I can be a little obsessive when it comes to researching local transportation. That’s because seamlessly navigating public transportation in a foreign city makes me feel like a local! When it comes to Zurich public transportation I decided I needed to write up a dedicated guide to cover it all because I’m not gonna lie… it’s a little complicated. But if you review all the details now, then you won’t be confused when you get there!
I also wanted to thank Sarah at How to Switzerland for her awesome video How to Take Public Transportation (Train, Tram & Bus in Zurich). This video inspired this guide and helped me feel a lot more confident about our future trip to Zurich!
Public Transportation in Zurich
In this post, we’ll be discussing ZVV, which stands for Zürcher Verkehrsverbund, or Zürich Transport Network. ZVV is for local transportation within Zurich. If you’re looking to travel outside of Zurich, or from Zurich to a different city in Switzerland, that would be SBB. I’m not covering SBB in this post, but if you’re interested, let me know and I can go over all the details!
To Keep Things Simple
If all of this overwhelms you, I just want to say up front that there are two things to remember:
- Use the SBB app to purchase your ZVV tickets. You put in your starting point and your destination, and the app will tell you how much your ticket costs, which zones it’s valid for, and how long it is valid. The ticket is stored on the app, and you’re good to start riding! I have a guide all about using the app here.
- Zurich is not a big city. If you’re staying downtown, you might just be able to walk somewhere and avoid public transportation altogether. I usually use google maps to determine how far it is to walk somewhere and base the decision on how tired I am at that moment!
Types of Tickets
The ticket system in Zurich is a bit complex if you’re new to the area. That’s because it uses a Zone System. This means that instead of buying a ticket from A to B, you purchase a ticket for X hours, which allows travel across Y zones. If that’s confusing, that’s okay! I’ll get into the details. But let’s start with the basics!
There are three types of basic tickets in Zurich:
| Ticket Type | 2nd Class Price | 1st Class Price | Zones | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short Distance Ticket | 2.70 CHF | 4.50 CHF | 2 km within zones 110 and 120* | 30 minutes from purchase |
| Single Ticket | 4.40 CHF | 7.30 CHF | Zones 110 and 120* | 1 hour from purchase |
| 24-hour Ticket | 8.80 CHF | 14.60 CHF | Zones 110 and 120* | 24 hours from purchase |
If you’re just traveling around the city center of Zurich, you don’t have to worry about zones. You can purchase any of the above tickets and be fine traveling in zone 110. But if you intend to travel outside of zone 110 (maybe a day trip to Uetliberg?) you will need to purchase an extension.
Extending your Ticket
When you purchase your ticket, if you know that you’ll be traveling outside of your single zone, you can extend your base ticket to allow travel through more zones. For the single ticket, it also extends the time:
| Zones | Time | 2nd Class Price | 1st Class Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 Zones (base single ticket) | 1 hour from purchase | 4.40 CHF | 7.30 CHF |
| 3 Zones | 1 hour from purchase | 6.80 CHF | 11.20 CHF |
| 4 Zones | 2 hours from purchase | 8.80 CHF | 14.60 CHF |
| 5 Zones | 2 hours from purchase | 10.80 CHF | 17.80 CHF |
| 6 Zones | 2 hours from purchase | 13.00 CHF | 21.40 CHF |
| 7 Zones | 2 hours from purchase | 15.00 CHF | 24.80 CHF |
| All Zones | 2 hours from purchase | 17.20 CHF | 28.40 CHF |
For the 24-hour ticket, the valid time doesn’t change – just the zones!
| Zones | 2nd Class Price | 1st Class Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 Zones (base 24-hour ticket) | 8.80 CHF | 14.60 CHF |
| 3 Zones | 13.60 CHF | 22.40 CHF |
| 4 Zones | 17.60 CHF | 29.20 CHF |
| 5 Zones | 21.60 CHF | 35.60 CHF |
| 6 Zones | 26.00 CHF | 42.80 CHF |
| 7 Zones | 30.00 CHF | 49.60 CHF |
| All Zones | 34.40 CHF | 56.80 CHF |
For a deeper understanding of the zones, check out the ZVV’s zone maps which show exactly which stations are in each zone.
