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Traveling Around

Switzerland

To/From The Airport | Baggage Checking | Reservations?
Mountain Excursions

The Scenic Trains |
Traveling by Car
For the Railfan

Complete Index of Articles on Switzerland

Getting Around Switzerland...
the Easy Way

SBB IconDon't, please, decide how you'll travel about Switzerland until you've seriously considered what may be the best public transportation system in the world. It's worth a trip to Switzerland just to experience how excellent, and fun, public transport can be. 

Trains, boats, cables and buses are the easy and cost-effective way to get around Switzerland. Schedules are reliable and connection times as short as two minutes (yes, 2!) are legal and reliable. Popular connections are often on the same platform. Geneva and Zurich airport train stations offer excellent service to city center, and to all Swiss (and many International) destinations.

If you're from North America and have no experience with a ubiquitous, efficient and on-time public transportation system, you're in for a surprise ... and a treat!

And if you're unsure of how easy it will be for you to learn to use a system unfamiliar to you, there's good news ... and better news:

The good news: it really is easy to use;
The better news: we've abstracted the most important information from the book Switzerland and Beyond to explain how the system works and how to use it.

The Swiss Travel Primer

Cost Effective Travel in Switzerland
To/From the Airport
Baggage
Reservations
Traveling by Car
Switzerland's Scenic Trains

Cost Effective Travel

It's often cheaper to use cars in Europe if there are more than two in you party. Swiss rail passes and mountain transport make this generality less true in Switzerland.

The Swisspass is a good buy for most and the saver pass makes it an even better deal for couples. If you're a family, kids under 17 will travel on their parents' passes -- for free if the passes are purchased in the US, for only CHF20 (for everyone) if bought in Switzerland.

If, as we hope, you include the mountains in your visit passes can save even more against the price of a car. Mountain transport is quite expensive. The Swisspass will get you as far 'up' as Mürren, Grindelwald and Zermatt at no additional charge, and you'll get a 25% discount for travel above these points. (And you won't pay to park your car.)

You can find the "best" ticket/pass deal for your trip if you're willing to compute the cost of your planned individual trips and compare that to the various passes. Usually we find the Swiss Pass is economical and convenient and don't bother with the math. And particularly since we enjoy time in the mountains and on the lakes we find public transport far more economical than driving. When we have a need for a car for convenience sake we rent one for a day or two ... booking ahead from the US to save money.

To/From The Airport

Zürich and Geneva airports have full-service train stations. Many of the trains are through services to far-away destinations so you may not even have to change trains along the way. Both have four to seven trains per hour to the main downtown station during the better part of the day. The fare to downtown is around $5, and the trip takes about 10 minutes.  Both airports have excellent signage to help you find your way. In 22 minutes from arrival of the plane at the jetway in Zürich to sitting impatiently on the train waiting for departure, we've gone through passport control, retrieved a checked bag, exited customs, bought two Swiss Passes, at another counter bought the Swiss timetable books, and made another stop to check three bags. Geneva is similar. (Ed recently did it in 18 minutes in Frankfurt, an airport with which he's not as familiar ... public transport in northern Europe is like that!) 

There's little need to overnight near the airport for a trip back to the US since transatlantic departures frequently leave at 11 am or later. Few sites in Switzerland are beyond three train hours of the airports, including mountain villages.

Baggage Checking

There's usually adequate space on most trains so you can carry your luggage with you.

If you're overloaded with luggage and have many connections you may want to check your bags. You can check your baggage from origin to destination for CHF10 per bag and be sure it will arrive.

The bags used to often arrive on the same train; no longer -- don't check your only toothbrush, but they will be there within 24 hours, without fail.

The baggage service is impeccably reliable. If you're staying at a resort in one of the smaller mountain towns your hotel may arrange for the porter to pick up your bags when they arrive. We often send our bags up to the airport the night before departure.

"Fly/Gepäck" offers through baggage service from US gateway to final Swiss destination, on any airline, for CHF20 per bag. Call Swissair and purchase the (green) tag(s) to attach to your luggage. On outbound trips the service is available only if you're leaving on Swissair.

Reservations?

With the exception of some scenic trains, not required and often not possible. You can reserve seats if you want (small fee) usually on the IC-designated trains and the trans-European expresses.

For the Railfan

Switzerland On Your Own - A Paradise Full of Trains If you're not already a railroad enthusiast, Switzer Land is the best place to start a new hobby. And if you are, then you'll know this article by George Drury will be of interest. Use the marvelous rail system to visit Heidi Land, Wine Land, Cheese Land, and more!

and

The Railfan Guide to Switzerland - Drury - Whether new to enjoying railroads or an old hand, this guide is invaluable in getting the most out of your time on and around Switzerland's railroads.

Where you'll find information on
Using the Swiss Rail System

Don't forget to check out:
Traveling in Switzerland by Car
Switzerland and Beyond - A Primer on Using Swiss Rail
Sample Day and Extended Trips
Switzerland On Your Own - A Paradise Full of Trains
Switzerland's Scenic Trains
Switzerland by Rail
Daytrips - Switzerland

Complete Index of Articles on Switzerland

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