How To Get Around Zurich Easily & Cheap

Getting to the City

Zurich International Airport or Flughafen Zurich (ZRH) is the largest airport of Switzerland and also known as Kloten airport. It’s located 13 kilometres north of Zurich city centre and has 3 terminals. There are multiple options to reach Zurich city centre from the airport.

Note: The currency of Switzerland is Swiss Franc (CHF). 1 CHF is equal to 0.88 Euro, although conversion rate may vary. All fares below are mentioned in CHF.

Train: The train station is inside the airport terminal. It takes only 11 minutes to reach Zurich main station (Zurich Hauptbahnhof/HB) by train. The service operates from 5:00am until 12:30am at an interval of 15 minutes. Additionally S-Bahn lines S2 and S16 connect with Zurich HB. A single 2^nd class ticket costs 6.80 CHF for an adult and 3.40 CHFfor a child (6 to 16 years). Ticket can be purchased from the ticketing machines, SBB travel centre or from Switzerland info+ counters.

Shuttle Bus: There is a shuttle bus service from airport to city centre with an hourly frequency. Tickets can be booked online. For an adult a single journey ticket is 25 CHF and children below 12 years travel free if accompanied by parents.You can get the shuttle bus timing information at the time of booking.

Streetcar (Tram): City Centre can be reached by tram as well. Line 10 trams take around 35 minutes. A single ride costs 6.80 CHF.

Taxi: There are designated taxi ranks opposite to the arrival 1 and 2. Taxis are available from 6:00am to 11:30pm. During rest of the time a taxi can be hired by dialing 0848 850 852 (from Switzerland). The fare is around 70 CHF from airport to city centre. It takes approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

You can choose from a wide range of private transport and transfer services (including airport transfers) and book online from this Viator site.

Public Transport

Public transport network in Zurich is integrated and it helps one to reach any part of the city.

Bus

ZVV or the Zurcher Verkehrsbund runs the basic public transport infrastructure in Zurich.

Bus service as well as trams and suburban trains complement each other. There are over 60 regular bus lines and articulated trolley buses in the fleet. There are 15 lines for the city bus network (Stadtbusnetz), 9 lines serving the suburbs (Quartiernetz), a special service for busy zones inside the city (Regionalnetz), and night service. 14 night service lines operate from Friday to Sunday (Nachtnezt). Zurich is also connected internationally by long distance bus services to cities in France, Germany, Croatia and Bosnia. Shilquai is the main bus zone in Zurich.

Train

The commuter trains or S-Bahn connects Zurich with its suburbs including the airport. Operating time is from 5:00am until 12:30am with a service interval of 15 minutes. Within the city there are four railway stations including the main station Zurich Hauptbahnhof (also known as Zurich HB) which is also connected with other important international destinations like Germany, Austria, France, Italy and Spain.

There are 26 S-Bahn lines. Apart from the regular service there is a City Night Line as well. Another interesting rail service is Poly-Bahn. It is a metre gauge line that connects city centre with Zurich University located on a mountain. There is another rail service for North Zurich known as Seil-Bahn Rigiblick which is very popular among tourist for its scenic beauty. Few trains are double decked.

Tram

Tram or the Streetcar service (Forchbahn interurban) complements bus and train lines in Zurich to connect every part of the city. Most places of tourist interest are reachable by trams including the airport. Service is available every 7 minutes and operates always on time. There are over 12 lines that serve the city. Tram stops are equipped with time tables, ticketing machines and other information. The major sightseeing and shopping tram stops are Bahnhofstrasse, Rennweg, Paradeplatz and Boersenstrasse.

Ferry

Zurichsee Schiffahrtgesellschaft or ZSG, commonly known as Zurich Navigation Company runs boat service on Lake Zurich. There are two types of boat trips, long round journey and short round journey. Duration of the first one is four hours and the second one takes one and half hours. Price for the first ride is 24 CHF while the cost of second ride is 8.20 CHF for an adult. A river cruise is also available on Limmat River that costs 4.10 CHF for an adult.Tickets can be purchased from ZVV ticket office, Burkliplatz ticket office or on the boat. ZVV zone ticket is accepted but for long round journey an all zone ticket is required.

Taxi

Zurich taxis are very expensive. There are both metered taxis and other taxi services, and many taxi stands at important points of the city. The base fare is 6 CHF. Additional fare is 3.80 CHF per kilometre. You can dial the following numbers to call a taxi over phone.

Taxi 444: +41 44 444 4444
iTaxi: +41 44 666 1616
7X7 Fahrdienste: +41 44 777 7777

Ticketing and Transport Passes

Zurich transportation system has 7 zones. Airport comes under zone 121. Three zones combined ticket (zone 110, 111 and 121) is usually enough for tourists. One can travel by any public transport. A Zurich card and Travel Pass gives excellent opportunity to travel around and visit many attractions with discounts. Following are the various ticketing options and discount pass offers available in Zurich.

