What Swiss train tickets cost on the five biggest routes
Here's the plain arithmetic. These are full fares, one way, second class, in Swiss francs, the price you'd pay at the machine if you walked up and bought a ticket today.
| Journey | Full fare one way | With the pass |
|---|---|---|
| Zurich to Zermatt | CHF 125 | CHF 0 |
| Geneva to Zermatt | CHF 120 | CHF 0 |
| Zurich to Interlaken | CHF 76 | CHF 0 |
| Lucerne to Interlaken | CHF 40 | CHF 0 |
| Zurich to Lucerne | CHF 27 | CHF 0 |
And then there's everything that happens around the big journeys, which is where a trip quietly gets expensive:
- A Lake Lucerne boat, CHF 45. Covered in full.
- City transport, CHF 12 a day. Trams, buses, the lot. Covered in full.
- Zurich airport to the centre, CHF 7. Your very first train in the country. Covered in full.
Every single line above is CHF 0 with the pass. That's the whole evidence base for the break-even, and it's why the sums usually tip faster than you'd expect.
How long each Swiss train journey takes
Zurich to Zermatt, about 3h 15mins
You'll change at Visp onto the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn for the last climb up the valley. It's a long day but a simple one, one change, and you arrive in a village with no cars in it.
Geneva to Zermatt, about 3h 30mins
This one runs the length of the Rhône valley, so you get vineyards and mountain walls for most of it. Fifteen minutes slower than the Zurich approach, and arguably the better window seat.
Zurich to Interlaken, 1h 54mins direct
There are around 13 trains a day, with the first away at roughly 06:02. If you're not in a rush, there's a slower way round via Lucerne that's much prettier.
Lucerne to Interlaken, 1h 50mins
98km on the Luzern-Interlaken Express, the shortest of the long routes and the only panoramic one among them.
Zurich to Lucerne, 41 to 50 minutes
Direct, every 30 minutes. Barely enough time to finish a coffee.
Which Swiss routes need a seat reservation
All five are covered in full, and only one of them has a seat reservation to think about at all.
- Lucerne to Interlaken is the Luzern–Interlaken Express, a scenic panoramic route, but priced as an ordinary journey. The seat reservation is optional: CHF 16 in summer, CHF 12 the rest of the year. You can skip it and still ride.
- Zurich to Interlaken can be taken that same scenic way round via Lucerne for exactly the same nothing.
- Zurich to Zermatt is covered right to the end, including the final cogwheel leg up into the car-free village. No top-up at Visp.
- Geneva to Zermatt can be broken at Montreux or Sion at no extra cost, which is the whole argument for taking the slow version and making a day of it.
- Zurich to Lucerne needs nothing at all. Turn up, get on.
Zurich to Lucerne: where point-to-point tickets can win
At CHF 27 it's the cheapest of the five, and it's the one route where buying a ticket most often beats holding a pass. Here's how the two stack up on a short hop like this:
| Single tickets | Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of this journey | CHF 27 each way | CHF 0 |
| Worth it if | Lucerne's your only trip out of Zurich | You add Interlaken, Zermatt or a boat |
| City trams and buses | CHF 12 a day on top | Included |
| Airport transfer | CHF 7 on top | Included |
| Changing plans mid-trip | Costs you every time | Free |
So if your holiday is Zurich plus one easy day in Lucerne, tickets are fine. Add a second big route and the maths flips almost immediately.
How to work out your own Swiss train costs
- Write down every journey you actually plan to make, both directions.
- Put its full fare next to it, from the five above.
- Add CHF 12 for each day you'll use trams and buses in a city.
- Add CHF 7 for your airport transfer, each way.
- Add any boat trips, a Lake Lucerne cruise is CHF 45.
- Total it up, then compare that number against the price of the pass for the same number of days.
That's it. No guesswork, no rules of thumb, just your own itinerary against one number.
Route guides for every major Swiss journey
Covered in fullAbout 3h 15mins, one change at VispZurich to ZermattThe most expensive common journey in Switzerland, which is why it moves the break-even more than any other single trip. One return is most of a three day pass.Without a pass CHF 125See Zurich to Zermatt →
Covered in fullAbout 3h 30mins, one change at VispGeneva to ZermattThe length of the Rhone valley through Lavaux vineyard country. Breaking the journey at Montreux or Sion costs nothing extra, which is the argument for the slow version.Without a pass CHF 120See Geneva to Zermatt →
Covered in full1h 54mins direct, about 13 trains a dayZurich to InterlakenThe gateway journey most first-timers make on day one. Take the longer way round via Lucerne and the scenic train costs the same nothing.Without a pass CHF 76See Zurich to Interlaken →
Covered in full1h 50mins over 98kmLucerne to InterlakenThis is the Luzern-Interlaken Express, a scenic panoramic route priced as an ordinary journey. The only reservation on the five, and it is optional.Without a pass CHF 40See Lucerne to Interlaken →
Covered in full41 to 50 minutes, every half hourZurich to LucerneThe cheapest of the five, and the one route where point-to-point tickets most often beat a pass. Sit on the left for the first view of Lake Lucerne.Without a pass CHF 27See Zurich to Lucerne →And the full break-even, route by route, is on is the Swiss Travel Pass worth it.