part of the journey from Milano on to Genova.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
On the Trenitalia website, you will need to enter Zuerich Hb as the departure station.
Rail pass users
If you will be travelling with valid Eurail or InterRail passes, you will need to pay a rail pass reservation fee when boarding this train for a journey to Switzerland (seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets).
Though avoid paying for these reservation fees at a station in Switzerland, because if you do so you will also have to pay a 11CHF booking fee per passenger.
from 6hr 10min (approx)
Daily
Up to 8 x 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.
Most of the trains which are direct from Zurich to Italy travel no further than Milano.
In most hours during the day there are onward connections by train from Milano to Genova / Genoa and despite its size, Milano Centrale is a railway station in which it is exceptionally easy to change trains - the transfer simply involves walking from one train to another.
Though the end-to-end journey times of under 6hr 15mins are reliant on an interval between arrival and departure in Milano Centrale of 20 mins or less, so making the connection is very much not guaranteed - it is not unknown for the trains from Zurich to get delayed on the congested tracks to the north of Milano.
If the ticket includes a reservation on an InterCity or Frecce train on Genova, if need be, they can be transferred to a later departure by the Trenitalia customer assistance desks on the concourse in Milano Centrale.
Hence it can be a good idea to target the combination of trains which have an end-to-end journey time of around 7hr 10mins, as this will allow for more than an hour between trains in Milano Centrale.
There are numerous food and drink outlets in which to await departure in Milano Centrale on the same level as the train departure concourse.
Final Destination: Milano Cle. or Venezia S.L
On some departures, when two trains are joined together regardless of the type of train, the train closest to the concourse will be terminating at Chiasso or Lugano, with only the front train continuing on to Milano.
These trains may be faster than ever, but now that they use The Gotthard Base Tunnel and the brand new Ceneri Base Tunnel, this journey is also less scenic than it used to be.
The Gotthard Base Tunnel is now the world's longest railway tunnel, so long that it takes trains more than 15 mins to travel through it.
An announcement is made on the train just before it enters the tunnel.
However, this is still one of Europe's most epic express train journeys and thanks to those tunnels the journey time is now more than an hour faster than it was previously.
From the LEFT of the train (when facing the direction of travel) the first highlight to look out for is the view over Lake Zurich, as the train ascends up from the shore.
Then, if the weather is behaving itself, after departure from Zug station comes what is now the highlight of the journey, the view over the Zuger See.
This lake with its mountain peaks on the far shore can be seen on the right for more than 15 mins between Zug and Arth-Goldau station.
The next beautiful vista to look out for comes after departure from Arth-Goldau station, when on the right, the train will pass by the Lauerzersee.
The train then travels through a dramatic landscape to the north of Schwyz, which used to be a preview of what was to come when the trains still used the older Gotthard route.
Just to the south of here, also look out on the right for glimpses of the Luzernsee.
Now that the trains on this route use the Ceneri Base Tunnel the next scenic highlights on the journey
come shortly after departure from Lugano, where there are views over the lake, initially over on the LEFT.
The final wow moments come after departure from Lugano station, the train will travel along the shore of the Lago di Lugano
and then the train will cross the lake.
After the trains have crossed the lake, the best of the views switch to the right.The Italian section of the journey south of Chiasso is more mundane, despite the trains passing through Como, its namesake lake can't be seen from these trains.
Final Destination: Ventimiglia; Genova or Livorno or Roma
The trains heading to Livorno and Roma and the RGV trains which terminate in Genova also call at Genova Brignole after Genova Principe
A variety of trains is used on this route
There is no high speed line between Milano and Genova, so the Intercity express trains are only slightly faster than the alternative Regionale Veloce trains.
Seat reservations are not available on the Regionale Veloce trains.
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months* ahead of the travel date
*If you look more than 3 months ahead it's likely that not all departures will be listed
(On the Trenitalia website, you will need to enter Zuerich Hb as the departure station).
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.
Rail pass users
If you will be travelling with valid Eurail or InterRail passes, you will need to pay a rail pass reservation fee when boarding this train for a journey to Switzerland (seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets).
Though avoid paying for these reservation fees at a station in Switzerland, because if you do so you will also have to pay a 11CHF booking fee.
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