1st Class vs 2nd Class
You might have noticed that I provided prices for both 1st and 2nd class tickets. In the ZVV network, 2nd class is your “standard” class and should be perfectly adequate for most travelers.
Trains and some boats do offer a 1st class option that provides a bit more space, larger windows, and usually less people. Considering that 1st class is so much more expensive than the already fairly pricey 2nd class, I wouldn’t recommend it when traveling throughout Zurich.
If you do decide that 1st class is for you, be aware that even if you purchase a 1st class ticket, there may not be a 1st class section available on all forms of transportation. For example, you wouldn’t want to pay for a 1st class ticket when you’re taking the bus or tram; the bus/tram doesn’t have a 1st class section! But since it’s the same ticket to ride a tram or a train, it’s on you the customer to know what you plan to do with your ticket.
Ticket Discounts
As you might have noticed from the tables above, Swiss public transportation is expensive! But they do have some ways to make it more affordable!
9 O’Clock Ticket
If you’re not an early bird, you can be rewarded with a 25% discount! ZVV offers a special 1-day non-commuter ticket that is available for use in all zones. If it’s a weekday, the ticket is valid from 9am to 5am the following day. If you purchase the ticket for a weekend, it’s valid for all hours. It’s 26 CHF for 2nd class and 42.80 CHF for 1st class.
Unlike other standard tickets, you must validate the 9 O’Clock ticket at a ticket machine before each use. For more information about the 9 O’Clock ticket, check out the ZVV page.
Zurich Card
The Zurich card is a tourism card that provides a discount at Zurich museums along with unlimited travel throughout most of Zurich. The card is availble for 1-day or for 3-days:
| Validity | Price |
|---|---|
| 24 hours | CHF 27.00 |
| 72 hours | CHF 53.00 |
If you plan to visit any of Zurich’s museums or travel outside of downtown then you should consider the Zurich Card. For more details on which museums are discounted, along with a map of the exact travel zones provided, check out the ZVV Zurich Card page.
Albis 24h Ticket
The Albis Ticket is good option if you’re planning a hike outside of downtown Zurich but aren’t interested in the benefits of the Zurich Card. The validity areas are a bit more restrictive but perfect for a hike to Uetliberg, along with other nearby hikes. It covers 6 zones for the price of 4 and is valid for 24-hours from purchase. For the exact map of which zones are covered, see the ZVV’s Albis Ticket page.
| Ticket | 2nd Class Price | 1st Class Price |
|---|---|---|
| Albis 24h Ticket | CHF 17.60 | CHF 29.20 |
Half-Fare Card
The SBB Half-Fare card provides a deep discount on most transportation throughout Switzerland, including ~50% off on SBB trains throughout Switzerland and a discount on ZVV tickets! The discount is not always 50%, but it is often significant.
The half-fare card is the standard for locals – everyone has one! It’s so normal that when you go to buy tickets the price is often listed as if you are going to use a half-fare card. When you purchase your tickets, you will have the opportunity to indicate if you have the half-fare card or not, which will allow you to keep the discount. If you don’t have a half-fare card, the price will be updated to the full rate. Note: prices listed above DO NOT assume the half-fare rate. Therefore if you buy the half-fare card all those prices would be discounted!
If you’re only traveling within Zurich, this card probably isn’t worth it. But if you’re going to be in Switzerland for an extended period of time, or if you’re going to be doing a lot of travel through Switzerland as a whole, buying a half-fare card might worth the money!
For more information about the Half-fare card, check out the SBB site. Also, be aware that there is a slightly different half-fare card available for locals. You’re getting the monthly half-fare card for international guests.
Purchasing Your Ticket
The easiest way to handle your tickets is probably via the SBB app on your phone, but I’ll also go over how to do it via in-person ticket machines as well! For a full guide on how to use the SBB app to purchase tickets, check out my guide: SBB App: How to purchase train tickets in Switzerland.
Ticket Machines
- Ticket machines are available at nearly every transportation stop/station/center. There may be some rural destinations where you have to purchase your ticket ahead of time or via the app. Once you’ve found the ticket station, approach the kiosk and tap the screen to start the prompts.
- Select English at the bottom of the screen (or your language of choice)
- Select your destination station.
