The stunning view of Lake Geneva from the trains on route IC 1

Zürich / Zurich to Genève / Geneva by train

How to take the rail journey Zurich to Geneva/Genève

What is unusual is that the IC trains from Zurich to Geneva/Genève take two different routes, one of the hourly trains travels via Bern and by the shore of Lake Geneva, while the other hourly train travels via Neuchatel and along the shore of Lake Biel.

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Routes

From Zürich HB / Zurich main station to Genève/Geneva-Cornavin

Travel Information

There are two different IC express train services available between Zurich and Geneva.

(1) Route IC 1 via Bern

The brand new LD/Twindexx trains may now be operating on some departures, but regardless of whether you will be travelling on an older or newer train, double-deck trains are used on this route.

This train will usually depart from the lower level platforms/tracks in Zurich HB station (gleis 31 or 32)
It will normally arrive 5 mins before it is due to depart, so keep an eye on the departure time, you many not have to rush to board by the nearest door.

Final Destination: Genéve-Aeroport

All trains also call at: Lausanne

(2) Route IC 5 via Biel

The tilting ICN trains are used on this route.

At Zurich HB these trains will depart either from the platforms/tracks (gleis 3 - 18) which can be accessed from the street level concourse, OR from gleis 31-32 in the lower level of the station.

What may not be obvious is that two ICN trains can be joined together on departure from Zurich, so on some departures only the front train will travel on to Geneve, the rear train will be terminating in Biel.
Though when that is occurring multi-lingual announcements are made on the train and you will also be asked to move seats if need be by the train conductor.

All trains also call at: Biel and Neuchatel

From Zurich Flughafen/Airport:

The trains on route IC 1 via Bern all call at at Zurich Flughafen/Airport station 16 mins before they depart from the city centre station, Zurich HB and 50% of the trains on route IC 5 via Biel also call at the airport station.

So there are one OR two direct trains per hour between Zurich Airport and Geneve.

2 x trains per hour

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes - If you book Supersaver tickets (more info is available on the the SBB ticket guide below).

You may need to search through the departures to find these 'Supersaver' tickets using the ‘earlier’ and ‘later’ buttons.

Online bookings open: up to two months ahead of the travel date

The train service between Zurich and Genéve is split between:

1: Double deck IC trains that travel via Bern and Lausanne - and also call at Zurich Flughafen/Airport station
2: Tilting ICN trains that travel via Biel (these trains are slightly faster)

So try and be flexible with your departure and arrival times and don't be overly concerned whether you will be taking an IC or ICN train - though the Supersaver tickets are much MORE likely to be available on the ICN trains.

Seat reservations:

Seat reservations are optional on Swiss IC trains, so seats won't be assigned when booking online.

You can book reservations online for journeys by these IC trains, AFTER you have booked a ticket, by using the SBB (Swiss national railways) seat reservation service OR request a reservation when booking at a station ticket office.

Travelling with a rail pass:

Rail pass users can jump on any train, without having to make reservations.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
SBB *

SBB Guide

SBB is the main national rail operator in Switzerland, but tickets for journeys by the other significant operators including BLS and SOB can be be booked on the SBB website.

SBB also sells tickets for journeys to many destinations which involve a combination of SBB trains and services provided by the many independent operators who serve the Alpine resort towns.
However, if you will be making a long-distance return day trip, look out for he possibility of SaverDay passes being cheaper than tickets.

Though if you download the SBB app, booking tickets on SBB's mobile services can be simper than using the website.
Also watch out for the fact that booking international tickets can be comparatively quirky.

Trainline *

Trainline Guide

Happyrail *

Happyrail Guide

Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.

HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - YesLake views

Good to Know

Which route should you choose?

The trains on route via IC 1 via Bern usually depart from Zurich at 32 mins past each hour and those on route IC 5 via Biel usually depart at 04 mins past each hour.

So if you will be buying tickets at the station or using a rail pass, simply take the next to depart, regardless of which route the train is taking.

It can be fun to travel from Zurich on one route and return on the other, between Olten and Lake Geneva the two routes are very different.

Though if you will be booking tickets in advance online, you save money if you can purchase Supersaver train tickets.
Be guided by price, rather than the route - though the cheaper tickets tend to be more widely available on the trains via Biel.

The stunning view of Lake Geneva from the trains on route IC 1 The stunning view of Lake Geneva from the trains on route IC 1
The best of the views on the IC 1 route are when the train approaches Lausanne The best of the views on the IC 1 route are when the train approaches Lausanne
Sit on the left of the trains if you take the IC 1 route Sit on the left of the trains if you take the IC 1 route
The sun rises over the countryside near Fribourg from an IC 1 train The sun rises over the countryside near Fribourg from an IC 1 train
Lake Biel comes into view on the left if you take the IC 5 route Lake Biel comes into view on the left if you take the IC 5 route
The IC 5 route spends more than 10 mins right by the Lake Biel shore The IC 5 route spends more than 10 mins right by the Lake Biel shore
Shortly after departure from Neuchatel station look for the stunning view over the town Shortly after departure from Neuchatel station look for the stunning view over the town
Passing through the vineyards between Neuchatel and Yverdon on route IC 5 Passing through the vineyards between Neuchatel and Yverdon on route IC 5
A final view of the lakes as the train heads south on route IC 5 A final view of the lakes as the train heads south on route IC 5

via Bern

From the left of the train (when facing the direction) of travel there are some incredible views over Lake Geneva, as the train approaches Lausanne.
It's worth travelling on the upper deck in order to see these views at their best - the video was filmed from a train travelling in the opposite direction.

This part of the journey is so fabulous that it merited a place on the list of the 15 Most Beautiful Swiss Train Journeys.

via Biel

From the left of the train (when facing the direction) of travel there are some wonderful views over the lakes after Biel.

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