The main station hall at Zurich HB

Frankfurt to Zürich / Zurich by train

How to take the rail journey from Frankfurt (Main) to Zurich

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Routes

From Frankfurt Main Hbf to Zürich HB / Zurich main station

Travel Information

Final Destination: Zurich or Chur

All trains also call at: Basel Bad Bf and Basel SBB

Connect in Zurich for Swiss destinations with no direct trains from Frankfurt including Schaffhausen, St Gallen and Zug; and for Chur and Landquart if the timings of the direct trains don't suit.

5 x trains per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

Finding Tickets:

Check that you’re looking at booking info for the direct trains.

On the DB Bahn booking site look for journeys that have
- 0 in the Chg. colum
- ICE in the Products column.

Use the earlier/later buttons to search for the cheapest ticket prices.

Seat Reservations:

Book 1st class ticket journey tickets on and your seat reservation is included - but they're optional when booking 2nd class tickets, or if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass.

Opting to reserve is particularly recommended if you will be travelling at business hours and/or during the day on Fridays and Sundays.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
DB Bahn from €27.90

DB Bahn Guide

DB is the national railway operator in Germany, so its website can be used for booking journeys by German express trains; the ICE and IC trains and it doesn't charge booking fees.
It also sells tickets for journeys by direct trains on all international routes from Germany regardless of whether DB is operating the train service.

It also sells an extensive range of end-to-end journeys which involve making connections both within Germany and in neighboring countries, but journeys between Germany and Britain cannot be booked on DB.

A key feature of DB website worth keeping mind is that it offers 1st class ticket purchasers complimentary seat reservations on journeys both within and to/from Germany.

Seat reservations for daytime in both 1st and 2nd class can also be booked separately from tickets.

Omio from €27.90

Omio Guide

Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.

The three key advantages of using Omio are

  • it offers prices in multiple currencies
  • it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
  • when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.

The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.

Trainline from €29

Trainline Guide

On this journey

Journey Features

High Speed (partial journey)
There are some very nice views between Basel and Zurich There are some very nice views between Basel and Zurich

This is a pleasant rather than stunningly beautiful train journey, but the views do become more picturesque as the train travels through Switzerland

The fastest part of the ride occurs when the trains travel at up to 250 km/h on the high speed line between Karlsruhe and Offenburg.

These trains reverse direction on departure from Basel SBB station.

Take the stress out of your journey Everything planned to your specification, so sit back and relax… Try Concierge
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