- Choose via direct. This means that you don’t want to get to your destination via a certain route, you just want to get there in the most direct way.
- Select 1 hour or 24 hour.
- Select 1st Class or 2nd Class.
- Lastly, select the number of people you want to purchase tickets for, both adults and children.
- Click the Next button. There will be a summary of your purchase. Go ahead and make your payment, and your ticket will be printed!
Using Your Ticket
Zurich uses the honor system for local transportation, meaning that you don’t actually need to validate your ticket before getting onto public transportation. Just having the ticket is good enough. However, don’t think that this means you can just skip the ticket altogether! There are ticket inspectors who might board your vehicle and ask everyone to show their ticket. If you don’t have a ticket, or if you have the wrong one, you will be fined!
Some other things to keep in mind when using public transportation in Zurich:
- You always buy your ticket BEFORE getting on your train/tram/bus/boat of choice.
- ZVV tickets in Zurich are valid on trains, trams, buses, and boats. That means that as long as you’re in a valid zone, you don’t need a new ticket when you change your type of transportation.
- Switzerland is a rule-following culture, so it’s important to get the correct tickets for your zones. remember, if you’re ever confused, you can just type in your starting and ending points into the SBB app, and it will tell you which ticket you need to purchase!
Using the Train
Trains in Zurich are great because they’re fast, clean, and on time! They come less often than trams, but often enough where you shouldn’t have to wait too long.
If you are not used to navigating train stations, I find that they can be a bit overwhelming. We don’t have trains in Seattle, so it always takes me a bit to get used to them when I visit a city with trains.
When you arrive at a train station you will have to determine which track your train will be arriving at. If you purchased a specific ticket through the app, you should already know which track you need. But if you have a daypass and are just showing up, I recommend pulling your route up on Google Maps to figure out the track. Additionally, there will be a schedule at the train station that indicates which trains are going to which track.
Once you determine which track you need, follow signs to find your train track. Once you arrive at your track, you’ll see signs indicating which platform to stand at along the track. Find the platform that indicates your train number, and stand at the appropriate section. I always find this part a little confusing, so I recommend you check out How to Switzerland’s YouTube video How To Take Public Transportation for more visuals about this. Once you do it a few times it will all make sense!
When your train arrives press the green button on the door, enter the train and find your seat! Many trains will have a screen indicating the next stop, and there may also be announcements. When you arrive at your stop press the green button on the door again to leave the train.
Using Trams and Buses
Using trams/buses in Zurich is very similar to trains. You find the appropriate stop, and wait for the tram/bus. Press the green button to open the doors and board the tram/bus.
Once you’re on the tram/bus, wait for your stop. There may be electric signs indicating the next stop, and there also may be announcements. When your stop is coming up, press the buttons distributed around the tram/bus. Some models may have a pull cord instead of a button.
When you arrive at your stop, press the green button on the door to exit.
Trains vs Tram
Considering that using a train and tram are pretty similar, you may be asking yourself: what is the difference?
Trams come more often, but they also have more stops and run slower. Alternatively, trains run faster and have less stops, but they also come less often.
While you may use local trains for short distances, they are designed for longer trips. This makes trains a little bit more comfortable: they have bathrooms and eating is totally acceptable. Trams and buses are more crowded and do not have bathrooms. Eating on trams and buses is considered a no-no.
Overall, I wouldn’t overthink this. If there is both a train and a tram that will get you where you need to go you should consider the price and timing. I will usually go with what is most convenient if the price is similar. If they are identical, then just chose whatever is closest and go with that!
Bikes in Zurich
If you’re looking for a free option and are willing to put in a little sweat, Zurich has free bike rental! To rent a bike for the day (8am-9:30pm) you will have to show a passport and provide a refundable CHF 20 deposit. You can find bikes at Zurich HB all year long, and at the Bahnhofstrasse/Pestalozziwiese and Bellevue/Utoquai from May to October. When you grab your bike, make sure to ask for a helmet!
Airport Transportation
There is a train that goes straight from Zurich Airport to downtown Zurich. For more details check out my comprehensive guide on taking the train from the airport to Zurich HB!
love it? Pin it!
