beanie

Hi, Does anyone know the approximate price for the train from Zurich airport to Lucerne? Also, is the train station at the airport? If not, how to you get there? I am trying to decide whether to rent a car or take a train.

Thanks in advance,

bob_brown

Cost: 24 chf
Frequency: about every hour or more so all day
Time: about an hour and 10 minutes

Train station under the airport.
Why drive?

beanie

Thanks Bob... We plan to stay in Lucerne for a week. I will mostly be working but hope to take some 1/2 day or full day trips when I can. Is it better to by some sort of pass?

bob_brown

Let me let you in on the source of my knowledge: the SBB web site. There is an English version. www.sbb.ch
You can look up the prices of all train trips, except those involving private lines in some cases. You can also see the cost of the rail passes.
You must know something about your plans to be able to price the individual tickets and compare them with the cost of the pass. If you don't reach the break even point, then it is a bad idea.
http://s26282.sbb.ch:80/pv/sts_e.htm
This url will give you the Swiss pass and Swiss card details.
I am not sure where you want to go from Luzern, but Pilatus is a spectacular trip.
For me, I spend a week at a time in the Berner Oberland by renting an apartment in Lauterbrunnen. Next trip there:
September 11. That for me is where the great scenery lies. And it lures me back year after year.

swandav2000

Hello beanie,

I?d like to add some (probably superfluous) details to bob brown's good advice.

First, an easy way to get to the English pages of the Swiss rail website is www.rail.ch. For the connections from Zurich airport to Luzern, be sure to use "Zurich airport" as the departure (duh!).

The train station at the airport is downstairs. As you exit customs, look to your left and see the signs directing you upstairs, then down a long corridor, and then downstairs again. If you're like me and enjoy the minutia of planning and mapping out your every step, you can download a map of the airport from their pdf brochure(page 11 of 18) at http://www.uniqueairport.com/public/...ch_airport.pdf.

You'll notice there are two grocery stores (Marinella and Migros) at the airport shopping concourse enroute to the train station -- be sure to stop at one of them to buy some bread, cheese, yogurt, chocolate, water, etc, to have on the train. Even though it's a pretty short trip, a Swiss picnic on a train is a very nice way to enjoy the ride.

As bob brown suggests, you'll have to do some math to decide if a pass is worthwhile. Just to make the mix more interesting, there is a regional pass for the Luzern area, and you can see the details at www.tell-pass.ch.

Have a wonderful trip!

s

aneckc

Can anyone tell me where the ATM machines are in relation to the grocery stores or train staton at the airport? Thanks

bob_brown

The last time I was in the train station area of the Zürich Airport there was a branch of a bank near the grocery store.
There was an ATM machine and a bank window with a person.

There are several other shops in that general area including the grocery store.

I think you will see the bank when you look left getting off of the escalator.

dingoruff

There is also an ATM outside customs, on the right just beyond the escalator that goes down toward the trian station.