Travel to Switzerland

Flying to Switzerland

Switzerland's national airline is Swiss (www.swiss.com). Other airlines operating flights to Switzerland from the UK include British Airways (www.britishairways.com/) and easyJet (www.easyjet.com). There is also a good selection of flights to Switzerland from other countries, including direct flights with Delta (www.delta.com), Brussels Airlines (www.brusselsairlines.com), Swiss and United (www.united.com) from the USA.

Major airports are: EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Airport, Bern-Belp Airport, Geneva International Airport and Zurich Airport.

Airport Guides

Flight times

To Geneva: from London - 1 hour 35 minutes; New York - 7 hours 50 minutes.

To Zurich: from London - 1 hour 40 minutes; New York - 7 hours 40 minutes.

Departure tax

None.

Travelling to Switzerland by Rail

Travelling from the UK, the quickest way to get to Switzerland by rail is to travel by Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel to Paris (journey time - 2 hours 15 minutes) and, from there, to Switzerland. The TGV (https://www.tgv-lyria.com/en) connects Paris with Switzerland. For further information and reservations contact Eurostar (tel: 03432 186 186, in the UK or +44 1233 617 575, outside the UK; www.eurostar.com) or Oui SNCF (tel: +44 844 848 5848; en.oui.sncf/en). There are also trains from Spain, Italy and Germany.

Rail passes

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 31 European countries for European residents of over six months with three pass options.

The Global Pass allows travel for: 3 days within one month, 5 days within one month, 7 days within one month, 10 days within 2 months, 15 days, 15 days within 2 months, 22 days, one month, two months, or three months across 31 countries.

The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, five, six or eight days in one month in any of the cooperating countries (except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro). Travel is only permitted for one outbound and one inbound journey in the passenger's country of residence that occur during travel days at any point in their trip.

The Interrail premium pass allows passengers to book free train reservations for one country, Italy or Spain, with unlimited trains each day for up to eight days of travel. Reductions are available for travellers 27 or under with a Youth Pass. Children aged 4-11 are free on their first day of travel when travelling with an adult using an Adult Pass. Adults should order a child pass with their adult pass.

Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from https://en.oui.sncf/en/ (tel: +44 844 848 5848, in the UK; https://en.oui.sncf/en/pass/seat-reservation).

Eurailpass (non-European citizens or residents only): offers unlimited train travel in up to 31 European countries for tourists from outside of the EU. Tickets are valid for : 3 days within one month, 5 days within one month, 7 days within one month, 10 days within 2 months, 15 days within 2 months, and 22 days within one month, two months or three months.

The Global Pass allows travel across all participating countries. The One Country Pass offers travel in one of 27 countries.

Adult passes are valid for first and second-class travel. Youth passes (under 27) are also valid for both first and second-class travel. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult using an Adult Pass. The passes cannot be sold to EU citizens or residents. Available from Eurail (www.eurail.com).

Driving to Switzerland

Getting to Switzerland by boat