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Basel / Bâle to Milano / Milan / Mailand by train
How to take the fabulous rail journey from Basel to Milano
These direct international trains from Basel to northern Italy take two glorious routes across Switzerland.
The trains which travel via Brig and Domodossola are faster and more frequent, but the slower route via Luzern can be cheaper.
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Routes
Option1 : the more frequent route via Brig
Journey Summary
4hr 6 min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Milano
All trains also call at: Domodossola (connect for Centovali trains) and Stresa (for Lake Maggiore)
Some trains also call at: Gallarate, where connections are available into local trains which make multiple stops in a cross-city tunnel including at Repubblica and Porta Venezia.
Astoro trains are used for most of the international EC services, which are continuing on to Milano, but the first departure of the day is usually a combination of an Astoro train and an ETR 600 train.
4 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings typically 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.
Check that you're booking for the direct trains - using the journey time to guide you.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trenitalia | from €29 | |
| Save A Train | from €29 | |
| Trainline | from €29 | |
| Omio | from €29 | |
| Rail Europe | from €29 |
On this journey
Journey Features
Good to Know
The alternative direct trains via Luzern can be worth taking if they are cheaper, or if you have previously travelled this route via Brig and Bern, but you have yet to travel on the alternative route via Luzern and Lugano.
Journey description:
If your reserved seat is on the left of the train (when facing the direction of travel) there are some fabulous views over the beautiful Thunersee
On departure from Thun station:
And then on departure from Speiz station:
... though these videos were taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction, but they showcase how fine the views can be on a sunny day...
After departing from Brig these trains travel through The Simplon Tunnel which was the world's longest regularly used railway tunnel for much of the 20th century.
When the trains exit the tunnel, they travel through an impressive gorge in the mountains before descending to Domodossola.
Then for much of the journey between there and Arona the railway line is beside Lake Maggiore; and again the views of the lake are on the left.
As can be seen the view over the lake can be worth seeing even on a grey day; the beautiful islands in the video are just to the north of Stresa station.
The railway is also by the lake shore to the south of Stresa.
The train will reverse direction on departure from Bern so when boarding Basel hope that your assigned seats are on the right hand side.
Option 2: slower, but can be cheaper
Journey Summary
4hr 31min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Milano
These trains also calls at: Chiasso and Como and Monza
These which are usually scheduled from Basel at 11:03 and 15:03 take a different, slightly slower route, than the other direct trains from Basel to Milano.
2 x train per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings typically open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
The other 4 x daily trains from Basel to Milano take a faster route via Bern and Brig, but these train which are usually scheduled to depart from Basel at 11:03 and 15:03 can be cheaper.
They also plus a six hour gap between departures of the trains of the alternative route.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| SBB | * | |
| Trenitalia | * |
On this journey
Journey Features
Good to Know
Journey description:
This train travels through the epic Gotthard Base Tunnel and now the Ceneri Base Tunnel but this still a journey with some wow moments, from either side of the train.
These scenic highlights are all south of Luzern where the train will reverse direction.
Between Luzern and Arth-Goldau station there are views over Lake Zug on the left.
The most scenic part of this journey by train from Basel to Bellinzona comes to the south of Luzern.
Though to the north of Luzern there are views on the left over the Sempachersee
The train will reverse direction on departure from Luzern.
Between Luzern and Arth Goldau from the left of these these trains) there are some fabulous views over Lake Zug.
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.
Just to the south of here, also look out on the right for glimpses of the Luzernsee.
South of Lugano station the best views switch back to the right as the railway runs by the Lago di Lugano.
The final wow moment comes when the train crosses Lake Lugano; and as the video below shows, there will be fabulous views from both sides of the train.
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