Travel to Switzerland

Flying to Switzerland

Switzerland's national airline is Swiss (www.swiss.com). Other airlines operating flights to Switzerland from the UK include British Airways (www.britishairways.com/) and easyJet (www.easyjet.com). There is also a good selection of flights to Switzerland from other countries, including direct flights with American Airlines (www.aa.com), Delta (www.delta.com), Swiss and United (www.united.com) from the USA.

Major airports are: EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Airport, Bern-Belp Airport, Geneva International Airport and Zurich Airport.

Airport Guides

Flight times

To Geneva: from London - 1 hour 35 minutes; New York - 7 hours 50 minutes.

To Zurich: from London - 1 hour 40 minutes; New York - 7 hours 40 minutes.

Departure tax

None.

Travelling to Switzerland by Rail

Travelling from the UK, the quickest way to get to Switzerland by rail is to travel by Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel to Paris (journey time - 2 hours 15 minutes) and, from there, to Switzerland. The TGV (www.sncf.com/en/trains/tgv-lyria) connects Paris with Switzerland. For further information and reservations contact Eurostar (tel: 03432 186 186, in the UK or +44 1233 617 575, outside the UK; www.eurostar.com) or Voyages SNCF (tel: +44 844 848 5848; uk.voyages-sncf.com/en/#/). There are also through trains from Spain, Italy and Germany.

Rail passes

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 29 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 15 days, 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Reductions are available for travellers under 26. Children under 12 are free when travelling with an adult using an Adult Pass. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Voyages-sncf.com (tel: +44 844 848 5848, in the UK; uk.voyages-sncf.com/en/pass/interrail-passes).

Eurailpass: offers unlimited train travel in up to 28 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months, three months, five days in 10 days, 10 days in two months or 15 days in two months. The Global Pass allows travel across all participating countries. The Select Pass is valid in four bordering countries. The Regional Pass lets you travel in two bordering countries. The One Country Pass offers travel in one of 27 countries.

Adult passes are valid for first-class travel, while youth passes (under 26) are valid for second-class travel. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult using an Adult Pass. The passes cannot be sold to EU citizens or residents. Available from Eurail (www.eurail.com).

Driving to Switzerland

Getting to Switzerland by boat