Related Content
How to take the fabulous rail journey from Zurich to Venice/Venezia
Share this journey with a friend...
Zürich / Zurich to Venezia / Venice / Venedig by train
Doesn't taking a train from Switzerland to gorgeous Venice/Venezia seem like a fabulously romantic notion?
Well the reality doesn't disappoint and the icing on the cake is that wonderful brand new trains, complete with restaurant cars, are now being used on this route.
Routes you can take to go from Zürich / Zurich to Venezia / Venice / Venedig
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.
Choose one of the following options:
Looking for connections?
Route Information
Option 1: taking the daily direct train
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
from 6hr 10 min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
1 x train per day
Purchase Tickets
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.
Trainline Guide
Other Ticket Providers
SBB Guide
SBB is the main national rail operator in Switzerland, but tickets for journeys by the other significant operators including BLS and SOB can be be booked on the SBB website.
SBB also sells tickets for journeys to many destinations which involve a combination of SBB trains and services provided by the many independent operators who serve the Alpine resort towns.
However, if you will be making a long-distance return day trip, look out for he possibility of SaverDay passes being cheaper than tickets.
Though if you download the SBB app, booking tickets on SBB's mobile services can be simper than using the website.
Also watch out for the fact that booking international tickets can be comparatively quirky.
Italia Rail Guide
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.
Trenitalia Guide
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:
- Group Offers, provides for a discount of up to 50% when 3-5 Adults travel together.
- Family Offer for when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 11 and under.
- The Children Free Offer is available for journeys by Frecce trains, when groups of 2 - 5 people are travelling together and at least one of the party is a aged 15 and under.
Those aged 15 and under travel for free, but the Adults will need to purchase full price 'Base' tickets.
Save A Train Guide
Omio Guide
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
- it offers prices in multiple currencies
- it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
- when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.
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.
Travel Information
The new Giruno trains are scheduled to be used on this departure.
Final Destination: Venezia S.Lucia - the arrival time is is typically scheduled to be shortly before 14:45.
This train also calls at: Vicenza; Padova and Venezia Mestre
Take care NOT to leave the train at Venezia Mestre if you are heading to historical Venezia/Venice.
Until September 1st
Due to the reconstruction work in the epic Gotthard Base Tunnel, on Monday to Friday and on Sunday until September 2nd, these trains are being diverted back on to the more roundabout older route, hence a journey time of around 7hr 10mins.
Hence on these days of the week the train will be departing from the street level platforms/tracks (gleis 3-18) in Zurich Hb station an hour earlier than usual at 07:33.
Though on Saturdays the train is still able to travel through the tunnel, hence a journey time of around 6hr 10mins and a departure at 08:33.
From September 2nd
The current projection is that the Gotthard Base Tunnel will fully reopen from September 2nd, so from this date the train will depart daily at 08:33, with a journey time of around 6hr 10min.
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
This train will reverse direction on departure from Milano Centrale.
Also don't be surprised if this train spends up to 10 mins at Swiss stations, these fairly lengthy stops are a feature of the timetable
If your travel itinerary includes northern Switzerland and Venice/Venezia try to travel in this direction, the direct train from Venice to Zurich travels over the most scenic part of the route after night fall.
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.
Journey description:
This train uses The Gotthard Base Tunnel - the world's longest railway tunnel, so long that it takes trains around 14 mins to travel through it.
An announcement is made on the train just before it enters the tunnel.
It takes the train away from what would have been scenic highlights, but this is still a journey with some wow moments.
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 train will reverse direction on departure from Milano Centrale.
On the left, in good weather look out for a fleeting but spectacular view of Lake Garda, just before Desenzano.
Finally the journey climaxes with a flourish as the train heads over the lagoon to the historic heart of Venezia.
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
When looking up tickets on Trenitalia select 'Zuerich (city)' as the departure station.
This train is usually scheduled to depart at 08:33, so hone in on that time when looking up this journey.
Route Information
Via stations: Milano Centrale
Option 2: choose from more departures and connect in Milano
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
from 7hr 40mins (approx)
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
Up to 6 x connections per day
Purchase Tickets
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.
Trainline Guide
Other Ticket Providers
Omio Guide
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
- it offers prices in multiple currencies
- it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
- when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.
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.
Save A Train Guide
Travel Information
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.
The end-to-end journey times of around 7hr 40mins are reliant on a comfortable interval between arrival and departure in Milano Centrale of around 55min
Though in the very unlikely event of an arrival into Milano being delayed by more than 50mins, the ticket / reservation on the onward Frecce train on to Venezia, can be transferred to a later departure by the Trenitalia customer assistance desks on the concourse 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.
This journey is made up of 1 change.
Train 1
Between Zürich HB / Zurich main station and Milano CentraleYou will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Milano Cle
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.
Journey description:
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.
Train 2
Between Milano Centrale and Venezia Santa Lucia/Venice S. L.You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Venezia S.L.
All trains also call at: Verona, Padova and Venezia Mestre.
Take care not to leave the train at Venezia Mestre when travelling to Venezia S. Lucia
Journey description:
The high speed part of the journey is the first stage to Brescia, on which the train will travel at more than 250 km/h, but only for around 15 minutes
If you're on the left of the train (when facing the direction of travel) keep a look out before Desenzano for a fleeting, but incredible view of Lake Garda - though you'll have to hope for good weather.
But this is a journey that saves the best to last as the train heads across the waters of the lagoon to reach the heart of historic Venice/Venezia.