Meeting wife in Zurich Airport, but need help figuring where to go
 

Hey fodorites

I'm going to be meeting my wife in the Zurich airport on a Saturday morning. We are arriving in different terminals, from different countries, and I arrive about 4 hours earlier than she will.

We are immediately departing by train to Wengen, so I thought it would be a good Idea to meet in the train station at the airport.

For all intents and purposes, we will not have working phones.

1) can somebody help me figure out which train station I'm supposed to go to for où train to if the train station requires a cab or confusing bus, I will probably just meet her in the airport.
2) is there a better place for me to pass the time, or an easier place for us to meet? I may take a shower, which is apparently available at the airport.

Ok, I just saw the Flughafen station and it is the one with trains o Wengen

My question now is 'how dumpy / nice is this train station, an are there better, easier places to meet my wife at the airport?'

Thanks!

The train station at Zurich Flughafen is in the airport basement.

Why don't you just take the train from the airport to Zurich Bahnhof and meet her there? It only takes about 15 minutes. You could sit in one of the cafes in the bahnhof or walk down the extremely ritzy Bahnhofstrasse.

And when I mean ritzy, I mean ritzy. Rodeo Drive has nothing on the Zurich Bahnhofstrasse.

Where are you staying in Wengen?

Thin-Tschuss

Would love to travel into Zurich but will be traveling with very large bags. Perhaps I could stash my luggage at the airport for a few hours and take a quick ride into Zurich, then return in time to meet my wife.

We rented a private chalet for the week in Wengen, and will be moving about the country for a few more days before returning to Manhattan.

The ticket machines for the train are located on the level above the train platforms. This level has numerous shops, and resembles a mall. In the center, towards the walkway to the Radisson Blu hotel, there is a open cafe (no walls) with a fair amount of seating. You could meet there. The entire complex is immaculate and safe. It's about 15 minutes into Zurich by train. I don't know about luggage storage.

check out these site plans: http://www.zurich-airport.com/deskto...aspx/tabid-79/

then select 'Airport Center', click on it to enlarge.

On level G1 you'll find left lugguage and lockers possibilities just next to the showers.

On the lowest level G01, one above the train station, you'll find the SBB (Swiss railways) counters and ticket stations. You could also ask them to transport your lagguage to your final destination (http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-service...s/baggage.html).
Most convenient would be, that you make possible that you have to claim your baggage at the train station in Wengen (!) the first and last time! Oh yes, this is possible, just check this out: http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-service...l-baggage.html.
For pick-up time check this: http://www.sbb.ch/content/sbb/en/des...r.download.pdf
Then you don't even have to lock them away.

Of course, you could also find left lugguage and lockers possibilities in the main station in Zurich, just follow the signs. The main station in Zurich is called 'Zürich HB', HB stands for Hauptbahnhof (main station).

Check the time table here: http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

There is a new train (of different types, but doesn't matter) every 8-12 minutes leaving to Zurich HB taking between 11 and 14 minutes (with or without intermediate stops). But don't take a tram, besides that they start on another level (G1, next to the Bus station), you would spend 49 minutes to reach the same place ;)

And I would wait for your wife just at exit of the arrival sites (arrival 1 or 2), so she wouldn't have to take charge about where to go after the luggage claim; check the site plans or just follow the signs. Would be a nice service to her, wouldn't it? ;)

And I support Pepper's idea to spend your time next to main station in Zurich itself. And if you return to the airport by train again, it will take you only 2-5 minutes to reach the arrival site (1 or 2) at most after exiting your train.

Very very helpful thanks. Love the idea of sending my luggage ahead of me, as I would indeed like to have a chance to see Zurich even just for a few hours early in the morning.

Just note that if you want to pick up your luggage in Wengen later that same day, you will have to check it in to the Zürich HB station by 9 am. That is the "fast baggage" service. Otherwise it can take up to 2 days.

enzian, this is not quite correct:

check out the Pick-up Times for 'Fly Rail Baggage'. It depends on the landing time (and of course on your destination and to some extend also on the airport, ZHR or GVA).

And do not mismatch 'Baggage Switzerland', which is slow and therefor cheaper, with 'Fast Baggage', or even with 'Fly Rail Baggage' (for this you chack the seperate pick up time table for each destination: http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-service...locations.html).

As the pick up time table for Wengen says:

Landing time 00:01-09:00: Pick-up time in Wengen the same day after 17:45
Landing time 09:01-13:00 (in ZHR): Pick-up time in Wengen the same day after 19:30 (however the office closes at 19:40!)

and even for later landing times it still can make sense:

Landing time 13:01-19:00: Pick-up time in Wengen the following day after 10:30
Landing time 13:01-19:00 (in ZHR): Pick-up time in Wengen the following day after 15:45

enzan, you are referring to 'Fast Baggage', which is only served at 45 distinct train stattions: http://www.sbb.ch/content/sbb/en/des...r.download.pdf

correction (besides the typing errors):

Landing time 19:01-24:00 (in ZHR): Pick-up time in Wengen the following day after 15:45

and by the way: some links end with a ')'. Just remove it at the end and then the link works again.

This is an error caused by fodor's editor.