The border is crossed during the transit of the Simplon Tunnel and, on almost immediate exit, the Swiss station of Brig is reached. After Brig the Swiss customs officials check passports and documentation; we found their manner both professional and helpful. The route now tracks almost directly west, crossing impressive glacial plains. There is much to see - Swiss farming and, a favourite of ours, private owner sidings with good wagons waiting to be moved. next>

Day 1 (Friday am): We were booked on the 1129 Ancona to Milano InterCity, and I had managed to get first-class tickets for the same price as standard class. The InterCity first-class coach was clean but a bit tired - we thought the Frecciarossa standard class seats were more comfortable. However, all trains had a decent window view - apart from their wider loading gauge, this is another endearing feature of European trains. The train was busy and, as before, you were supposed to have reserved seats before you travelled. There was only one ticket check on the whole journey; after the Bologna stop a group of young boys joined the carriage and were a little noisy (but actually quite well behaved). First class passengers are supposed to get a complimentary coffee from a trolley but nobody appeared. We arrived in Milano Centrale exactly on time at 1525, and walked to our booked hotel nearby for our overnight stay.

Day 2 (Saturday am): Our Milan to Lausanne train is labelled "EuroCity", a joint Italian-Swiss service. Ours departed promptly at 0815 and we settled into our very comfortable standard class carriage. This is an engaging journey - firstly, through the built up conurbation of Milano, and then climbing up the banks of the stunning Lake Maggiore (on the right-hand side of travel). There are various stops en route with Domodossola being the final Italian stop before crossing the border into Switzerland.