Zurich Airport to the City Centre: Train, Tram, Taxi and What Each Costs
Zurich is the airport where the train wins every time. The station is in the basement of the terminal, under Check-in 3, trains to the main station leave every few minutes, and the ride is shorter than the walk to the taxi rank at some airports. This guide covers the train, the trams that serve the hotels in Glattbrugg, the taxi fares, the tickets and the night services, so that you spend CHF 7.20 rather than CHF 65.
The train
Zürich Flughafen station is under Check-in 3, reached by escalators and lifts from the arrivals and check-in levels and signposted Bahn/Railway throughout the terminal. Trains to Zürich Hauptbahnhof run about every 10 minutes from around 5:00 am to 1:00 am, a mix of S-Bahn lines (S2, S16, S24) and InterCity trains, and take 10 to 12 minutes; the S-Bahn lines continue through the city to Stadelhofen for the lake and the Old Town’s east bank. A single ticket for zones 110 and 121 costs CHF 7.20 in second class, and the SBB machines take cards and foreign notes. Long-distance trains also leave the airport directly for Winterthur, St. Gallen, Basel, Bern, Lucerne and beyond, which is why many passengers connect here without seeing the city.
Tram and bus
The Glattalbahn trams 10 and 12 and the regional buses stop in front of The Circle, two minutes from the terminal. Tram 10 runs to Zürich Hauptbahnhof in about 35 minutes through Oerlikon, slower than the train but useful at night and for the Glattbrugg hotels: the ibis budget is at the Glattbrugg, Unterriet stop, two stops away, and the Hilton, Mövenpick and Dorint are a short walk from the Glattbrugg stops. Tram 12 goes to Stettbach for the eastern suburbs. Tickets are the same ZVV fares as the train.
Taxi and ride-hailing
Taxis wait outside Arrivals 1 and 2; the fare to the city centre is about CHF 60 to 70, 20 to 30 minutes, more in the evening rush. Several operators sell fixed airport fares from about CHF 60 and the airport lists licensed limousine companies. Uber and Bolt operate in Zurich and collect from the signed pick-up zone. For the shuttle hotels a taxi from the terminal is CHF 15 to 20.
Tickets and passes
Zurich’s public transport is run as a single fare network, the ZVV, so one ticket covers train, tram, bus and the lake boats within its zones. Buy a single (CHF 7.20 to the centre), a 24-hour pass for the same zones if you will use trams in the city, or a Zürich Card (24 or 72 hours) that adds museums. The Swiss Travel Pass covers the airport train and all of Zurich’s transport as well as the rest of the country, and the Half Fare Card halves every ticket; both are worth the arithmetic for a ski week or a two-city trip (ski transfers guide). Children under six travel free and under 16 at half price.
Late and early
The last trains to the city leave the airport around 1:00 am and the first around 5:00 am; on Friday and Saturday nights the ZVV night network adds trains and buses between. Because the airport has a night curfew from 11:30 pm to 6:00 am, the last arrivals land before the last train, and the earliest check-ins open before the first one, so the train covers almost every flight. For the hour or two it does not, the hotels you can walk to (Radisson Blu, the two Hyatts at The Circle) are what a 4:30 am departure needs, and our sleeping in the airport guide covers the rest.
Driving
The A51 motorway passes the airport and reaches the city in 15 to 20 minutes outside the rush hours. Every car in Switzerland needs the CHF 40 motorway vignette, which rental cars from the airport carry; details are in our car hire and vignette guide. The airport’s car parks and the hotels’ park, sleep and fly rates are compared in the parking guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get from Zurich Airport to the city centre?
By train. The station is under Check-in 3, trains to Zürich Hauptbahnhof leave every 10 minutes or so from about 5:00 am to 1:00 am, the ride takes 10 to 12 minutes and a ticket costs CHF 7.20 (zones 110 and 121). Tram 10 is the slower, cheaper way to the same station, and a taxi costs about CHF 65.
Where do I buy a ticket?
At the SBB ticket machines and the counter in the station, or in the SBB Mobile or ZVV app. Choose a single for zones 110 and 121; a 24-hour pass for the same zones costs about twice that and covers trams and buses in the city for the day. Swiss Travel Pass holders ride free.
Is there a direct train to other Swiss cities from the airport?
Yes. Zürich Flughafen is on the main line, with direct InterCity trains to Winterthur, St. Gallen, Bern, Basel, Lucerne, Geneva and Lugano, and the regional trains to the ski resorts described in our ski transfer guide. Many city-bound passengers never go into Zurich at all.
How much is a taxi from Zurich Airport to the city?
About CHF 60 to 70 to the centre, 20 to 30 minutes outside the rush hours. Taxis wait at the ranks outside Arrivals 1 and 2; Uber picks up at the designated zone. Several companies offer fixed airport fares from CHF 60.
Information last verified: October 2, 2026