The fare is CHF 47 and your pass covers all of it
Locarno to Domodossola in second class is CHF 47 single. With a Swiss Travel Pass you pay nothing, and that includes the track sitting in Italy. There's no border formality on the train, no separate Italian ticket, no conductor doing sums at Camedo. You just sit there while the country changes around you.
Trains run roughly hourly, nine or ten a day, all year. The journey is 52 kilometres and takes between 1h 50m and 1h 57m depending on which service you catch, with twenty-two stations along the way.
Three train types run the Centovalli line and only one costs extra
You'll see three things pull into the platform, and the difference matters less than you'd think.
| Train | What you get | Extra cost with a pass |
|---|---|---|
| Panoramico (PE) | Big windows, the photogenic one | EUR 1.50 / CHF 1.50 for the Domodossola to Camedo stretch, paid on board |
| Centovalli Express | Family compartment, step-free zones, free audio guides | Nothing |
| Regional (RE) | Ordinary local train, stops everywhere | Nothing |
Every train on this line runs the same track through the same gorge. Take whichever leaves first.
Seat reservations are optional except two weeks a year
You don't need a reservation. An optional seat costs CHF 5, or EUR 4 if you book on the Italian side. The only times it becomes compulsory are the Christmas markets and the chimney sweep festival at Santa Maria Maggiore.
Outside those, walk up. Nine to ten departures a day means missing one costs you an hour, not a day.
Sit on the right going to Locarno, the left going to Domodossola
Going east towards Locarno, that's your right. Going west towards Domodossola, that's your left.
The Isorno bridge just before Intragna is about 80 metres above the river.
What you actually see between Locarno and Domodossola
The line was built in 1923, metre gauge, and it's still run by two companies: FART on the Swiss side and SSIF on the Italian. It follows the Melezza river through side valleys that formed along the boundary between the African and European plates, which is a geologically dramatic way of saying the scenery keeps changing.
- Intragna is the largest municipality in the Centovalli and has Ticino's tallest church tower, from the 17th century. Worth breaking the trip for an hour.
- Verdasio to Intragna is the steep bit, gradients reaching 60 per thousand.
- Camedo is the last Swiss station.
- Santa Maria Maggiore hosts the international chimney sweep gathering.
Crossing into Italy on a Swiss pass without paying anything
This is one of only three routes where your pass carries you through a foreign country and keeps working the whole way. The others are the Lötschberg from Brig on to Domodossola, and the Bernina Express from Chur down to Tirano. More on how that works on our page about border crossings.
Practically, nothing happens at Camedo. No passport check, no ticket change, no announcement telling you to do anything.
Why the Centovalli beats going via Milan or Bern
There is no faster way from Locarno to Domodossola. This line was built precisely because it's the most direct link between the Gotthard and Simplon routes, and going round via Milan or via Bern adds hours.
It also stitches Valais to Ticino, which makes it the connecting piece for a lot of bigger trips. Come off the Glacier Express or the Lötschberg at Brig, run down to Domodossola, cross to Locarno, then pick up the Gotthard Panorama Express north. From Zurich, Locarno is about three hours, so you can do the Centovalli and be back the same day if you're determined.
