So you’re visiting Switzerland AND Italy… Here’s what you need to know about visiting both countries in one trip.
But this blog is not about where to go or what to eat. We have other blogs for that! Instead, we’re delving into the practical questions that stress out many travelers, like:
- Should I fly into and out of the same airport, or into one country and out of the other?
- Is it better to fly, train, or drive between the 2 countries?
- And if I’m not in a rush, is there a more scenic route I can take instead?
See, we’ve been helping tourists like you travel Switzerland with confidence since 2021. And once we realized that more than half of our audience thinks Italy is the best country to pair with a visit to Switzerland, it became very clear that they needed help navigating how to combine these 2 countries together.
So you’ve come to the right place, because that’s exactly what we’re gonna explain in this blog.
Want to Watch instead of Read?
Airports in Switzerland and Italy
Before we jump into the meat and potatoes (…or should we say raclette and potatoes? Or spaghetti and tomato sauce? It doesn’t matter 😉) — before we get too deep, let’s talk about airports in both countries.
If you’re coming from overseas, Zurich and Geneva are your main options in Switzerland, while Milan, Rome, and Venice are some of the biggest hubs in Italy.
But if you’re flying from within Europe, there are quite a few smaller airports, such as Basel in Switzerland and loads of options throughout Italy that service budget carriers.
And if you’re really hoping to book a roundtrip, Milan is a good option because of its convenient central location between both countries. In fact, from the Milan city center you can reach…
- Lugano in just over an hour (1hr 15min by train, or 1hr 10min by car)
- Zurich or Lucerne in just over 3 hours (Zurich is 3hrs 15min by direct train through Lugano or 3hrs 30min by car. Lucerne is 3hrs 15min by train, or 3hrs by car.)
- And Interlaken within 5 hours. (4.5-5.5hrs by train, with a shorter route and more changes through Domodossola, or a longer route with less changes through Zurich/Lugano. Or 3hrs 45min by car.)
And as for Italian destinations, you could find yourself in…
- Florence in just 2 hrs (2hrs by train, 3hrs 45min by car)
- Venice in 2.5 hrs (2.5hrs by train, or 3hrs by car)
- Or Rome or Bolzano in 3:15 (3hrs 15min by train to both Rome and Bolzano. Or 4hrs by car to Bolzano and 6.5hrs by car to Rome)
- Though it would take substantially longer to travel between these Italian cities by car.
It’s also worth mentioning that while the airports in Switzerland are pretty close to the city centers, the Milan Malpensa airport is 50km and nearly an hour by train from central Milan.
So honestly, we recommend that you look at flying into one country and out of the other, which will just save you loads of time versus backtracking just to get back to the airport.
We typically use Google Flights to compare these “open-jaw tickets” (like flying into Zurich and out of Rome), and it often costs the same as a roundtrip.
Traveling Between Switzerland and Italy
The next question you’re probably wondering is how to travel between Switzerland and Italy. Should you fly or drive or take a train? This is complex yet quite simple, so let’s break it down for you, starting with flying.
Flying between Switzerland and Italy
The biggest point to consider about flying between these 2 countries is the time it will actually take. Because when you factor in how long you’ll need to get to the airport early, check-in, drop bags, go through security, find your gate, actually take your flight, land, pick up your bags, and then find your way to the city center or wherever you’re going, that’s usually gonna be a minimum of 3 hours plus your actual flight time. And that’s a lot of time!
In general, we’d only consider flying if we need to go from Switzerland to Rome or anywhere south of Rome. Because otherwise it’s often faster to just drive or take the train. But it’s worth comparing the costs as well, and not just the travel time.
If we haven’t met…
By the way, if we haven’t met, we’re Jana and Brett, Aplins in the Alps. And we help you travel Switzerland with confidence! We’ve spent years traveling to every canton in Switzerland and have lived here full-time since 2023. But we also have dual Italian citizenship and have spent years traveling Italy and even lived there for 6 months back in 2017.
So we have a lot of experience traveling in and between both countries by plane, car, and train, which is why we’re pulling together our advice to help you plan your vacation.
Driving between Switzerland and Italy
We don’t often recommend that travelers rent a car in Switzerland unless you’re visiting really remote places or just enjoy traveling off-the-beaten-path. Public transport is just so accessible, and you’ll be able to get everywhere you need to go. Plus, you often have to take public transport to get up into the mountains anyway, because you literally cannot drive to the top of most mountains!
Keep in mind that you need a vignette on your windshield to drive on the Swiss highways. Instead of having toll roads, they use this sticker. It’s often included on rental cars already, but if not, it costs 40 CHF and you can buy one at many of the border crossings or the gas stations along the border.
