Going to Zurich

Zurich airport is located 13 km north of the city centre and is best served by rail: trains leave every 15 to 20 minutes and take about 10 minutes to get you to Zurich main railway station (Zürich Hauptbahnhof or HB in short).

At the airport, follow the signs to the underground train station. The train station is located three floors underground in the same building you arrived. Please make sure that you have a valid ticket before taking the last stairs down to the platforms. Tickets can be bought at the ticket shop or at a ticket vending machine and are valid for one hour. When buying a ticket for 3 zones (Zonen), the tram in Zurich is included and it is therefore unnecessary to buy an additional one once arrived at the main station. You are also allowed to get on both regional trains (S-Bahnen, lines S2 and S16) and national trains (InterRegio, InterCity).

Alternatively, the second closest international airport is Basel airport, located at the tripoint between Switzerland, France and Germany. From there, Zurich main station can be accessed by bus and train in one hour and a half, with a change at Basel train station. A one-way ticket costs around 37 CHF (35 €).

Regular direct trains lead to Zurich main station (Zürich HB) from many cities in Germany, France, Italy and Austria.

From Germany: Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg (sorted by increasing travel time) have connections via German ICE or Swiss InterCity. Eventual reductions can apply on the German part of the trip.

From France: Paris is served by TGV Lyria in around 4 hours. Reductions are available for people under 27. As usual with TGV, booking in advance is warmly advised to get cheaper tickets.

From Italy: A direct train links Milan to Zurich in 4 hours, which feel even shorter when staring at the picturesque Alpine landscapes of Ticino (when not in tunnels).

From Austria: Innsbruck is 3 hours 30 away from Zurich by train, which is probably the best option also here.

Other countries: A direct night train (EuroNight Zürisee) may be taken from Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade.

Long-distance buses are an interesting alternative for people living close to the Swiss border, especially in Southern Germany: they are for example the cheapest way to join Munich and take only a slightly longer time than trains. For all others, their slow speed should be a turnoff.