Lugano to Milan Malpensa trains
A traveler is planning a trip next year on the Gotthard Express, ending in Lugano before heading to Milan Malpensa. They need to confirm the existence of a direct train from Lugano to Malpensa and seek guidance on ticket purchasing options, including whether to buy a single ticket or separate Swiss and Italian tickets.
- The S50 is the train you need for the direct service from Lugano to Malpensa.
- You can purchase a Swiss ticket to the border from SBB and an Italian ticket from Trenitalia for better pricing.
- If you don’t buy tickets online, you can purchase them at the Lugano train station before your journey.
- Using the TILO website may not give you pricing for cross-border trains, so consider alternative booking methods.
AI-generated summary-
Hi, there is a similar closed thread on this topic, but there wasn’t a clear answer;
After a fantastic trip earlier this year on the Glacier and Bernina Express trains, I’m planning a trip on the Gotthard Express next year. Ending in Lugano, I’m then looking at heading to Milan Malpensa and home.
There appears to be a direct train from Lugano to Malpensa departing at 5 minutes past the hour during the day and taking 1h42m. It appears on SBB as the S10, but Trenitalia calls it the S50. Neither website can price it (at this stage I just put in a random date next week). Other sites only give connections via Milan Centrale.
Firstly, does this direct train exist, or is it a ghost train and I’m going mad?
If it’s real, then is it the S10 or S50 and has anyone any experience of how to buy a ticket and any pricing options – can you buy a single ticket or do you buy separate Swiss and Italian tickets – I thought they’d solved cross border ticketing years ago.
Any help much appreciated
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Hi awks911,
I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express.
According to the timetable (http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable) there are direct trains just like you wrote, leaving Lugano hourly and arriving at Malpensa Airport in less than 2 hours. It doesn’t matter how is it called, they can change the number of the train at the border. You should be able to get the tickets online from Lugano to Malpensa Airport. (If you are going to have the Swiss Travel Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass), you need to buy your ticket only from the border, from Stabio to Malpensa, so just for the Italian part).
Have a look at http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/italy. Have you tried these resellers under the “Price” label?
Also have a look at Arno’s answer at http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/swiss-hf-card-use-from-malpensa-airport-to-lugano, it might help you.
See also:
- Gotthard Panorama Express: http://www.myswissalps.com/go tthardpanoramaexpress
Thanks for the response, but it still doesn’t take me forward – none of those links gives a ticketing option and I still can’t see any way of buying a ticket online.
Looks like I will turn up at the station (I won’t be using a Swiss Travel Pass) and hope that I can buy a through ticket.
Again, if anyone has actually travelled this route, your experiences would be appreciated
Hi awks,
You can buy a ticket for the S50 at http://www.trenord.it/en/time table/timetable.aspx.
1st Class €27, 2nd Class €21.
Hi rockoyster,
that’s a great find (I’d assumed that Trenitalia was the Italian site)
many thanks for your help
The line you need is indeed the S50 which is the hourly service Bellinzona – Lugano – Mendrisio – Varese – Malpensa
The Ticino local railways are integrated with the local railways on the Italian side of the border and run by the organisation know as TILO. TILO website gives you all the information you need:
You are lucky that this service now exists as it took a lot of time and effort since the early 2000s to reopen the Mendrisio – Stabio railway and the cross border section across to Varese
Problem with the TILO website is it uses the SBB Timetable engine so won’t actually give you prices for cross-border trains.
The response (attached) is most un-SBB-like.
It says it can be booked on-line but then provides no means of doing so!
Bit of a Catch-22.
Attachments:
I have found, when traveling by train from Lugano into Italy, that the price was always better buying my Swiss ticket to the border on SBB site, then buying the Italian part on the Trenitalia site. It would be the same train, just your tickets are separate. Otherwise, the only place I found to buy the through ticket was at the ticket office of the Lugano train station – for sure they can sell you the through ticket, but the price was always much higher.
Hi Awks911,
If you still could not manage to buy your ticket online, as Arno wrote in that similar post, booking is not necessary, you can just buy a ticket in Lugano and hop on. (http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/swiss-hf-card-use-from-malpensa-airport-to-lugano). Maybe this is the easiest solution, the problem is probably with the Italian railways. If they don’t provide complete information, timetables and retailers can’t show all connections and offers.
Well, there is sort of a means of doing so. Tilo is actually quite clear on what is and is not possible on their tickets page:
http://www.tilo.ch/en/Tools/N ews-list/Biglietti-e-abbonamenti-transfrontalieri.html
Thanks for the link 1960man.
It seems at present you can’t purchase the cross border ticket (Lugano – Milan Malpensa) from the SBB website or app. It is only possible to buy it from the SBB vending machine or ticket counter. However it is possible to buy it online from the Trenord website.
Anna
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