And in Italy, you won’t need a car if you’re just visiting the cities. Plus driving in places like Rome is hectic. For real, we lived there for 6 months and I never drove a car there because it made me so anxious…although Brett would describe it as a great adventure!
However, it’s worth having a car if you’re visiting places with less public transportation, like Tuscany or the Dolomites. And unlike Switzerland, Italy does have toll roads and they can be quite expensive.
So in general, you probably won’t need a car in Switzerland but you may want one in Italy. And in that case, don’t rent a car for your entire trip — just use public transport in Switzerland and rent a car in Italy.
And when we say “in Italy” that’s literally what we mean. Even if you’d rather drive between the two countries, it’s often much cheaper to pick-up and drop-off a rental car in Italy than it is in Switzerland.
Oh, and since both of these countries are in the Schengen Area, there is no official border crossing by plane, car, or train. Yes, you could technically be asked for your passport at any time, but usually you just pass right on through, as if you were crossing from one U.S. state to another.
Riding a Train between Switzerland and Italy
If you are riding trains between Switzerland and Italy, pretty much all of the major routes will go through Milan. And there are 2 main ways to get to Milan from Switzerland:
- Through Domodossola, which is the route you’d take from the Western part of Switzerland, such as from Zermatt or Geneva or even Interlaken.
- Or through Lugano, which is where you’d go from the eastern part of Switzerland, such as Zurich or Lucerne, or this is also an option from Interlaken. And in general, the routes through Lugano have fewer train changes.
If you’ve seen any of our Swiss transportation videos, then you know that Brett is a bit of a nerd about numbers. So he calculated the time it would take to travel between all of the main destinations in Switzerland Italy by car and by train. That’s a lot of details that we won’t bore you with here, but here’s a bit of context:
- Zurich to Venice takes about 6 hours (6hrs 15min by train or 6hrs by car).
- Zurich to Florence takes 5.5-6.5 hours (5hrs 30min by train or 6hrs 45min by car).
- And Zurich to Rome is 7-9 hours (7hrs by train or 9hrs 20min by car).
And if you look back at what we mentioned earlier about expected travel times from Milan to both Swiss and Italian destinations, you’ll get a pretty good feel for how long it might take to travel between a wide variety of spots in both countries.
Cost of Train Travel between Switzerland and Italy
The next question that has possibly already popped in your head is about how much this will cost or if a train pass will save you any money.
Here’s a list of some general prices to travel from Zurich to Italy by train, but of course they can change at any time, and might even cost more or less depending on which season you’re traveling in.
Train Passes for Switzerland and Italy
But let’s talk about train passes. Because this is where things can get confusing — fast.
In most cases, Swiss train passes will only work within Switzerland until you reach the border. For example, let’s say you’re traveling from Zurich to Milan. In this case, your pass would only work until Chiasso. That means you would need to buy a separate ticket from Chiasso to Milan. And technically, you need a ticket from the last covered train stop on your route, even if that stop comes before the border.
However, there are some exceptions where you can actually use your pass all the way to Italy!
The Swiss Travel Pass fully covers you as far as Aosta by bus from Martigny, to Domodossola from Brig or on the Centovalli Railway from Locarno, and the train and bus to Tirano (which includes the Bernina Express). It also provides a 50% discount on the train to Merano near Bolzano.
And if you’re traveling with the Half Fare Card, you’ll be happy to hear that it provides a 50% discount on all of these exact same routes.
So the typical costs of train tickets we showed earlier if you have a Half Fare Card would look something more like this:
Of course the Eurail Pass (and Interrail Pass) also works in both countries, and that might be really appealing to many of you. But is it a good choice? Well, train travel is pretty affordable in Italy, so we wouldn’t recommend using a Eurail Pass there unless you’re covering large distances and just want it for the convenience. And while it doesn’t make sense for most Swiss itineraries either, there are a few interesting scenarios where it is ideal, and we explain those in more detail in this blog.
How to Book Train Tickets between Switzerland and Italy
Okay, now that you have the routes narrowed down, how can you buy tickets for train travel between Switzerland and Italy? There are 3 simple ways:
- At any train station in Switzerland. This is the best method if you want the reassurance of talking with another human.
- On the SBB website. This is the national railway company in Switzerland.
- Or on the SBB App. In our opinion, this is the easiest way to buy train tickets and navigate from Point A to Point B.
And since we’re mentioning the SBB App, you’ll want to be sure and download this for your time in Switzerland. It helps you find routes, view timetables, purchase tickets, and navigate along your journey. And if you need help, we have a complete tutorial in our Ultimate Guide to Swiss Transportation.
