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Venezia / Venice / Venedig to Zürich / Zurich by train
How to take the rail journey from Venice/Venezia to Zurich
Making the rail journey from Venice to northern Switzerland is straightforward thanks to the locations being linked by comparatively comfortable trains.
Though the daily direct train isn't scheduled to arrive in Zurich until after 23:20.
Though if the timings of this direct train don't suit, the other option is to take a train to Milano Centrale and connect there for a train on to Zurich; the 11:48 departure from Venezia S. Lucia has a good connection into the 15:10 train on from Milano.
Taking an overnight journey isn't a feasible option on this route.
If you will be planning a travel itinerary which includes both Zurich and Venice, if you travel by the direct train in the opposite direction you'll then get to experience the fabulous views, which can be seen during the daytime.
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Routes
From Venezia Santa Lucia/Venice S. L. to Zürich HB / Zurich main station
Journey Summary
6hr 9min
Daily
Travel Information
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Venezia S. Lucia daily at 17:18 and arrive in Zurich at 23:27.
Final Destination: Zuerich/Zurich
This train also calls at: Lugano; Bellinzona and Arth-Goldau (connect for Luzern and Basel)
Between March and October you'll be able to see the views over Lake Lugano from the left and right of the train.
Taking an indirect train from Venice to Zurich:
When looking up this journey you will see other options which involve:
(1) taking a train from Venice to Milan, and then connecting there into a
(2) another train from Milan to Zurich
But if you do opt to change trains in Milan instead, then pay particular attention to the time allowed to change trains.
It's not particularly uncommon for the Frecce trains from Venice to arrive in Milan 20 - 30 mins late and any ticket you have booked will only be valid on a specific train on to Zurich
This is a route on which having to swap tickets to a later connecting train, in the event of a delay, is definitely a scenario to avoid if possible.
Though a tick in the box for arriving in Zurich earlier is that you'll get to experience the rather wonderful route between Milan and Zurich by daylight.
1 x direct train per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
(When looking up this journey on Trenitalia select Zuerich (city) as the arrival station)
This one direct train of the day is usually scheduled to depart from Venezia S. Lucia station at 17:18 - it doesn't arrive in Zurich until just before 23:30.
If you want to arrive in Zurich earlier, you will need to take one of the alternative journey options, which involve changing trains at Milano Centrale.
Though take care if you do book a journey with a connection, it's not unknown for trains to be delayed on the journey from Venice to Milan, but you will be booked on to a specific train from Milan to Zurich.
So pay particular attention to the connecting time between trains.
Rail Pass users will need to pay a reservation fee prior to boarding this train, but it can be the best option for a Venice to Zurich journey.
If you opt to travel to Zurich, by making a connection in Milan, you'll need to pay the rail pass reservation fees on both the Frecce train from Venice to Milan AND the EC train from Milan to Zurich.
OR avoid the fees completely by making more connections and experiencing a slower journey.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| ItaliaRail | from €39 | |
| Trenitalia | from €39 | |
| Omio | from €39 | |
| Trainline | from €39 | |
| SaveATrain | from €39 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Good to Know
If this train departed earlier it would be a scenic end-2-end journey, but when heading north this train passes three Swiss lakes after darkness has fallen.
Though the full journey can be enjoyed by daylight in the opposite direction.
This train will reverse direction on departure from Milano Centrale.
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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.
