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The sandstone neo-Renaissance facade of Zurich Hauptbahnhof, the arrival station for trains from Milan

Zurich Hauptbahnhof's 1871 facade, designed by architect Jakob Friedrich Wanner.

Photo: Ikiwaner / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Milan to Zurich by Train

An international route between Italy and Switzerland.

Reviewed by Eurotraintrip on 2026-07-30

Duration
3h 12m – 3h 55m
Price from
29 EUR
Distance
254 km
Operators
TrenitaliaSBB
Frequency
Around 10-11 direct EuroCity departures a day, roughly every 1-2 hours.

Compare and book Milan–Zurich tickets

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What makes Milan to Zurich different

  • Beneath Milano Centrale's platforms sits Binario 21, a hidden underground platform from which Nazi occupiers and Italian fascist authorities deported Jews and political prisoners to concentration camps between 1943 and 1945; it reopened to the public as the Memoriale della Shoah di Milano on 27 January 2013.
  • Zurich HB's current sandstone, neo-Renaissance building was designed by architect Jakob Friedrich Wanner and built between 1865 and 1871, replacing the original 1847 terminus of the Spanisch-Brotli-Bahn, Switzerland's first railway.
  • The scale gap between the two termini is real but not enormous: Milano Centrale handles around 320,000 passengers and roughly 500 trains a day across 24 platforms, against Zurich HB's approximately 500,000 passengers and up to 2,915 trains a day.

Milan station

Departs from Milano Centrale, whose monumental 1931 facade conceals the Binario 21 deportation memorial in the basement. The M2 and M3 metro lines are reachable from the main departures hall, but budget a few extra minutes to cross the station's considerable length.

Zurich station

Arrives at Zurich Hauptbahnhof beneath its arched 1933 trainshed spanning 16 tracks; step out the Bahnhofstrasse side and you're at the head of Zurich's famous shopping boulevard, which runs straight down to Lake Zurich.

Train vs. other options

Flying Milan-Zurich takes under an hour in the air, and Zurich's own airport sits a quick 10 minutes by train from Zurich HB - but Milan is served by three separate airports, and the most-used, Malpensa, sits over 45km outside the city; once transfer and check-in time on the Milan end are added, the roughly 3h15m Milano Centrale-to-Zurich HB train comes out even with or ahead of flying.

Booking tips

  • Book Trenitalia or SBB advance fares as early as possible - cross-border EuroCity fares climb fast as the departure date nears.
  • Compare booking directly through Trenitalia's and SBB's own sites - the same train and seat class can show different prices depending on which operator's platform you book through.
  • If you're traveling during one of the tunnel's periodic maintenance windows - it needed a further round-the-clock closure for 12 days in January 2026 - check SBB's status page before booking, since trains get diverted onto the older panoramic mountain line and the journey can take roughly an hour longer than the timetable suggests.

Good to know: Because this is a joint Trenitalia/SBB EuroCity service, ticket prices for the same train and seat class can differ by several euros depending on whether you book via Trenitalia's or SBB's own site or app, and Swiss Half Fare Card discounts only apply on the SBB side of the booking.

While you're in Zurich

Aerial view of Zurich's old town along the Limmat River with the Grossmunster's twin towers

Zurich's Altstadt straddles the Limmat River, with the Grossmunster's twin towers rising above the east bank.

Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)

Zurich splits a compact, walkable old town along the Limmat River, with the Grossmunster's twin towers on one bank and the narrow lanes of Niederdorf on the other - then opens straight onto Lake Zurich, a 10-minute walk from the station.

Full Zurich travel guide →

Frequently asked questions

How long is the train from Milan to Zurich?

Direct EuroCity trains take around 3 hours 12-17 minutes. Services with more intermediate stops, or trains diverted during tunnel maintenance windows, can take up to roughly 3 hours 55 minutes or longer.

Does the Milan-Zurich train go through the Gotthard Base Tunnel?

Yes - most direct EuroCity trains use the 57km Gotthard Base Tunnel, crossing under the Alps in about 20 minutes, except during scheduled maintenance closures when trains are diverted onto the older panoramic line.

How much does the train from Milan to Zurich cost?

Standard advance fares start from around 29 EUR in second class, though promotional fares can run lower for early bookings.

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