Single ticket is valid for 1 hour, 3 zones and costs 6.80 CHF for an adult. 2-zone ticket costs 4.40 CHF. For local zone (single zone) the cost is 2.70 CHF (valid for 30 minutes).

Multiple journey ticket consists of 6 single tickets and one can save 10% per single ticket.

Day pass costs 13.60 CHF for 3 zones, 8.80 CHF for 2 zones and 5.40 CHF for a single zone. It is valid for 24 hours.

Multiple Day ticket allows travelling for 6 days (it can be non-consecutive days). Separate validation is required on each day. It is transferable and can be used by 6 persons together on a single day (separate part of the ticket to be validated per person). 10% can be saved compared to a single day pass.

Zurich Card is ideal for tourists staying for up to 3 days in Zurich. It is available for 24 and 72 hours and valid for all the 7 zones. Apart from free unlimited access to public transportation it also allows free access to most of the museums and additionally offers 10% discount at selected shops. A 24 hour ZurichCARD costs 24 CHF for an adult and 16 CHF for a child (6 to 16 years) and 72 hours ZurichCARD is 48 CHF for an adult and 32 for a child.

All tickets and passes can be purchased from ticket machines, ticket counters, and through ZVV mobile app.

Swiss Travel Pass is a good option for a traveller visiting Switzerland’s multiple destination. It allows unlimited travelling by public transports (Road, Rail and water) with additional benefits. Swiss Travel Pass is available for 3, 4, 8 and 15 days. The prices are 225, 270, 398 and 485 CHF respectively. This pass allows unlimited free travel by trains, buses and boats. Premium Panorama Trains are also free but prior reservation is required and in some cases extra surcharge has to be paid. Admissions in over 500 museums are free. This pass is valid for consecutive days.

Hiring Bicycles

Zurich like many other European cities encourages riding bicycles. There are dedicated biking paths in the city. Here are some dos and don’ts for the bikers.

Ride on the yellow mark dedicated bike paths
Never ride on sidewalks
Always use hand signals

Always wear a bike helmet

A bike can be hired for free on a deposit of 20 CHF (refundable). A photo ID is must. A good place to rent a bike is the main train station’s bike hiring point (between 8:00am to 9:30pm). Download Zurich bike rental app for more details.

Car Rentals

All international car rental companies have services in Zurich. Per day rental rate starts from 80 CHF. Following are some good sources for car rental services.

Carflexi Zurich: carflexi.com/en-us/
Autoeurope: autoeurope.eu
Avis Autovermietung: avis.ch/

Sixt Autovermietung:sixt.ch
Europcar Zurich: europcar.ch/en

Scooter/Motorbike Rentals

Numerous makes and models of scooters and motorcycles are available on rent in Zurich… from Vespa to high end Harley Davidson. Per day rental rate ranges from 65 CHF up to 250 CHF depending on the model. Following are few good sources to rent a scooter/motorbike.

BikesBooking: bikesbooking.com
Rentalmotorbike: rentalmotorbike.com
Hertz Bikes: hertz.ch/p/en/bikes

AdMo: rental-motorcycle.com/europe/switzerland/zurich_rental.html

Getting To Major Attractions

The starting point for the journeys below is taken as Zurich Central Station (the main station) unless mentioned otherwise. Note that many areas of Zurich are vehicle free and would require a walk. However you will find several attractions near to each other. Although those places are mentioned separately below, you can combine them while planning your trip.

Pavilion Le Corbusier is a highly photographed art museum in Zurich due to its excellent exterior. It is also a fantastic host of art collections. The best way to get there is to take a line 4 tram towards Tiefenbrunnen and get down at Hoschgasse. This place is located around 3 kilometres south of the main station.

Dorfi or the Neiderdorf is basically the old town of Zurich. Exploring this quaint shopping and architecture hub is best done by walking.

Grossmunster Church is located around half a kilomtere south of the main station. Take a line 4 tram towards Tiefenbrunnen to get there. Journey time is around 3 minutes.

Opernhaus Zurich is graced by Mozart and William Shakespeare. Opernhaus is located towards south at a distance of around 1.6 kilometres. You can take S-Bahn train numbers S5, S6, S9 or S11 to reach Zurich Stadelhofen station. Journey time is around 3 minutes.

The most beautiful concert hall in Zurich is Tonhalle in Claridenstrasse. This place is located around 1.5 kilometres south of the main railway station. You can take tram line number 6,7,11 or 13. For route 11 you need to disembark at Borsenstrasse and then walk for around 260 metres. For other 3 lines you need to get off at Stockerstrasse and then walk for around 300 metres.

