Zurich Airport train to Lauterbrunnen

You don't need to buy train tickets in advance. Trains have frequent departures and they don't sell out, so you can buy them when you arrive.

But do look into the various rail passes for Switzerland. Fares can be expensive without a pass. The half-fare card (does what its name suggests) is a big saver. The Swiss Pass is more expensive but I think a better value.

Check out the official Swiss rail site sbb.com for details.

Heather, Switzerland is great and their rail system is excellent and easy to use. Their website in English is sbb.ch/en If you put in your departure station - Zurich Flughafen (which is the airport) and destination as Lauterbrunnen, you'll see how long it takes, the routes, and most importantly, you'll see its not a direct train. Just pick any day and time to get an idea. You'll have to change trains 2-3 times to get to Lauterbrunnen. Not to worry. Its easy to do. And if you miss a connection there's always another train. The website "Man in Seat 61" has a good explanation of how railroads work there, and how to read schedules. So does Rick Steves guidebooks

First class is not worth the extra cost. Not sure I remember seeing any cafe cars on swiss trains, certainly not the more regional ones you will use. Most will have someone pushing a trolley with drinks and snacks, but not meal service. It will only be 2-3 hours in total. Only some trains need reservations - most won't. I wouldn't buy in advance unless you're really confident on when you will arrive. If trains are not full you can get up and move around so you're not confined to one side or one seat.

Most first-timers have questions about luggage and handling on trains, so please keep asking if you need more info.

Thank you so much for the info. I will check out the website, and then come back here with any further questions.

PS, there are some ways to get discounts on advance ticket purchases, or passes that cut costs. But their value to you depends on what other rail trips you'll be taking. You'll likely be using trains, gondolas, etc., to get around the valley for example, and back to the airport. Others can probably help untangle that better than I can.

As above, no need to buy the tickets in advance. Not would I want to, as you have 2 choices for your route, and you may want to wait til you arrive and see how fatigued you are before you decide. Also, you may or may not want a Swiss Pass for the rest of your trip.

The faster route via Bern takes 2h 40 minutes and costs 66CHF per person in 2d class. There is a minimum of 2 changes along the way, at Bern and Interlaken Öst ( avoiding a change at Zurich main station and Spiez). Such trains depart the airport station once an hour, at XX:45. If you don’t care to wait, there are lots of intermediate trains with a change at Zurich main station and/or Spiez. I probably would choose to wait rather than change at Zurich, but Spiez wouldn’t be as bad. You could use the wait time to find a snack to carry on board if you like.

The slower, more scenic route goes visa Luzern and over the Brunig Pass. This trip takes an hour longer but costs less (52 CHF) because it is regional trains rather than Intercity. I believe the views are on the left side on that section, but maybe Nigel can confirm. Brienzersee (Lake Brienz) is definitely on the left, but I am not sure about the waterfall near the pass.

The “scenic route” has a minimum of 2 changes, at Luzern and Interlaken Öst ( you will always change there to get to Lauterbrunnen). They may split the train, with part going to Lauterbrunnen and part going to Grindelwald, so be sure you board the right section ( there will be signs).

The most convenient trains with 2 changes on this route depart at XX:38. There is another direct train to Luzern at XX:15, but then you will have a longer wait for the train to Interlaken, as they only depart Luzern hourly ( at XX:06). But maybe you would rather spend wait time at Luzern rather than the airport —-with 40-45 minutes you have time to walk outside and look around a bit. All other trains leaving the airport will have a change at Zurich, which as a newbie I would avoid—the station has several levels and can be confusing.

The Intercity trains on the Bern route have food on board but I don’t know if it is an actual café car with seating. On the Luzern scenic route, one section shows a food symbol—-between Luzern and Interlaken. Again, I do not know if that is a dedicated car with seating, or a counter with items to take back to your seat. We have only ridden in 2d class on Swiss trains, and never look for food on the train. Sometimes we buy snacks at a station if there is time.

You can see the routes and schedules, as well as the amenities on each train segment, on SBB.ch. Or use rail.ch to go directly to English. Put in your start and end points, and a date and time. Choosea date in the net week or so to get an idea, if your travel date is farther in the future. The schedules do not change much at all. Once it opens a page with 4-6 options, look at the number of changes, price, etc. ( The price shown is half the regular price, as it assumes you have a HalfFare card). Touch the black line showing the number of stops for a particular train to have it drop down a list of the individual trains on the route and the specific details ( food on board, etc) as well as the expected load level ( that is only useful close to your actual date).

