Zurich-Milan, and Milan-Brig savings plan

  • Cheetingong
    Participant
    4 posts
    24 April 2018 at 17:03:03 #815509

    Hi

    I am planning a 11-day family trip (2 adults, 2 kids) around Switzerland in June but will make a short 2-3 day trip to Italy in between. Hence, I plan to buy a 15-day Swiss Travel Pass to save some money.

    1) For the short trip to Italy, I plan to travel from Zurich to Milan, and thereafter back to Switzerland (via Brig). If I understand some of the Forum conversation, I need only to buy the ticket covering Chiasso- Milan (for the Zurich-Milan leg) and thereafter Milan-Domodassola (border town/ city) en route to Brig. Is this true?

    2) The second part of my question is I also notice from the Swiss Rail Map, the Swiss Travel Pass requires top ups (i.e. 50% discount) for certain stretches between Fluelen-Lugano, and Domodassola-Brig. Is this right? If so, where can I top up the balance (in the train itself and pay the conductor when he comes around OR at any main station)?

    3) I went into SBB website to try booking a direct train from Zurich to Milan (3.5 hours). There is no indication of any pass holder privilege. The website quoted me CHF202 for our family of 4, which comes with reservation.

    4) As for the Milan-Brig direct route, the SBB website quoted me CHF116 for our family of 4. Again I can’t find any indication of any Swiss Travel Pass holder privilege except those with GA 1 or 2.cl, 1 year/GA subscription / Half-Fare travel card 1/2/3-year / Junior Card.

    Can someone help enlighten me on how to enjoy seamless connectivity for travel between Switzerland and Italy at minimal cost? Many thanks in advance.

    Regards, ONG

  • Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    24 April 2018 at 18:46:00 #883117

    Hi Cheetingong, and welcome to MySwissAlps,

    1. That’s correct
    2. I’m not sure what you mean by topping up the balance. With the Swiss Travel Pass your train trips in Switzerland will be for free.
    3. Where it says ‘reduction for Switzerland’ you should select GA. Not sure how old your kids are, but do you have the Swiss Family Card which comes for free with the Swiss Travel Pass?
    4. It’s the GA option.
    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    24 April 2018 at 21:03:06 #883118

    2. The dashed (not dotted) lines between Fluelen-Lugano, and Domodassola-Brig indicate tunnels. Watch out for dots and dashes. Only dotty routes require an extra ticket. 🤓

    Cheetingong
    Participant
    4 posts
    25 April 2018 at 15:22:01 #883119

    Hi Chantal,

    Thanks for the prompt response.

    2. Rockoyster answered my question in the next post.

    3 & 4. What does GA stands for? And can I assume GA1 stands for Class 1, and GA2 stands for Class 2? My kids are 7 and 11. I plan to apply Swiss Family Card for them when I purchase the Swiss Travel Pass online. Hope it is an easy process.

    Thanks again.

    Cheetingong
    Participant
    4 posts
    25 April 2018 at 15:23:01 #883120

    Thank you for the clarification. Much appreciated.

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    25 April 2018 at 20:52:44 #883121

    The General Abonnement (GA) Card is for Swiss Residents. It operates much like a Swiss Travel Pass. The SBB timetable is oriented to domestic use – that’s why it uses GA instead of STP. 1 and 2 refer to class of travel so pick the class that corresponds to your STP.

    Cheetingong
    Participant
    4 posts
    5 May 2018 at 10:30:31 #883122

    hi, sorry to trouble you again.

    I have the following quote from SBB for travel between Zurich-Milan (direct train) in June 2018 with my Swiss Travel Pass (Class 2, with family card). It is CHF20 per adult (x2) and CHF13 per children (x2) which total CHF66 (see attachment).

    Do you know if this quote includes the Italy rail tickets (i.e. Chaisso – Milan leg)? Or I still need to buy a ticket for Chiasso – Milan leg? If the latter is true, where can I buy that ticket? And do I need to pay for my children’s (aged 7 and 11) for the Italy leg?

    Many thanks again.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    5 May 2018 at 19:52:11 #883123

    The complication here is that you have a Swiss Travel Pass and not the Swiss GA which you selected (two different products) It works out the same for domestic travel but discounts vary on international tickets. The GA offers discounts on the Italian portion of the trip which you aren’t entitled to with a Swiss Travel Pass.

    What you should do is only buy a ticket from Chiasso to Milan (with a reservation).

    You can do so on the sbb site but it may be simpler through one of the online retailers here: https://www.myswissalp s.com/traintickets/ita ly

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    5 May 2018 at 21:08:06 #883124

    Hi Lucas,

    The SBB website describes one of the benefits of the GA Card as reduced fares in Germany and Austria. I don’t see any mention of special benefits in Italy. Not arguing with you but just intrigued as to why GA option would not give same price as STP to Chiasso and Italian ticket from there.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    6 May 2018 at 1:45:29 #883125

    Ah you may be right there with Italy. I’m not 100% sure when it is a bordering country but not German-speaking (the German speaking countries give each other extra benefits). 🙂

  • The thread ‘Zurich-Milan, and Milan-Brig savings plan’ is closed to new replies.

About MySwissAlps

We’re passionate tourists and locals. We share tips about how to plan a trip to Switzerland. MySwissAlps was founded in 2002.

Get a free account for a worry-free trip

  • Join our 10730 members and ask us questions in the forum
  • Access to member-only promotions
  • Detailed maps and weather forecasts

Planning your first Switzerland adventure?

Get a jump-start with Annika’s 20-minute e-mail course, “Switzerland for beginners”. Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock the course.