Flights from Venice to Sion, Brig or Visp Switzerland?
Aug 8th, 2013, 05:46 AM
#1
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Flights from Venice to Sion, Brig or Visp Switzerland?
Three spinal surgeries makes sitting uncomfortable for long periods of time. Does anyone know if any airlines fly out of Venice to the town of Sion, Brig or Visp in the Swiss Alps?
If I have to travel by train and buy the tickets on the Internet do I simply print them out or do I have to retrieve them at train station?
Thanks for any help you can offer.
Nancy
If I have to travel by train and buy the tickets on the Internet do I simply print them out or do I have to retrieve them at train station?
Thanks for any help you can offer.
Nancy
Aug 8th, 2013, 05:52 AM
#2
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Air Glaciers (http://www.air-glaciers.ch/) flies out of Sion (SIR) but only to Calvi, Figari, and Olbia.
No airports at Brig or Visp.
No airports at Brig or Visp.
Aug 8th, 2013, 06:05 AM
#4
Unfortunately, the fastest timing and one with minimal changes (assuming you are starting out at Santa Lucia instead of Maestre) takes a few minutes short of five hours to Brig.
I was thinking you might want to fly from Venice to Geneva and backtrack but I couldn't find any budget flights between the two.
FORGET about flying between Venice and Milan because that wouldn't be worth the time even if you could do it.
Brig is, of course, the closest town to Venice of the three you mention.
Medicate yourself to the max with whatever works and sit back and try to enjoy the trip.
I was thinking you might want to fly from Venice to Geneva and backtrack but I couldn't find any budget flights between the two.
FORGET about flying between Venice and Milan because that wouldn't be worth the time even if you could do it.
Brig is, of course, the closest town to Venice of the three you mention.
Medicate yourself to the max with whatever works and sit back and try to enjoy the trip.
Aug 8th, 2013, 12:49 PM
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Thanks for all the information. Sounds like I'll be enjoying the Swiss landscape from a train window along with a good bottle of wine!
Now that I have to buy train tickets I noticed it's impossible to do online in the US with Trenitalia. The hotel in Venice said they could buy them for me but I am wondering since SSB sells the same itinerary can they be purchased on line and printed out?
Now that I have to buy train tickets I noticed it's impossible to do online in the US with Trenitalia. The hotel in Venice said they could buy them for me but I am wondering since SSB sells the same itinerary can they be purchased on line and printed out?
Aug 9th, 2013, 12:57 AM
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The good thing about the train is that you can get up and move about if you start to feel uncomfortable.
I hope you give yourself a little time wander around Brig. It's a nice town, prettier than Visp, IMO. Some good cafes in the main plaza.
I hope you give yourself a little time wander around Brig. It's a nice town, prettier than Visp, IMO. Some good cafes in the main plaza.
Aug 9th, 2013, 01:31 AM
#9
If you want to buy them online then use THIS site:
www.italiarail.com
I used it to buy tickets from Verona to Brig earlier this year and it works better IMO than the Trenitalia site. You may have to buy segments, e.g., Venice-Milan and Milan-Brig and you may have to pick up some of the tickets, e.g., Milan-Brig from the machine but that is easily done. You may get e-tickets foe the entire route, too.
You can certainly use the www.sbb.ch/en site to get tickets onward from Brig and if you book those segments within 30 days of travel you can easily print the tickets out at home
www.italiarail.com
I used it to buy tickets from Verona to Brig earlier this year and it works better IMO than the Trenitalia site. You may have to buy segments, e.g., Venice-Milan and Milan-Brig and you may have to pick up some of the tickets, e.g., Milan-Brig from the machine but that is easily done. You may get e-tickets foe the entire route, too.
You can certainly use the www.sbb.ch/en site to get tickets onward from Brig and if you book those segments within 30 days of travel you can easily print the tickets out at home
Aug 9th, 2013, 08:10 AM
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Many airlines have code sharing arrangements with other airlines so one can buy a ticket on United Airlines and end up boarding a U.S.Air plane.
If I book with SSB will I be boarding one of their trains and not Trenitalia, because both offer some of the same itineraries?
If I book with SSB will I be boarding one of their trains and not Trenitalia, because both offer some of the same itineraries?
Aug 10th, 2013, 07:08 PM
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Bern is the nearest airport for Brig, trains from Bern take just barely over an hour, but I see no flights to and from Venice, you'd have to do an expensive two-hopper it seems.
There are no trains that go all the way from Venice to Brig. You switch trains in Milan - the big hub for practically all of Northern Italy.
Where you buy your ticket has no influence on the train composition.
In Venice you board an Italian train, in Milan mostly a Swiss train. Few trains go to Brig and no further - they either carry on to northern Switzerland (Basel), or they turn left and go down to Rhone valley to Montreux, Lausanne, and Geneva. Now and then you may encounter a carriage that belongs to another national system.
