A town on the shore of Lake Maggiore

Milano / Milan / Mailand to Brig / Brigue by train

How to take a rail journey from Milan to Brig

Taking the rail journey from Milano to Brig is a delight, smart and comfortable trains take a lovely route along the shore of Lake Maggiore.

Connect in Brig for the trains on the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn railway towards Zermatt or Andermatt, and the Glacier Express.

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Routes

From Milano Centrale to Brig

Travel Information

Final Destination: Geneve or Basel or Frankfurt

All trains also call at: Domodossola

7 x trains per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date; usually

Reservations will automatically be assigned when booking tickets.

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.

Rail Pass Users:

If you will be travelling with a valid Eurail or InterRail pass, you will have a choice of

(1) paying the reservation fees to travel on these direct trains - our guide to using using rail passes to travel from Italy has all the info you'll need, including fees and step-by-step instructions on how to book.

(2) avoiding all reservation fees by taking the 09:25 train from Milano Centrale to Domodossola and connecting there for another regional train on to Brig.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
Italia rail from €19

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 from €19

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 from €19

Save A Train Guide

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - YesLake viewsLandscape (Hills / Mountains)Not High Speed

Good to Know

From Milano to Zermatt by train:

If you will be travelling on by MGB train to Zermatt you can either choose from:
(1) any of the 7 x trains per day from Milano to Brig and make the connections there.
or
(2) take the 3 x trains per day from Milano to Basel that also call at Visp.
The connections into the MGB trains are slightly easier and faster at Visp.

A town on the shore of Lake Maggiore A town on the shore of Lake Maggiore
The view over Lake Maggiore The view over Lake Maggiore
The ascent from Domodossola The ascent from Domodossola
Approaching The Simplon Tunnel Approaching The Simplon Tunnel

If your reserved seat is on the right of the train (when facing the direction of travel) the first highlight from a scenic point of view are the fabulous views over Lake Maggiore.
They can be seen north of Arona, but what's worth looking out for is when the train departs from Stresa.

This video was taken when travelling in the opposite direction...

...and shows the beautiful islands in the lake - and it also showcases why ShowMeTheJourney has tried and failed to photograph these islands, they can only be glimpsed through the trees.

The part of the journey between Domodossola and The Simplon Tunnel is also fabulous, as the train will thread through a valley as it approaches the tunnel.

Take the stress out of your journey Everything planned to your specification, so sit back and relax… Try Concierge
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