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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.

Published: 24 April 2023 16:15 CEST
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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Closure of A13 motorway: The alternative routes from Switzerland to Italy

As summer school break in many Swiss cantons is about to begin, your plans to drive south for the holidays may be seriously disrupted by the closure of one of the main routes between Switzerland and Italy.

Published: 25 June 2024 11:52 CEST
Closure of A13 motorway: The alternative routes from Switzerland to Italy

Italy is one of the most favourite summer destinations for many Swiss families: not only is it geographically close enough to get there by car, but it also has abundance of beaches and good weather is almost guaranteed.

But driving to Italy this summer, especially in the next few weeks, will be no simple matter.

Recent massive thunderstorms unleashed a landslide of mud and rubble, which destroyed a part of the north-south axis of the A13 motorway.

The collapsed section, between Thusis (GR) and Bellinzona (TI), is an important throughway for both passenger and commercial traffic, as it connects Switzerland with Italy.

The San Bernardino Pass, which straddles the A13, is consequently closed to traffic, as are the impacted parts of the motorway.

They will remain closed ‘until further notice,’ which is a general and non-specific term — primarily because nobody knows for sure.

According to the Graubünden cantonal police, this section will remain out of service “for months,” while the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) said it expects “to be able to reopen the A13 in three to four weeks.” 

But even this slightly more optimistic forecast is not definite.

Roads will reopen within this timeframe “only under the assumption that there will be no ‘nasty surprises,’ according to FEDRO. “The clean-up work and reconstruction depends, among other things, on the weather.”

Either way, if you are heading south in the immediate future, expect, as Swiss media reported, “impending traffic chaos.”

To make matters worse, the cantonal road, which is normally used as an alternative, was also damaged by the storm, and is closed to transit and through traffic in both directions.

What alternative south-bound routes are there?

FEDRO recommends the Gotthard route — either via the tunnel or the Pass.

There are other options as well, though they will take longer:

In Switzerland:

  • Over the Oberalp and Lukmanier passes
  • Over the Julier and Maloja passes
  • Over the Albula and Bernina passes via Poschiavo
  • Over the Grimsel and Nufenen passes
  • Through the Lötschberg car transport and the Simplon pass
  • From the Brünig pass road via Grimsel and Simplon
  • Via Martigny over the Great St. Bernard

Alternative routes abroad, for which fees may apply:

  • Via South Tyrol
  • Via Geneva through the Mont Blanc tunnel
  • Via Geneva, Annecy and the Fréjus tunnel

Will you be able to avoid traffic jams on these alternate routes?

It is highly doubtful.

During the holiday season, there is almost always congestion and bottlenecks in front of the Gotthard Tunnel, the Great St. Bernard, and the Lötschberg.

Traffic could be lighter if you avoid peak travel hours and weekends, but don’t expect miracles.

You can find real-time information about traffic jams and road conditions here:

TCS

strassen.gr.ch

Should you travel by train instead?

It is always a good idea if you want to reduce your carbon footprint, and trains are typically a more relaxing and reliable way to travel.

Except this summer.

From June 9th, and for at least three months, the train service between Italian cities of Domodossola and Milan will be interrupted due to railway works, also disrupting travel between western Switzerland and Italy.

A bus service set up by Swiss national railway company, SBB, will run between the two cities, adding at least an hour to the trip in the best traffic conditions.

But train traffic to and from other countries — including France, Germany, and Austria — will be chaotic as well.

You can find more information about these disruptions here:

READ ALSO: Why you should not rely on trains to and from Switzerland this summer 

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