How to travel from Berlin to Zurich by train

These trains are typically scheduled to depart from Berlin Hbf at around 04:30am and 10:30am

Final Destination: Chur
Connect for Arosa, Disentis/Munster, St Moritz

These trains go on to call at Landquart, connect for Davos and Klosters

These trains also call at:
Basel - connect for Biel/Bienne, Delemont, Luzern, Neuchatel and Lausanne

These trains typically commence their journeys at Berlin Ostbanhof and they usually depart from the upper level (tief) in Berlin Hbf.

If your journey is commencing in West Berlin, the quickest option is to take a Regio or S-Bahn train from Berlin Zoologischer Garten station to Berlin-Spandau station and join these trains there.

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date - but this period of time is shorter when looking up journeys in August to October.

A choice of tickets

Four types of tickets are available:
Two types of discounted tickets, which will be cheaper the further ahead you book - Sparpreis and Super Sparpreis
Two types of non-discounted ticket - Flexpreis and Flexpreis Plus

A key difference between these types of tickets is refunds:

• Super Sparpreis tickets are cheapest, but they can't be refunded at all.
• Sparpreis tickets can be refunded for a fee, but the refund will be in the form of travel vouchers to be used for alternative / future journeys.
• Flexpreis and Flexpreis Plus can be refunded at no additional charge.

The other key difference is that both types of Sparpreis tickets are only valid on the specific departures selected when booking, but both types of Flexpreis tickets live up to their name, as they can be used on any departure on your travel date.

Note that none of the tickets can be exchanged to a different departure.
There's no need for this to be available for Flexpreis tickets, as they aren't train departure specific.
If you book a Sparpreis ticket and want to travel by a different departure you can refund it and then use the travel voucher towards the cost of the new booking.
Super Sparpreis tickets can't be exchanged or refunded.

When travelling to and from the major cities, the Sparpreis, Flexpreis and Flexpreis Plus tickets also include 'City tickets', which can be used on public transport between locations in the city centre and the stations where the train will depart and arrive.

Seat reservations

For ticket holders seat reservations are always optional on this route, but if you will be using a rail pass they are now mandatory when travelling between mid-June and mid-August - check the Train guide for the exact dates.
Regardless of whether you will be using tickets or rail passes they cost €5.50 when travelling in 2nd Class and €6.90 when travelling in 1st class.
Specific seats can be selected from seating plans - you don't have to accept the seat(s) that you will be automatically offered.
Opting to reserve highly recommended if you want to be sure of being able to remain in the same seat(s) all the way from Berlin to Bern.

They are included within the cost of booking 1st class Flexpreis tickets and both 1st and 2nd class Flexpreis Plus tickets.
Though despite seats being automatically assigned when booking these three types of ticket - and these tickets being valid on any departure, you will need to pay to re-book the reservations, if you subsequently decide to travel on an alternative train.
So because you won't save by booking these types of tickets in advance, it can be a good idea to wait until you are sure when you will want to travel.

When booking Super Sparpreis, Sparpreis and 2nd class Flexpreis tickets, you have the option of purchasing seat reservations later.
It can be worth re-looking up a journey a week or two ahead of travel, because the DB website will indicate how busy a departure will be.

1st Class tickets

No matter what type of ticket booked, if you choose to travel 1st class, you will have access to the same seating areas on the train, ICE trains do not have Business or Executive lounges.
Though only those who have booked 1st class Flexpreis or Flexpreis Plus tickets can access the DB Lounges at the major stations.

Booking on the DB website

You can find these direct trains more easily by making a proactive selection of 'Direct Trains Only'.

Or to see all the combinations of trains and journey options, some of which may be cheaper, take off the 'fastest connections' default.

Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so if you can be flexible with your departure time use the 'best prices' tool - at the top right on the list of journey options.

Until March 1st

During this period of time multiple routes taken by ICE trains are being altered due to maintenance work closing the main north <> south high-speed line.
So that Germany and Zurich can remain linked by trains which won't have to be diverted on to slower, alternative routes, which risks delays, the trains which normally travel between Berlin and Bern are being diverted in Switzerland, so that they can head to Zurich.
So until March 1st there will be 5 x direct ICE trains per day from Berlin to Zurich.

**On the usual timetable)

There are no direct daytime trains between Berlin and Zurich.

Look up this journey and you will see a multitude of options, but this routing, with a change of train at Basel SBB station, has the big advantage that tickets will be valid on any train on to Zurich from Basel.

So there won't be any actions required if the train from Berlin arrives in Basel SBB station too late to make the optimum 22min connection into the train on to Zurich.

There are minimum of two express trains per hour from Basel to Zurich.

Book in advance and save: YES

Online bookings usually open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

On the DB (German) national railways booking site  look for the journeys which have:

• a journey time of 8hr 30mins
• a '1' in the chg. column
• 'ICE' in the Product column

This train is usually scheduled to depart from the upper level (tief) in Berlin Hbf nightly between 20:30 and 21:30,

Final Destination: Zurich - the train is usually scheduled to arrive there at 09:42.
Check here to check whether the route will be affected by construction work

This train is also scheduled to depart from Berlin Ostbanhof at 20:56. and unlike the daytime trains from Berlin to Basel, it also departs from Berlin Zoologischer Garten, the main station in West Berlin.

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date on DB Bahn

The train conveys:

• Compartment Seats (Sitzwagen)
• Couchettes (Liegewagen); 4 berths AND 6 berths
• Standard sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
• Deluxe sleeping cars with showers (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins

Using rail passes:

Rail pass users must reserve before boarding these trains

However, these rail pass reservations can NO longer be booked online the DB website, but you can now book rail pass reservations without paying booking fees on the OBB website (OBB operates these trains).
Though the process for doing so isn't particularly obvious, hence this step-by-step guide.

Or you can avoid the booking fees by arranging the reservations when you arrive in Germany, by purchasing them at a Reisezentrum travel desk, which you will find in any hauptbahnhof.
Though it's best to do this at the first hauptbahnhof (city centre station) that you will arrive at, the later you leave booking your accommodation, the more likely it is that your preferences will be sold out.