There are no trains that go all the way from Venice to Brig. You switch trains in Milan - the big hub for practically all of Northern Italy.
Where you buy your ticket has no influence on the train composition.
In Venice you board an Italian train, in Milan mostly a Swiss train. Few trains go to Brig and no further - they either carry on to northern Switzerland (Basel), or they turn left and go down to Rhone valley to Montreux, Lausanne, and Geneva. Now and then you may encounter a carriage that belongs to another national system.
Aug 11th, 2013, 11:00 AM
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In case your back really bothers you and flying would be desirable - easyJet and Darwin both fly nonstop from Venice to Geneva, and the train from the Geneva airport to Brig takes about two and a half hours.
Aug 11th, 2013, 01:16 PM
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> There are no trains that go all the way from Venice to Brig.
Just for the record, that's wrong. I have been travelling from Geneva to Venice and return since years with a train that requires no change. Brig is on the way. Dep. Venice Santa Lucia at 16h20 and the travel time is 4h56 minutes.
Just for the record, that's wrong. I have been travelling from Geneva to Venice and return since years with a train that requires no change. Brig is on the way. Dep. Venice Santa Lucia at 16h20 and the travel time is 4h56 minutes.
Aug 11th, 2013, 05:31 PM
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Kappa1 - I stand corrected. Of the dozen or so daily trains is the only one all day that goes all the way, the EC42 (EuroCity), with twelve stops en route, with a half-hour wait (but no need to change trains) in Milano Centrale.
The Trenitalia website doesn't bring it up under the fast trains, only if you switch to Tutti I Treni, normally used to display the slow regionals, and only if you use the Italian Ginevra for Genève (Geneva) - not if you input Brig - that's what stumped me. Touché.
The Trenitalia website doesn't bring it up under the fast trains, only if you switch to Tutti I Treni, normally used to display the slow regionals, and only if you use the Italian Ginevra for Genève (Geneva) - not if you input Brig - that's what stumped me. Touché.
Aug 11th, 2013, 07:46 PM
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Is the fundamental assumption behind this question:
Discomfort on one hour flight = discomfort on one hour train ride? Let me make some comments.
The train seats, even the 2nd class ones, are significantly more comfortable than economy seats on planes. Additionally, if you can find an empty row you can use them as a flat bed. Even on seat reservation compulsory trains, if a row is not used on a segment, the ticket inspectors don't care unless the person with that seat reserved shows up. Also, unlike planes, you don't have to sit down at all on trains. On compartment type trains, I think the EC trains are like this, standing between seats does not block the corridor. The restaurant cars have stand up counters.
If your back issue a kind that is mitigated by a lumber support? Do you travel with it? If you are using a bulky one at home and you don't want to take it with you, there are inflatable ones that can work as a short term substitute. Some are better than others so you need to test them at home.
Discomfort on one hour flight = discomfort on one hour train ride? Let me make some comments.
The train seats, even the 2nd class ones, are significantly more comfortable than economy seats on planes. Additionally, if you can find an empty row you can use them as a flat bed. Even on seat reservation compulsory trains, if a row is not used on a segment, the ticket inspectors don't care unless the person with that seat reserved shows up. Also, unlike planes, you don't have to sit down at all on trains. On compartment type trains, I think the EC trains are like this, standing between seats does not block the corridor. The restaurant cars have stand up counters.
If your back issue a kind that is mitigated by a lumber support? Do you travel with it? If you are using a bulky one at home and you don't want to take it with you, there are inflatable ones that can work as a short term substitute. Some are better than others so you need to test them at home.
Nov 3rd, 2013, 05:43 AM
#16
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Back from our trip to Italy and Switzerland and first wanted to thank everyone for the comments and suggestions.
The train ride from Venice to Brig went well. Got up often and walked through the entire train a few times. What was apparent is how second class may be better than traveling first class now. Just a few years ago a meal was served in first class and now a cart is pushed down the aisle. Because there are more cars in second class travelers were able to spread out keep their luggage next to or behind them. In our car we were the first to board and by the time the train departed for Switzerland 15 other pieces of luggage were placed on top of them. Thank goodness my husband is very strong and able to remove them to retrieve our luggage but lesson learned. Traveling in second class on a high speed train is the way to go - both cost wise and having your luggage right next to you.
The train ride from Venice to Brig went well. Got up often and walked through the entire train a few times. What was apparent is how second class may be better than traveling first class now. Just a few years ago a meal was served in first class and now a cart is pushed down the aisle. Because there are more cars in second class travelers were able to spread out keep their luggage next to or behind them. In our car we were the first to board and by the time the train departed for Switzerland 15 other pieces of luggage were placed on top of them. Thank goodness my husband is very strong and able to remove them to retrieve our luggage but lesson learned. Traveling in second class on a high speed train is the way to go - both cost wise and having your luggage right next to you.
