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TRAIN TRAVEL

Travel: This interactive map shows direct trains from every Swiss city

This free interactive tool shows you how far you can travel from every Swiss city via direct train. How far can you get from where you live?

A train weaves its way through Albula, Bergün/Bravuogn, in Switzerland. Photo by Xavier von Erlach on Unsplash
A train weaves its way through Albula, Bergün/Bravuogn, in Switzerland. Photo by Xavier von Erlach on Unsplash

Demand for train travel has experienced a resurgence in recent years – a phenomenon that was accelerated by the pandemic. 

As a result, overnight lines – long cut or stopped due to air travel – have become more popular, for business commuters and holiday makers alike. 

EXPLAINED: How to find cheap train tickets in Switzerland

Standard trips have also bounced back in popularity. 

The following tool, developed by German computer programmer Julius Tens, shows you how far you can get from each Swiss city. 

Travel: What compensation you are entitled to if your train is cancelled in Switzerland?

There are of course more direct connections from larger cities, but the map does illustrate how well connected Switzerland actually is. 

Simply enter the main train station of the city in which you live and you will be presented with a map of your options. 

Unfortunately, anyone wanting to emulate the orient express and head all the way to Istanbul will be unable to do so direct from Switzerland (other than expensive private options). 

You can access the tool here. 

Zurich

Zurich offers by far the most destinations of any Swiss city, which makes sense when you consider its size and its location. 

Connections to the east are particularly prevalent in Zurich, with direct trains to Prague, Budapest, as well as several cities in Austria, Croatia and Slovenia. 

Zurich

Basel

Basel might not be Switzerland’s largest city, but its central location means there are plenty of far away destinations on offer. 

RANKED: Where are Switzerland’s best and worst train stations?

You can travel as far as Amsterdam, while Paris, Berlin and Kiel are also available via a direct trip. In fact, it appears that there are more direct trains to German cities from Basel than from Zurich. 

Basel trains

Geneva

Geneva, with its western location, doesn’t offer as many trips north or east as Basel and Zurich. 

While you can get direct to Paris and Lyon, even getting to Germany direct is impossible from Geneva. 

MAP: Return of night trains across Europe comes a step closer

There are however a number of Italian destinations you can get to from Geneva (but strangely not Italian-speaking Switzerland – for that you’ll have to change). 

Geneva

Lugano

Lugano doesn’t offer as many direct trains as the other Swiss cities. In fact, other than Switzerland, the only other places you can travel to direct area in Italy. 

Venice, Milan, Genoa and Verona are some of your options in Italy, while you can also travel to Zurich, Basel and a handful of other Swiss cities. 

To get to Geneva however, you’ll need to change trains. 

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TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is not unlikely) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is basically an enhanced passport check at external EU borders, including a facial scan and fingerprinting.

You can find a full explanation of the new system HERE.

Travellers crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities including that facial scan and fingerprinting.

There are, however, several groups exempt from EES and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

So if you’re a foreigner living in the EU or Schengen zone, here’s what you need to know.

Exempt

One of the stated aims of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – IE, people who stay longer than 90 days in every 180 without a visa, or those who overstay the limits of their visa.

Obviously these limits do not apply to non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They will instead be required to show their passport and residency permit/visa when crossing a border, just as they do now.

In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Commission is clear – exempt groups include non-EU residents of the Bloc.

A Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

How this will work

How this will work on the ground, however, is a lot less clear.

Most ports/airports/terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It does seem clear that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths. However it is not clear whether these will be available at all airports/ports/terminals or how non-EU residents of the EU will be directed to those services.

There’s also the issue that individual border guards are not always clear on the processes and rules for non-EU residents of the EU – even under the current system it’s relatively commonly for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect information about passport stamping by border guards.

Brits in particular will remember the immediate post-Brexit period when the processes as described by the EU and national authorities frequently did not match what was happening on the ground.

The Local will continue to try and get answers on these questions. 

READ ALSO What will EES mean for dual nationals

What if I live in the EU but I don’t have a visa/residency permit?

For most non-EU citizens, having either a visa or a residency permit is obligatory in order to be legally resident.

However, there is one exception: UK citizens who were legally resident in the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period and who live in one of the “declaratory” countries where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory. Declaratory countries include Germany and Italy.

Although it is legal for people in this situation to live in those countries without a residency permit, authorities already advise people to get one in order to avoid confusion/hassle/delays at the border. Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a residency card than it is now.

Our advice? Things are going to be chaotic enough, getting a residency permit seems likely to save you a considerable amount of hassle.

Delays 

Although residents of the EU do not need to complete EES formalities, they will be affected if the new system causes long queues or delays at the border.

Several countries have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a particular cause for concern.

READ ALSO Travellers could face ’14 hours queues’ at UK-France border

Where does it apply?

EES is about external EU/Schengen borders, so does not apply if you are travelling within the Schengen zone – eg taking the train from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.

Ireland and Cyprus, despite being in the EU, are not in the Schengen zone so will not be using EES, they will continue to stamp passports manually.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – countries that are in the Schengen zone but not in the EU – will be using EES.

The full list of countries using EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Therefore a journey between any of the countries listed above will not be covered by EES.

However a journey in or out of any of those countries from a country not listed above will be covered by EES.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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