Both main airports have a railway station under the terminal. In Geneva the ticket is free from a machine in the baggage hall, and most arrivals walk straight past it.
- At Geneva, a machine in the baggage hall issues a free transport ticket valid 80 minutes - take it before you leave the hall, because there is no second chance and almost nobody notices it. The train to Cornavin takes 7 minutes.
- Your Geneva hotel then gives you the Geneva Transport Card, free unlimited public transport for the whole stay. Ask at check-in if it is not handed over.
- From Zurich airport the train is CHF 7 and 10 to 12 minutes to the Hauptbahnhof, every 5 to 10 minutes; a taxi is CHF 60 to CHF 80 and there is no reason to take one.
- Long-distance trains leave from Zurich airport direct to Bern, Lucerne, Basel and St Gallen, so you often need not go into the city at all.
- Basel's EuroAirport is physically in France and has separate Swiss and French exits. Take the Swiss one for Basel - bus 50 to Basel SBB in about 20 minutes - because the French door means clearing customs to get back.
Geneva: take the free ticket
- A machine in the baggage reclaim hall issues a free public transport ticket, valid 80 minutes across the All Geneva zone. It covers the train into Cornavin, the trams and the buses.
- Take it before you leave the baggage hall. There is no second chance airside and almost nobody notices the machine.
- Keep your boarding pass. If an inspector checks, you must show you arrived that day.
- The train to Geneva Cornavin takes 7 minutes.
- Your hotel then gives you the Geneva Transport Card, free unlimited public transport for your whole stay, funded by the tourist tax you are paying anyway. Ask at check-in if it is not handed over.
- Note that Geneva airport has a French sector. If you fly in on a French ticket you can exit into France without entering Switzerland, which is useful for Chamonix and confusing for everyone else.
Zurich: CHF 7 to the main station
- Trains S2, S16 and S24 run every 5 to 10 minutes from the station under the terminal to Zurich Hauptbahnhof in 10 to 12 minutes.
- The fare is CHF 7.00, a single-zone ticket.
- Contactless works at the yellow ZVV readers on the platform entrance. Tap a card or phone and the system charges you the right fare.
- Long-distance trains also leave from the airport, direct to Bern, Lucerne, Basel and St Gallen, so you often need not go into Zurich at all.
- A taxi is CHF 60 to CHF 80 and there is no reason to take one.
Basel: mind which country you walk into
- EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg is physically in France and has separate Swiss and French exits.
- Take the Swiss exit for Basel. Bus 50 runs to Basel SBB in about 20 minutes.
- Take the French exit and you are in France, with different buses, and re-entering Switzerland means clearing customs.
- Check your onward ticket before you choose a door. People get this wrong regularly.
Elsewhere
- Bern, Lugano and Sion airports are small and taxis or local buses cover them.
- The Swiss Travel Pass and Half Fare Card are valid on airport trains and on the Geneva and Zurich transfers.
- Luggage can be checked through to some Swiss stations on certain airlines, so ask about the SBB baggage service if you are heading straight to the mountains.
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