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TRAVEL NEWS

Plane, train, or coach: What’s the best way to travel abroad from Switzerland?

From hopping on a train to taking the bus or plane, there are many modes of transportation you can choose from to visit Switzerland’s neighbouring countries. Here’s a look at some popular journeys and how the transport compares.

A train in Switzerland
Travel by train in Switzerland to a neighbouring country. Photo by Piotr Guzik on Unsplash

Zurich to Prague

One of the latest additions to SBB/CFF/FFS’s new timetable is a direct night train link from Zurich’s main railway station to Prague (Praha) hlavní nádraží.

You can now hop on the EuroNight from Zurich every evening at 7.59pm or 9.40pm and snooze your way – the journey takes 13.39 hours – to the Czech Republic’s romantic capital. The trains arrive the next morning at 9.35am and 10.45am.

If you’re looking to take the night train to Prague, we recommend investing in Interrail’s One Country Pass. The pass lets you travel to the city – and many others – for a reasonable price. Adults aged 28-59 pay 97 francs to travel to Prague from Zurich for 3 days within the same month.

For those preferring a shorter albeit less comfortable day trip, you can also opt for a coach ride instead. Companies such as FlixBus stop at Zurich Bus Station several times a day and offer both direct and non-direct trains to Prague. Direct trains will take between 9.25 to 10.35 hours, with a roundtrip setting you back 124 francs.

Prague

Travel to picturesque Prague. Photo by Martin Krchnacek on Unsplash

While flights remain your fastest and most convenient way to get around Europe, you can only reach Prague via a direct flight with SWISS. The flight duration is 1h 20mins and a return ticket travelling Economy Light costs 169.55 francs, making this the costliest travel option.

Basel to Milan

The city of Milan is considered a true fashion metropolis and many Swiss residents are drawn across the southern border to indulge in a shopping spree every year.

Luckily, you can reach Milan by coach from Basel’s main railway station up to three times a day. The direct journey takes between 4.55 and 5.45 hours and costs a reasonable 100 francs.

READ MORE: Switzerland mulls new direct Basel – London Eurostar connection

Alternatively, you can choose the more comfortable option and catch a train from Basel SBB to Milan with the One Country Pass six times daily. The trip will take circa 4 hours.

Unfortunately, there are no direct flight connections between Basel and Milan, though EasyJet will get you there with one stopover in Naples for 250 francs return.

A Swiss flight

Flying from Switzerland can be a reasonably priced operation. Photo by JOSE JORDAN / STR / AFP

Geneva to Paris

Not surprisingly, getting to Paris from Geneva is fairly simple. Trains depart Gare de Genève for Paris Gare de Lyon every two hours, and your mini voyage will take you around 3h 20mins. Moreover, France is also covered by Interrail’s One Country Pass – remember, buying a spontaneous one-way ticket to Paris from Geneva can cost upwards of 119 francs.

READ ALSO: Which European cities can you reach with direct trains from Switzerland

If you’re looking to save your money for sightseeing and spend less on travel, you may, however, want to visit the capital by coach. Though slower – the trip will take between 6.35 to 11.05 hours – a one way ticket can be as cheap as 30 francs if you book early.

Reaching Paris via plane is by far your easiest (and cheapest) option. The hassle of travelling to the airport aside, flights between Geneva and Paris only take 1h 15mins and you can snag a last-minute return trip with EasyJet for just 91 francs.

This picture taken on July 8, 2022, shows the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

This picture taken on July 8th, 2022, shows the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Photo: Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP

Bern to Frankfurt

Travel to Frankfurt by coach from Bern’s main railway station takes just under 7 hours and trains leave Bern SBB twice a day. You can buy a one-way ticket to Germany’s financial hub for as little as 36 francs if you plan your trip ahead of time.

For travel to Germany by train, it makes sense to purchase the German Rail Pass, which you can buy at any staffed SBB counter in Switzerland. The pass will enable you to travel Frankfurt and beyond for 3 days within the same month and costs around 197 francs.

Though Bern is home to Bern Airport, it only offers passengers seasonal trips to Lübeck via Lübeck Air. Travellers would then need to hop on a connecting flight to Frankfurt or opt for a train or coach instead.

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TRAIN TRAVEL

Why the ‘strategic’ Geneva to Lyon train line needs drastic improvement

Commuters on trains between Geneva and Lyon (and vice versa) have had to face a number of problems over the years. But there is a new move to drastically improve the service.

Why the 'strategic' Geneva to Lyon train line needs drastic improvement

The train services circulating several times a day between Switzerland’s second-largest city and Lyon in France are used by thousands of commuters on both sides of the border.

But these trains, operated by France’s national railway company SNCF, as well as the country’s regional rail network,TER, are subpar, according to Swiss Green Party MP Delphine Klopfenstein Broggini, who has brought this issue to Switzerland’s Federal Council.

She has sounded the alarm over the fact that many of the trains circulating between these two major cities are in poor condition, and she says the rail infrastructure on the French side of the border is dilapidated and in need of urgent upgrading.

Not only are these trains uncomfortable for passengers, Klopfenstein Broggini argues, but the outdated infrastructure also means that additional trains can’t be put into circulation.

“This link is strategic for Switzerland, as it is its gateway to southwest Europe,” Klopfenstein Broggini pointed out, so improvements on this 112-km-long line “must therefore become a priority” for the government.

What exactly is she pushing for?

“My primary goal is that there should be more, but less obsolete, direct trains running on this line,” the MP said.

“Today, there are around thirty trains which connect Zurich to Stuttgart every day. But on the Geneva to Lyon line, there are only around ten. There should be twice as many, which would alleviate the [overcrowding] situation a lot.”

But that’s not all: she also wants Swiss trains to be put into service on this line for more efficiency.

“I am also asking if it would be possible for Bern to invest in rolling stock on this line, so as to ensure its maintenance, or even its operation, in collaboration with France,” she added.

The SBB operates trains from Geneva to Milan, so Swiss trains could also run to Lyon, Klopfenstein Broggini said.

“This would be in Switzerland’s interest,” she added.

And there would also be another benefit in a more efficient train connecting Geneva with Lyon, according to the MP.

If the infrastructure were in better shape and the trains more modern, the two-hour journey between the two cities could be shortened.

That would make the commute more appealing to some of the 220,000 cross-border workers who commute to their jobs in Geneva from France by car.

“The goal is to transfer some of these motorists from road to rail,” the MP said.

The next step is for the Federal Council to discuss Klopfenstein Broggini’s proposal.

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