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Basel / Bâle to Chur by train
How to take a rail journey from Basel to Chur, where connections are available on to St Moritz and Arosa
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Routes
From Basel SBB/Bâle CFF to Chur
Journey Summary
2hr 19min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Chur
Connect at Chur for buses to the Laax-Flims-Falera ski resort - click the purple Chur station button to access more info.
Also connect at Chur into RhB trains on towards St Moritz and Arosa.
All trains also call at: Landquart
Connect at Landquart into RhB trains towards Klosters and Davos.
Up to three of the daily departures, those which are usually scheduled to leave Basel at 09:06 and 13:06 and 17:06, are by ICE4 trains that have travelled from Germany, they substitute for the usual IC trains in the hours in which they operate.
The brand new LD/Twindexx trains are also gradually being introduced on this route.
up to 15 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes - If you book Supersaver tickets (more info is available on 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.
The Supersaver tickets can also be more likely to still be available if you are happy to change trains.
Online bookings open: up to two months ahead of the travel date
Try and be flexible with your departure and arrival times, book as near to 60 days ahead as possible,
If you will be making a day trip to Chur from Basel, be open to the possibility that Saver Day Passes can be a cheaper option than booking return tickets.
Seat reservations:
Seat reservations are optional on both the Swiss IC and German ICE trains used on this route, so seats won't be automatically assigned when booking online.
You can book reservations online, AFTER you have booked a ticket, by using the SBB (Swiss national railways) seat reservation service OR request and pay for 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.
If you have a rail pass and can't see a direct train on the departure screens at Basel SBB, take a train to Zurich and connect there for an onward train to Chur.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| SBB | * | |
| Trainline | * | |
| Happy rail | * | |
| Omio | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
These direct trains from Basel to Chur are an exception to the standard 'clock-face' timetable which, Swiss national rail operator SBB uses for most of its other IC express train routes.
In some hours there are two trains from Basel to Chur, in others there is just one and in a few hours there are none; they depart from Chur at 07 OR 33 mins past the hour.
So when looking up this journey on SBB, you'll also see other journey options, which involve a change of train in Zurich.
If the timings of these direct trains don't suit, then making the connection in Zurich is relatively straightforward.
Journey description:
This is a wonderful journey and the highlights of this train ride occur after the train has departed from Zurich, where these trains will reverse direction.
From the left of the train (when facing the direction) of travel, there are fabulous views over Lake Zurich, for more than 20 minutes...
and then over the Walensee...
...before the train calls in Sargans.
Then between Sargans and Chur there are very pleasant views of distant mountain ranges from both sides of the train.
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