enzian

We will be traveling in June from Zürich into Italy and back to Zürich from Milan two weeks later. I read on another post that cross-border trains between Italy and Austria are run by OEB and one can no longer buy the tickets from Trenitaila or at an Italian train station.

Is this also true of trains across the Italy-Swiss border? I know that the Cisalpino consortium doesn't exist any more, but will we have a problem buying tickets at Milano Centrale to return to Zürich at the end of our trip? Should I just buy round-trip tickets in Zürich and carry them with us while we travel around Italy?

kybourbon

Trenitalia still offers them on their website under
Smart fares which require at least a two week advance purchase. I think the going rate right now is 19€. On Trenitalia, select Milan, then Zurich Main Station (Smart fare won't show for the airport station), next screen click the drop down box for fares and select smart fare. Smart 1 is cheaper than Smart 2. I believe you must be in the timeframe window to see and book these fares (at least 14 days in advance, but no more than 30? 60?).
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...003f16f90aRCRD

The Smart fares from Zurich to Milan can be booked on sbb.ch and I believe you can book this one from the airport to Milan. If not, try booking from the Zurich main station. The price is about 30chf. Once again, the advance purchase is required and they can sell out.

Your main problem will be booking online with Trenitalia as they normally won't process US credit cards.

taconictraveler

Enzian: As I think we have discussed a few months ago on this site, we will be traveling only from Zurich to Milan in June, since we are flying home from Milan, but I will still be reading replies to your query with great interest, as we haven't yet decided which train route to take to Italy. - maybe the direct one, or maybe the one that goes over the Bernina Pass, which will take longer but would be a once in a lifetime treat.

kybourbon

>>>I read on another post that cross-border trains between Italy and Austria are run by OEB and one can no longer buy the tickets from Trenitaila or at an Italian train station.<<<

Did you read that on Fodor's? If so, can you post a link? It doesn't even make sense. People travel between these countries every day and I've had no problem pulling up these routes on Trenitalia.To think Italy would quit selling tickets to other countries just doesn't even make sense at all. When I first read your post, I thought your concern was booking the discounts that used to be on the Cisalpino trains between Switzerland and Italy and of course the Cisalpino are no more. If you want the 19€ or 30chf discount tickets, you must book EC, no connections.

enzian

Yes, it's here on Fodors, today. I'll try to post a link but I'm not good at this. . .

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-day-train.cfm

See if that works. If not, its the post about going from florence to Salzburg, somewhere below the 50th post now.

I'm aware of the problem we would have buying tickets on the Trenitalia webiste, so I'm looking at other options.

For the rest of our trip around Italy I was just planning on buying our tickets at the station before boarding. I hope that's not a bad idea. . . Apart from the Zurich to Milan part, it's all just short hops.

Thanks for explaining about the Smart Fares---I am registered on sbb.ch so I can book the Zurich to Milan part and get a good fare. Maybe it will let me book RT and that would take care of my worries?

enzian

kybourbon----THANK YOU!!!! You just saved me 500 CHF by mentioning the Smart Fares.

I checked on the SBB website and they just call them "special offer", nonrefundable tickets booked 14 days or more in advance. I can buy the return tickets as well, and doing a test run I figured how much I can save on the roundtrip tickets for the 4 of us---496 CHF to be exact.

And to think I was planning on just buying these tickets when we arrive in Zurich.

Gotta love Fodors!

kybourbon

I've been looking at train fares from Zurich because I usually travel to Italy, but can get cheap flights to Zurich and FF tickets are more readily available. I didn't get good fares clicking for round trip tickets as it didn't give as good of a discount, but perhaps it was the dates I selected.

I read the link you provided and while maninseat61 usually knows his trains and has an excellent website, I think he is mistaken on this. I just did a trial run on Trenitalia of one of the routes he mentioned (Verona/Munich) and was able to pull up a Smart fare of 29€.

For the rest of your Italy tickets, I would attempt to buy them upon arrival in Milan. You can get a 15% discount (Meno 15)with a 7 day advance purchase although it is subject to sellout.
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...003f16f90aRCRD

If you haven't used ticket machines in Italy before, they are simple. In the main stations such as Milan, the machines are touchscreen, you select English and you can use your credit cards. It lets you avoid standing in lines at ticket windows. This video walks you through buying tickets. The first half is for old style machines and the second part for the new touchscreen.
http://www.webvisionitaly.com/search.php?ref_genre=8#

This link also shows how to use the machines with close up pictures of each screen as you are buying (just scroll down to the pics).
http://www.roninrome.com/%20transpor...a-train-ticket