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Zürich / Zurich to Locarno by train
How to take the rail journey from Zurich to Lorcano
A service of direct trains has recently been restored when travelling from Zurich to Locarno, good news which are averse to making connections; and they also take a beautiful route.
For those who value time saving over scenery, the faster option is to take an express train to Bellinzona and then make a simple connection there into a train on to Locarno.
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Routes
Option 1: the faster option
Journey Summary
2hr 19min
Daily
Travel Information
1 x connection per hour
If you can set off from Zurich in odd hours, you will only have to make one straightforward connection between trains in Bellinzona
Though if you depart from Zurich in even hours, you can now take a direct train
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 them using the ‘earlier’ and ‘later’ buttons; the Supersaver tickets tend to sell out particularly quickly on THIS route.
Online bookings open: up to two months ahead of the travel date
On SBB look for the journey options with a time of 2hr 19min and a '1' in the change trains column.
Saver Day Passes:
If you will be making a return day trip, it's also likely that Saver Day Passes will be cheaper than tickets; particularly if you can book ahead and obtain these passes at their discounted rate.
With these passes you also won't be tied to specific trains so will be free to return to Zurich at a time which suits you.
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 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 | * | |
| Trainline | * | |
| Omio | * | |
| Happyrail | * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Lugano (IC trains on route IC 2), Milano or Venezia or Genova or Bologna (EC trains)
All trains also call at: Arth-Goldau
Taking an IC or EC train from Zurich to Belliznona:
There are two types of express train service on the Zurich to Bellinzona route:
(1) Swiss IC trains which will be heading to Lugano
(2) International EC trains, which will be heading to Milano or other destinations in Italy
(Some of EC train departures MAY will still be by the Astoro trains)
Swiss 'rules' apply to this journey, so whether you will be buying tickets or using a rail pass, it doesn't particularly matter which of these train services you choose to travel by; seat reservations aren't compulsory on Zurich to Bellinzona journeys by the EC trains.
The timetable is slightly eccentric because in most odd hours both an IC AND an EC train depart, but in even hours the direct IR train to Locarno will be available.
These IC and EC trains to Bellinzona should all depart from the street level platforms/tracks in Zurich HB (gleis 3 - 18).
From Zurich Flughafen/Airport:
There are no direct trains between the station at Zurich Flughafen/Airport and Bellinzona
You will have to change trains at Zurich HB station.
Making the transfer will be much easier if you take a train from Zurich Flughafen to Zurich HB which uses the same part of Zurich HB station (platforms/tracks/gleis 3 - 18) that the trains on to Bellinzona will depart from.
So when taking a train from the airport target either;
- the trains on route S24 heading to Zug - every 30 mins.
- the IR trains to Luzern - every 30 mins.
- the IR train to Basel via via Brugg - 1 x train per hour.
Now that these trains travel through the epic Gotthard Base Tunnel, these journeys* are now less scenic than they used to be.
But this still a route with some wow moments.
The train will spend most of the first 10 mins of its journey travelling in a tunnel, but soon after it emerges into the daylight, the train will ascend upwards from the sure of Lake Zurich.
So from the left of the train (when facing the direction of travel) there are sweeping vistas to be enjoyed down over the lake.
Then, if the weather is behaving itself, after departure from Zug station comes the first highlight of the journey, the view over the Zuger See.
This lake with its mountain peaks on the far shore can be seen on the right for more than 15 mins between Zug and Arth-Goldau stations.
The next beautiful vista to look out for comes after departure from Arth-Goldau station, when on the right, the train passes the Lauerzersee...
...and then further south, also on the right there are glimpses of Lake Luzern.
Train 2
Travelling On
Good to Know
Final Destination: Locarno
Locarno station is shared by trains operated by SBB, the national rail operator in Switzerland, and those operated by F.A.R.T. - the company which manages the 'Centovali Express' route.
In the station the F.A.R.T platforms/tracks are underground, but there is a step-free connection between these two parts of the station.
Between Bellinzona and Locarno station the railway line is close to the northern shore of Lake Maggiore, but for virtually all of the journey, the lake views are tantilisingly close, but out of sight.
Option 2: taking the direct trains
Journey Summary
3hr 19min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Locarno
These trains also call at: Goschenen (connect for the MGB trains to Andermatt and beyond)
Airolo; Faido and Biasca
From Zurich Airport/Flughafen:
There are no direct trains between the station at Zurich Flughafen/Airport and Bellinzona.
You will have to change trains at Zurich HB station.
Making the transfer will be much easier if you take a train from Zurich Flughafen to Zurich HB which uses the same part of Zurich HB station (platforms/tracks/gleis 3 - 18) that the trains on to Bellinzona will depart from.
So when taking a train from the airport target either;
- the trains on route S24 heading to Zug - every 30 mins.
- the IR trains to Luzern - every 30 mins.
- the IR train to Basel via via Brugg - 1 x train per hour.
1 x train every other hour
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
These trains are operated by SOB and tickets can be booked on its website.
Tickets are also sold on the SBB, Swiss National Railways, website
When booking on the SBB website there are two things that are worth looking out for:
(1) If you want to to specifically travel by these trains on the more scenic route, look for IR in the ‘travel with’ column and the red % button in the 'Fare' column.
(2) Cheaper ‘Supersaver’ tickets (those with a % symbol on a red button) are available on these IR trains between Zurich and Locarno.
You’re most likely to find these Supersaver tickets if you book around 4 - 8 weeks ahead.
You may need to search through the departures to find these 'Supersaver' tickets using the ‘earlier’ and ‘later’ buttons, so try and be flexible with your departure and arrival times.
Using Eurail or InterRail Passes
If you have a Eurail or InterRail pass you can just hop on these trains.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| SBB | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
The train will spend most of the first 10 mins of its journey travelling in a tunnel, but soon after it emerges into the daylight, the train will ascend upwards from the sure of Lake Zurich.
So from the left of the train (when facing the direction of travel) there are sweeping vistas to be enjoyed down over the lake.
Then, if the weather is behaving itself, after departure from Zug station comes the first highlight of the journey, the view over the Zuger See.
This lake with its mountain peaks on the far shore can be seen on the right for more than 15 mins between Zug and Arth-Goldau stations.
The next beautiful vista to look out for comes after departure from Arth-Goldau station, when on the right, the train passes the Lauerzersee...
Then just to the south of here, also look out on the right for glimpses of the Luzernsee.
Between Erstfeld and Goschenen the best of the views are on the left, but it doesn't matter which side of the train you are seated on, in order to enjoy the incredible views over the village of Wassen with its white church on a hilltop.
That's because the railway loops in order to climb the mountain, and as it does so, the village can be seen from both sides of the train.
After departure from Goschenen the train enters the older Gotthard Tunnel, and between that tunnel and Bellinzona there are fabulous views from both sides of the train.
The railway will loop around in order to descend the mountains to the south of Airolo station, but this is a prelude to the final highlight of the trip, which occurs as the train descends the mountain on another set of looping curves between Faido and Biasca.
The views looking down the valley with the railway tracks below are breathtaking!
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