Heather,
I see you are from my neck of the woods! Switzerland is one of the easiest and safest places to travel by train. Once you have figured out what kind of ticket you want to purchase, buy it at Zurich Airport. No need to buy in advance. Download the SBB app and you can put in a random date to see the routes and platforms. Changing trains is easy. 2nd class travel is just fine. We chose to buy the Travel Pass as it was just easier to just jump on and off the trains without having to worry about point-to-point purchases.
Margaret

Hi Margaret! I’m from St. Charles County, so not too far at all! Thanks so much for the information. I will look into the travel pass now. We plan on taking the Zurich airport train to Lauterbrunnen, as well as going into Interlaken a couple of time, so the pass may really be worth our while. We will be traveling to Italy, after Switzerland; so I’m wondering if we can also take advantage of the pass to get us to the Swiss/Italy border, to save some $$..

Thank you to everyone for your responses; they are truly helpful. Fingers crossed that Covid restrictions won’t cancel our trip!

Heather, if that is all the travel you are doing in Switzerland, I do not see how a Swiss Pass will be of any benefit. They are really designed to cover journeys of several hours or longer, costing 60- 80 CHF or more. Your proposed itinerary has only 2 such journeys, from the Zurich airport to Lauterbrunnen, and from there to the Italy border. The minimum Swiss pass is a 3-day for 232 CHF, but that likely won’t cover both long trips—-assuming you are staying more than 2 nights in Lauterbrunnen.

If you are staying 3 nights, then the 4-day pass at 281 would cover your trips to Lauterbrunnen and from there to the Italy border, as well as back and forth to Interlaken as you mentioned—-but those trips are only around 15 CHF round-trip. So the total cost of your travel—-assuming that is what you specified—-is well under 200 CHF—-more like 150 unless you add some trips you did not mention.

You can read about the passes from the official Swiss rail website here:

https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/inspiration/international-guests/swiss-travel-pass.html

The best way to get a good price on your travel into Italy is to buy the ticket online in advance, from either Trenitalia or SBB.ch (this one is easier). There are good discounts for advance purchase on the cross-border international trains. I can explain more when you are ready.

Don't forget that the Swiss Pass covers those expensive mountain lifts and funiculars, plus museums, trams, boats, buses, etc. All that can add up quick.

True. But they didn’t mention museums or mountain lifts at all—-nor do I know of any in Interlaken. I was just pricing what they said they intended to do before heading to Italy. If they add some more trips within Switzerland, and/or boat rides or cable cars, they should take another look at passes.

Note that the discount on those expensive lifts is usually 50%, or only 25% in the case of the very expensive Jungfraujoch train. But they could take a ride on a lake boat with the pass, and have it covered 100%.

Luzern and over the Brunig Pass. This trip takes an hour longer but costs less (52 CHF) because it is regional trains rather than Intercity. I believe the views are on the left side on that section, but maybe Nigel can confirm.

Nigel here,

Best views on the Brünig Pass (Zentralbahn) from Luzern to Interlaken Ost are on the right. The tail of Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee) will be on the left briefly, but then almost everything will be out the right window. The station for the rack railway going up Mount Pilatus, the mountain lakes including the beautiful Sarnersee, the villages below you, and after you come through the forest after the summit the views over to Brienz and the Brienzersee (Lake Brienz). You'll come down quite steeply (after all, this train is a narrow gauge rack railway too (cogwheel train) so uses the technology to get around steep corners and steep inclines) into the flats before Meiringen (the scene of the battle between Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty is a real place - the Reichenbach Falls are just behind the station a few hundred metres and you can ride a funicular up there) where the train changes direction. If you were facing forward you will be facing backward and v.v. If there is room swap seats. So now without moving you are looking out the left hand windows for the perfect view of the waterfalls and the lake as you follow the north shore of the lake the rest of the way into Interlaken Ost where this train terminates at the end of the narrow gauge line. The station also has standard gauge mainline trains going all over Switzerland and into Germany, all by going out the west end of the station, and you can also change to the narrow gauge rack railway that takes you to Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald on two branches of the same line.

Going from Interlaken Ost to Luzern, of course everything is reversed. So sit right side leaving Interlaken Ost, which is the left leaving Meiringen and all the views that I described above will be on the left heading towards Luzern.

Hope that helps...

THanks, Nigel—-you certainly helped me. i just remember seeing Brienzersee and the fairytale Grandhotel Giessbach across the lake, out the window on my left as we rode toward Interlaken. And I had a vague recollection that the famous waterfall was on the right, but I did not see how that could be possible. Now I know—-the train reverses.

This is a closeup of the hotel—-always wanted to go there to visit that waterfall, and maybe have lunch on the deck, but it would mean giving up a day of hiking. Can’t do that.

https://www.giessbach.ch/en