Tips for Traveling between Switzerland and Italy
Here are a few more helpful tips to consider when you’re planning your trip to Switzerland and Italy.
Cell Phone Data
You’ll need cell data to use the SBB app, so we highly recommend buying an Holafly eSIM before your trip. They have options for Switzerland, Italy, and all of Europe, for any length of time you need. In fact, their Europe plan covers both Switzerland and Italy and it’s the same price as the plans for just one of those countries. It’s super easy to install on your phone and then you have unlimited data for your whole vacation, which makes buying train tickets and navigating transportation so much easier.
Currency
And don’t forget that Switzerland uses the Swiss Franc while Italy uses the Euro — so you’ll want a little cash in both currencies. Expect to need more cash in Italy than you do in Switzerland, and we don’t recommend spending your Euros in Switzerland, even though it’s possible in some places.
Train Tickets
In Switzerland, when you buy a standard train ticket from point A to point B, you’re buying a ticket for that specific route but not for that specific time. You can theoretically ride along the exact route at any time on that day, which means you can also hop on and hop off, as long as you continue along the same route.
For example, you can buy a ticket from Zurich to Interlaken via Lucerne and stop in Lucerne for a few hours before continuing to Interlaken. But that same ticket from Zurich to Interlaken via Lucerne does not mean you can divert to Bern — that’s a different route and would require a different ticket. So always double-check the route you’re booking — because if you change your mind, the original ticket won’t work anymore.
But in Italy, a train ticket locks you into a specific route and a specific time. That means you cannot hop on and off along the way. Well, I mean, you could, but if you do, then you’ll have to buy a new ticket each time you board another train.
There are, of course, situations in both countries where things would work a little differently, especially on local or commuter trains, but these tips apply for most city-to-city travel.
Seat Reservations
Another interesting difference is that Swiss trains generally have open seating, meaning your ticket is not for an assigned seat, but bookings on most Italian trains come with an assigned seat.
And while most normal trains in Switzerland do not require seat reservations, they are often required or at least strongly recommended for many of the Swiss panoramic trains. But since you’re assigned a seat when booking a ticket for many Italian trains, no further seat reservation is required.
Sold Out Seats
Last tip here before we move on: Normal train routes in Switzerland will not sell out. But the Swiss scenic trains and Italian trains may get fully booked for certain dates and times. So in those cases, it’s best to buy your ticket or seat reservation as soon as your travel dates are set.
Scenic Train Rides from Switzerland to Italy
Another question we get asked a lot about train travel between Switzerland and Italy is if there are any scenic routes you can take. And oh yes, if beauty is more important than speed, there are a few worth mentioning — some of them are “official” scenic train rides but even the “unofficial” ones are stunning.
First is the Bernina Express, which is a train from St. Moritz or Chur to Tirano, and a bus from Tirano to Lucano. Along the way you’ll cross 196 bridges (including a 65-meter-high viaduct), pass through 55 tunnels, and chug past 3 lakes, the Bernina massif, and the Moteratsch Glacier.
Next is the Gotthard Panorama Express. You can ride the boat from Lucerne to Flüelen, and then the train from either Flüelen or Arth-Goldau to Lugano. Along the way, a travel guide shows you the sights out the window, like the impressive corkscrew looping tunnels. We personally loved hanging out with our friendly guide and thought the Photo Coach was a cool way to open the windows for better pictures too.
Alternatively, you can ride the Treno Gottardo. It runs along the same 120-year old Gotthard Panorama route but goes between Bellinzona or Locarno as far as Lucerne, Zurich, or Basel. It takes about 1hr 15mins longer than the faster route through the Gotthard Base Tunnel, but you’ll actually see the mountains on this train!
Next is the Centovalli Railway between Domodossola and Locarno. This 52-kilometer route goes through nearly untouched valleys, past rugged cliffs, and over 83 bridges in just 2 hours.
Another option is the Lötschberg Scenic Route between Bern and Domodossola (via Spiez, Kandersteg, and Brig). While this adds about 30 minutes compared to the fastest route, this bypasses the Lötschberg Base Tunnel, meaning you’ll cruise by green alps and quaint valleys and the idyllic countryside of Switzerland.
Start planning your vacation to Switzerland and Italy!
These scenic routes look amazing, right?! To help you start planning your vacation to Switzerland and Italy, read this Swiss trip planning guide next, or browse our Italy playlist, and we’ll see you in Switzerland — or Italy — or maybe both because now you know how to make it happen!