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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.
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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)
3 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings 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 | |
| SaveATrain | from €29 | |
| Trainline | from €29 | |
| Omio | from €29 |
On this journey
Travelling On
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.
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 not only was that video captured on a different, more sunny, day - it was taken when travelling in the opposite direction.
It's been included here to showcase, what you will see from the right on this part of the journey - when heading south!
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 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 takes 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 open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
The other 3 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
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.
Then heading south from Arth-Goldau on route to the tunnel, two more lakes can be seen on the right...
the Lauerzersee, as seen above... and then 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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