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Milano / Milan / Mailand to Frankfurt by train
How to take the journey by train from Milan to Frankfurt (Main)
One of the most welcome additions to the European rail timetables of recent years was the re-introduction of the direct train from northern Italy to central Germany.
The train is usually scheduled to depart daily from Milano Centrale at 11:20, at a time convenient for connections from:
Bologna - departs 09:26
Firenze S.M. Novella - depart 08:55
Genova Piazza Principe - depart 09:18
Napoli Centrale - depart 05:45
Pisa Centrale - depart 06:42
Roma Termini - depart 07:10
Torino Porta Susa - depart 09:05
Verona Porta Nuova - depart 09:02
The usual scheduled arrival time in Frankfurt (Main) hbf is 18:44 convenient for connections on to:
Berlin - depart 19:02 and 19:14
Dresden and Leipzig - depart 19:20
Dusseldorf via Koblenz, Bonn and Koln/Cologne - depart 19:44
Hamburg via Hannover - depart 18:58 and 19:58
Both Milano Centrale and Frankfurt (Main) Hbf are among the easiest European large stations in which to make connections, you'll simply have to walk from one train to the other.
And the first third of the journey by Lake Maggiore and through Switzerland is also wonderful!
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Routes
From Milano Centrale to Frankfurt Main Hbf
Journey Summary
7hr 36min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Frankfurt (Main)
The train also calls at: Freiburg, Karlsruhe and Mannheim
Note that two types of train are used on this route, on some departures an Astoro and ETR 600 train are joined together.
1 x direct train per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date; usually
Look for the train which departs daily from Milano (usually) at 11:20.
Reservations will automatically be assigned when booking tickets, but rail pass users will need to make reservations prior to boarding at a ticket office (they're not available from the Trenitalia ticket machines
Rail Pass Users:
If you will be travelling with a valid Eurail or InterRail pass you will need to pay the reservation fee to travel on this train
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.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB | from €49 | |
| Trainline | from €49 |
On this journey
Journey Features
Good to Know
The train will reverse direction on departure from Bern AND Basel SBB stations.
In the opposite direction the daily train from Frankfurt (Main) to Milano takes a different route in Switzerland via Luzern and Lugano.
If you're a fan of engineering achievements then this is an awe-inspiring journey.
After Domodossola the train travels through The Simplon Tunnel and after Visp it will travel through The Lötschberg Base Tunnel - both of which were previous holders of world's longest railway tunnel honors.
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.
The other scenic highlight is the part of the journey between exiting the Lotschberg Base Tunnel and arriving in Thun station.
The beautiful Thunersee comes into view on the right as the train arrives in Spiez.
Between Speiz and Thun the train travels by the shore of Lake Thun.
These trains also use the higher speed line in Germany between Offenburg and Karlsruhe.
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This is one of more than 1000 journey guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
