How To Reach Switzerland

Switzerland is everybody’s idea of a dream vacation. The small, land-locked country is so beautiful, with snow-capped peaks, glaciers, waterfalls, charming meadows and quaint villages, just about everybody falls in love with it. Additionally, it is one of the safest and most well-connected countries in the world. Swiss International Airlines, which is the national airline of Switzerland, connects it to over 73 destinations across the world and flying is the best way to reach Switzerland.

There's an International airport at Zurich, Basel, and Geneva. Besides, there are airports in Bern and Lugano as well. It's advisable to fly into either Paris or Milan and then fly to any of the major Swiss airports in case you don't find a direct flight. India and Switzerland are thoroughly connected by many direct flights and the minimum time to get to Switzerland is just 7 hours.

The train service is excellent. Switzerland is extremely well-connected with trains arriving from all over Europe. It is one of the most central-lying countries of Europe, which means an excellent network of railway lines. The best route is through France, on the French-Swiss high-speed rail to Switzerland. There are also hourly trains to and from Milan in Italy. 

Besides, there is also the Hourly ICE (InterCity-Express) from Karlsruhe, Mannheim, and Frankfurt in Germany to Zurich. These are German high-speed trains. For those coming from Hamburg, Venice, Vienna, Prague, Belgrade, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Amsterdam, and Barcelona, there are night trains to Swiss cities such as Basel, Geneva, and Zurich. These trains are marked either CityNightLine (symbol: CNL) or EuroNight (symbol: EN).

Road routes are well developed in Switzerland. The popular routes are from France to Geneva and from south Germany to Zurich. Although Switzerland is now part of the Schengen agreement, it is not part of the EU customs/tariff union. Passport checks are fairly common at major EU/Swiss border posts.

Switzerland is the hallmark of efficiency. The internal transport system is just fantastic. Trains run like clockwork, buses are clean and the personnel efficient and polite. Besides, there are several different kinds of mountain transport systems. All this is very well-integrated.

There is a wide variety of tickets and several discount options. You can get the half face card and use it pan-transport (buses, trains, boats, and bike rentals). There are hourly trains or buses on every route, every 30 minutes on some routes, and every 15 minutes on others.

Once you reach a Swiss city, you can fan out in any direction. If you are in Zurich, check out the banking centre on the Limmat river; in Geneva, go see the imposing United Nations building; in Bern, check out the Paul Klee art museum; in Lausanne, see the Olympic Museum and Park; in Zermatt, try the renowned ski resort below the Matterhorn; in Basel check out the Tinguely Museum; in Lugano, go boating on Lake Lugano; in Interlaken, stay a few days at the Alpine resort.