The train is the way into Zurich: one every 5 to 10 minutes from the station under Airport Shopping, about 10 minutes to Zürich HB, the main station. First you clear passport control, unless you've flown in from a Schengen country, and buy a ticket for 3 zones.
What's the best way from Zurich airport into the city?
For most layovers, take the train to Zürich HB: one every 5 to 10 minutes, about 10 minutes to the main station. A ZVV single for 3 zones costs CHF 7.20 and lasts one hour, so buy a second for the way back. Allow about an hour from landing to the train, and start back from town 2 hours 10 minutes before your flight.
Getting through the border
Landing from outside the Schengen area, you pass Swiss passport control on the way to the station; from a Schengen country there’s no check, and you walk out. Zurich Airport (ZRH) doesn’t publish queue times, so plan on about an hour from landing to sitting on the train.
- EU and EFTA citizens use the regular lanes.
- Everyone else is registered under the EU’s Entry/Exit System: a photo and, from age 12, fingerprints. With a biometric passport, use a self-service kiosk in the passport control hall first; it shortens your time at the desk. There’s also a staffed counter.
- Bags. On one ticket they go through to your next flight. On separate tickets you collect them after passport control; see “Storing bags” below.
- If the queue is slow, you lose minutes in town, never your flight: when you start back is set by your departure, not by your landing.
Who needs a visa to leave: visa and transit rules.
The options at a glance
| Train | Tram 10 | Taxi | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To | Zürich HB, the main station | The main station, the slow way | Anywhere |
| Time | About 10 minutes | About 35 minutes | 10 to 20 minutes |
| Single fare | CHF 7.20 for 3 zones | CHF 7.20, the same ticket | About CHF 50 to 70 |
| Pay with | Machine (cards, wallets, CHF, euro notes) or the ZVV or SBB app | The same | Check with the driver |
The fares are the ones in force until 12 December 2026.
Train to Zürich HB: the best option for most layovers
- Finding it. The airport station is beneath Airport Shopping, by Check-in 3, with the SBB ticket office (open 6:30am to 9pm) and ticket machines. Follow the train signs down to the platforms.
- Which train. Any train that stops at Zürich HB: S-Bahn lines such as the S2, S16 and S24, InterRegio and InterCity trains all go there, and between them one leaves every 5 to 10 minutes. Check that the departure board lists Zürich HB among the stops.
- The ride. 9 to 12 minutes, depending on the train. Every plan on our itineraries starts at Zürich HB: the Bahnhofstrasse and the Swiss National Museum are at its doors.
- Tickets. Buy before you board: there are no barriers, but inspectors check tickets on the train. You need a ZVV ticket for 3 zones, which covers the airport and the city of Zurich (the city counts as two zones). In the ZVV or SBB app, search for “Zürich HB” and it sells you the right one. A single costs CHF 7.20 until 12 December 2026 and is valid for one hour, so it won’t cover the way back: buy a second single when you head back, CHF 14.40 in all. A 24-hour ticket, about CHF 14, costs about the same and also covers trams and buses in town, so buy it if you’ll take a tram to the Kunsthaus. ZVV’s fares rise on 13 December 2026, so expect to pay slightly more from then.
- Passes. The Zürich Card, CHF 29 for 24 hours, also covers the airport train and city transport, but on a layover two singles cost half as much.
- First and last trains. Trains leave the airport for Zürich HB from 5am every day. The last trains:
| Sunday to Thursday | Friday and Saturday | |
|---|---|---|
| First train from the airport | 5am | 5am |
| Last train back from Zürich HB | 12:17am, reaching the airport at 12:29am | 12:17am, then night bus N10 every half hour from 1:15am to 4:15am |
| Last train from the airport into town | 12:42am | 12:42am, then night bus N10 |
A time after midnight belongs to the night before: Friday’s 1:15am bus leaves in the small hours of Saturday. On those two nights, night bus N10 leaves from Bahnhofplatz, the square in front of the main station, and reaches the airport station in about 30 minutes; it also runs the other way, from the airport into town. It takes the same 3-zone ticket, with no night supplement.
Few layovers need the last train. No departures are scheduled after 10:45pm, so on a same-day return you’ll leave town by about 8:35pm at the latest. It matters if you spend the evening in town and sleep at the airport before a morning flight; miss it from Sunday to Thursday and a taxi takes 10 to 20 minutes. Engineering works and holidays change the timetable, and Switzerland’s new timetable starts on 13 December 2026, so check your train back in the SBB app on the day.
Tram 10: slower, the same ticket
Tram 10 runs from the airport to the main station in about 35 minutes, more than three times as long as the train, on the same 3-zone ticket. It’s worth it only if you’re heading for a stop on its route; for the Old Town and the station, take the train.
Taxis and ride-hailing
- Taxis wait at the ranks in front of Arrivals 1 and 2. Most charge CHF 6 to start and CHF 3.80 a kilometre, which comes to about CHF 50 to 70 to the centre, and heavy luggage can cost extra. The ride takes 10 to 20 minutes.
- Uber picks up at the airport; the app shows the pickup point and the price.
- When a car is worth it. Back to the airport after the last train from Sunday to Thursday, with heavy bags, or with young children. On your own or as a couple by day, the train is quicker and costs a fraction.
Private transfers
A pre-booked car gives you a fixed price and a driver waiting in arrivals, which helps most after a late landing or with a family. For a few hours in town with hand luggage, the train is the better answer.
Storing bags
The left-luggage office at Arrivals 2 (Terminal 2, level 0, next to the Airport Information desk) is open daily 6am to 10pm and charges by the item. For up to 4 hours, a bag of up to 8kg costs CHF 10 and a suitcase of up to 25kg CHF 15; for up to 24 hours, CHF 17 and CHF 22. You pay in advance, preferably by card. Landing after 10pm, use the SBB lockers by Check-in 3, in Airport Shopping, which are open 24 hours. Leave cases here before town: the Kunsthaus lets only small bags into its galleries.
Moving between terminals
The Skymetro, a driverless train with no stops, links Gates A, B and D with Gates E in a few minutes, and the passport check for flights leaving Schengen is on the way to Gates E. Gates are shown at least 60 minutes before departure. Our times are from the station; the 90 minutes at the airport covers the Skymetro.
Timing your return
Be back at Zurich Airport 90 minutes before departure, with your onward boarding pass. You’re already checked in and carrying only hand luggage, so the 90 minutes is for security, passport control if you’re leaving Schengen, and the walk or Skymetro ride to the gate. Still need to check in or drop a bag? Come back earlier.
In practice, start back from the Old Town 2 hours 10 minutes before your flight, or 2 hours 25 minutes from the Kunsthaus, which is a tram ride from the station.
| Layover | Time in Zurich |
|---|---|
| 5 hours | About 1.5 hours, for the Bahnhofstrasse and the Fraumünster |
| 6 hours | About 2.5 hours, for the Old Town or the Swiss National Museum |
| 8 hours | About 4.5 hours |
| 10 hours | About 6.5 hours |
| 12 hours | About 8.5 hours |
These times assume about an hour from landing to the train, 25 minutes into Zürich HB with the wait for a train, 40 minutes back to the terminal with a walk of up to 12 minutes to the station, and 90 minutes at the airport, as in the itineraries.