The Fraumunster Church (Women’s Church) of Zurich is dated back to 853 AD and was built by Emperor Ludwig. The church is located 1 kilometre south of the main station. Tram is the best transport and there are 4 different tram routes to get there. If you take line 6 or 13 then get off at Paradeplatz, from there it is around 3-minute walk. Alternatively take line 4 tram towards Tiefenbrunnen, get down at Rathaus, from there it is little less than 300 metres. You can also take a line 15 tram from central stoppage (250 metres from central station) towards Stadelhofen and disembark at Helmhaus, from there it is less than 200 metres.

Church of the Great Minister (Grossmunster) is located at Grossmunsterplatz towards south of the main station at a distance of around 1 kilometre. This place is quite near the Fraumunster Church and located within the Neiderdorf area.

Swiss National Museum or Schweizerisches Landesmuseum looks like a fairy tale castle. It has very rich collection of historical and cultural exhibits. This museum is located at Museumstrasse towards northeast of Zurich main station at a distance of little more than 100 metres. So you can easily walk down.

Museum Rietberg is located inside the biggest public park of Zurich at Gablerstrasse. This place is loaded with gorgeous artefacts from all over the world. You need to travel little more than 2.5 kilometres from the main station towards south. Take a line 7 tram towards Wollishofen and get down at Museum Rietberg stop (journey time is around 9 minutes), then walk for 350 metres to the museum gate. Alternatively you can take S-Bahn S4 or S24 line trains towards Shilwald or towards Zug. In the first case get off at Saalsporthalle otherwise at Zurich Enge, but in both cases you need to walk for about a kilometre to get to the museum.

FIFA World Football Museum has exhibits dated back to the first world cup played in Uruguay. It is located at Seestrasse (around 2 kilometres south of the main station). You can get there by tram but taking an S-Bahn train will be quicker and you need to walk less. Take a S8/S24 line train from the main station towards Pfaffikon SZ/Zug and get down at Zurich Eng, the museum is only 120 metres away.

Zurich Zoo is located at Zurichbergstrasse towards northeast of the main station at a distance of around 3 and half kilometres. You can get there in 20 minutes by taking a line 6 tram for Zurich Zoo. Once you get off, you need to walk for little over 300 metres.

Great Day Trips

Mount Titlis is one of the best day trips from Zurich. Even if you are not a sports enthusiast you will love the panoramic 360 degree landscape of this place from cable car and from the top of the mountain. It is a 10-hour trip and costs around 165 Euros per person in a guided tour.

To explore Mount Titlis on your own you need to reach Engelberg (located around 82 kilometres south of Zurich). Take a train from Zurich HB (main station) to Lucerne, from there change to a train to Engelberg. Total journey time will be around 90 minutes. A return journey ticket costs 38 CHF per person. From Engelberg station take a line 5 bus towards Engelberg Titlisbahn and get down there (journey time 3 minutes). From Titlisbahn take a cable car to reach Stand, and from Stand change to another cable car to get to the top. The cable car fare is 66 CHF per person for one-way journey (from Titlisbahn to the top of Mount Titlis) and 92 CHF for return journey..

Another fantastic day trip is to the ‘Top of Europe’ Jungfraujoch. The spectacular views from the cogwheel train during your journey will surely be a lifetime experience. This trip takes 12 hours and costs around 220 Euros per person.

If you want to go on your own to Jungfraujoch then first take a train from Zurich to Kleine Scheidegg which is located around 144 kilometres south of Zurich. The train goes via Bern, Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen. Check for suitable trains at www.sbb.ch/de/. Single journey per person ticket costs around 56 CHF (return journey ticket is economical). Journey time is little more than 4 hours (one-way). From Kleine Scheidegg take the cogwheel train to reach the top of Europe (return journey ticket costs 128 CHF). Journey time is around 35 minutes one-way.

To experience Alpine landscapes and serene lakes one of the best day trips is to visit Grindelwald and Interlaken. Interlaken is a small town with lakes on its both sides (east and west). Guided tour duration is around 12 hours and will cost around 85 Euros for an adult. Interlaken is located 118 kilometres south of Zurich. You can take a train to reach there in 2 to 2 and half hours. Take an IC1 (towards Geneva Airport) or IC8 (towards Brig) and get down at Bern. From Bern IC61 goes to Interlaken Ost. Single journey ticket costs 35 CHF.

Transport tips

Outside cars are not allowed inside the city of Zurich
Always validate your transport ticket or you might attract a huge fine
The centre of the city is pedestrianised

Ensure enough coins while travelling
Credit card is accepted in most of the transport ticketing systems
To enter or exit a tram, press the button to open the door

An extra ticket is required to take your bicycles on board a public transport
Two tickets are required for night time traveller including the surcharge ticket