On June 15 (a Friday) we are flying from London to Zurich to join a tour after a 3 day stopover in London. We arrive at 14:35 and the tour company provides a transfer by motorcoach at 15:45 from the Zurich airport to Lucerne where the tour starts for $40 per person.

Will we have enough time (provided our flight is on time) to make this connection?

What alternative means are there from Zurich to Lucerne?

>What alternative means are there from Zurich to Lucerne?

The way most people go from Zürich to Luzern is just taking the train. There are connections every 30 min, every second goes directly from the airport while the others require train change in Zürich HB (main station).
For schedules and prices see www.sbb.ch

travel time will be 1:02 or 1:12 depending on the the train you would take. When entering departure point, use ZRH.

There are no change connections at 47 minutes past the hour directly from the Zürich airport to Luzern. The second class fare is 26 chf, which is less than $25 even with today's wimpering dollar.
Travel time is 62 minutes.

The train station is in the lowest level of the airport with elevators to take you down to the ticket office and then down to the platform level.

The only advantage I can see to the bus is that it might take you directly to the door of your hotel. Otherwise you would probably would have cab fare from the station in Luzern to your hotel.

Swiss cabs are not at all low priced.

To answer your original question, with only an hour to make it through Immigration and baggage claim you may not make the bus, esp if your flight from London is at all delayed, which can easily happen. You also will then have to find the bus which as you don’t know the airport may mean you will be wandering around for a bit trying to find the location. If you have the option to take the bus if you make it, but not have to pay for it unless you do, I would do that. As mentioned above, you can easily take a train from the airport train station to Lucerne if it turns out that you miss the bus.

You can use rail.ch to go directly to the Swiss Rail website in English. Use Zurich Airport as the starting point and Lucerne as the end point on the schedule and you will see all the trains which are available. Several will go without requiring changes, others will require a change in Zurich at Zurich HB (Zurich Hautbanhof) which is the main train station in Zurich.

There are TV monitors at each baggage carousel in the airport showing the departure times for trains as well. The airport train station is a short walk from the arrivals hall, it depends on which hall you arrive into, just follow signs for “Bahnhof” or “Railway”. Once you enter the train station area (there are some shops and restaurants on this level), ticket windows are one level down, trains depart two levels down. You can take luggage carts on the escalators all the way down to the tracks (a bit unnerving until you get used to it, just remember to let go of the handle so the brakes lock).

Note that those trains for Lucerne which require a change in Zurich HB will most likely depart in Zurich station from Track 52 or 54. The main Zurich train station is fairly large and includes two basement levels of tracks. There are about 20 tracks on the street level, numbered 3-18, and then (confusingly) Tracks 51 - 54 which are on the very far left of the street level of tracks as you face the tracks. These tracks are usually used for Lucerne trains, and its a longish walk out to them or back from them. Some airport trains arrive into the station on tracks 51-54 as well. (I used to live in Zurich and know the station pretty well.) If you come into the station on any track other than 3-18 or 51-54 you will be in the BASEMENT, and will have to come upstairs to the main level if your connecting train is departing from Tracks 3- 18 or Tracks 51 or 54. Not hard to do, but confusing if you don’t understand that you are not on the same level as your departing train; and if you only have a few minutes between trains you have to move quickly. There are TV monitors all over the station showing departing trains and their platforms/tracks (“gleis” in German), and there is a huge board hanging in the main hall on the street level). The personnel at the ticket windowat the airport train station could also tell you what track you will be arriving into at Zurich main station and what track your Lucerne train will be departing from.

<b>Which</b> Lucerne hotel are you staying in? Several are within very easy walking distance of the RR station.

Best case scenerio: Flight is on time and your luggage arrives quickly at the carousel. It will take you about 30 minutes to get from the plane, go through customs, pick up your luggage, walk outside and find your motorcoach.

To best prepare:
1. Find out where your coach will be waiting (in front of terminal 1 or 2)
2. Take a list of train connections and a map of the Z&uuml;rich Hauptbahnhof with you. www.sbb.ch
3. Take a map of Lucerne showing where your hotel is.
4. Have a phone number of your tour operator so you can contact them in case of delay.

Dukey has a good point. Where is your hotel in Lucerne?

What a great number of QUALITY replies! Thank you.

The hotel is Lucerne Schweizerhof.

My wife is mobility impaired, walks v-e-r-y slowly with a cane, so we would prefer to have airport to hotel transport. Sounds tight as I expected. I hope we can arrange to pay for the bus only if we make it as Cicerone notes.

Gruezi jsmith,

Most buses I know here have steep steps (like the old school buses used to have). Just a warning.

For reasons you stated, I agree it is better to catch the coach.

Schweizerhof is right in the middle of Lucerne, bordering the old town and the lake, with a busy road in between.

Wishing you a pleasant journey! Don't forget to ask for wheelchairs at the airport if you feel this would be helpful. It can be a long walk from the plane to the luggage carousel.

ttt