How to take the rail journey from Zurich to Arosa

Departing From Zurich HB:

These trains will depart from the street level platforms/tracks at Zurich HB - gleis 3 - 18.

Three of the daily departures, those which are usually scheduled to leave Zurich at 10:00 and 14:00 and 18:00, are by ICE4 trains that have travelled from Germany.

From Zurich Flughafen/Airport:

There are now hourly direct trains between the station at Zurich Flughafen/Airport and Chur, but those trains take an indirect route via St Gallen.

So it's possible to save around 50 mins on a train journey from Zurich Airport to Chur, by changing trains at Zurich HB station.

Making the transfer will be much easier if you take a train from Zurich Flughafen to Zurich HB which uses the same part of Zurich HB station (platforms/tracks/gleis 3 - 18) that the trains on to Chur depart from.

So when taking a train from the airport target either;

• the trains on route S24 heading to Zug - every 30 mins.
• the IR trains to Luzern - every 30 mins.
• the IR train to Basel via via Brugg - 1 x train per hour.

The connection in Chur:**

At Chur station the RhB trains on to Arosa will depart from the station forecourt on the street outside the station
On arrival at Chur descend into the passage way that is beneath the tracks and walk towards the main exit - looking out for the signs, which point the way to the Arosa trains.

The usual connecting time between the arrival of the optimum IC train from Zurich will be around 16 mins, so this should ensure a stress-free transfer.

Booking Tickets:

Tickets can be be booked online for the end-to-end journey which involves taking a SBB train + the train(s) on to Arosa which are operated by RhB.

Online bookings open: up to six months ahead of the travel date

‘Point-to-point tickets’ can be used on any train(s) on your travel date, but they tend to be comparatively expensive.

'Supersaver tickets' are cheaper, the portion of the journey by the SBB train can be discounted by up to 50%, but these tickets are train departure specific.
If you book a Supersaver ticket and a flight delay etc, causes you to miss a train you are booked on to, you will have to book another full-price point-to-point ticket(s).
You can then apply for a refund of the Supersaver ticket, but the application costs CHF 10.

Hence it’s worth comparing the ticket price of a journey with the price(s) of Saver Day Passes (see below) they might save you money and can also allow for a less stressful journey.

Using Saver Day Passes:

Now that the Swiss Transfer tickets have been discontinued a Saver Day Pass may save you money, if you can book at least a couple of weeks ahead (usually), so that you can obtain the pass at a discounted price.
If they are cheaper, the SBB booking service should automatically offer them as a default option.

They can be cheaper than tickets for the end-to-end journey, though they are more likely to be a money saver if you will be making a day return trip between Zurich and Arosa.

They can be used on;
(1) the trains between Zurich Fughafen/Airport and Zurich HB station (or on the direct train from the airport to Chur)
(2) the trains between Zurich HB and Chur
(3) the trains between Chur and Arosa

They are not train specific, so can still be used in the event of a journey to Switzerland being delayed.
Though as they’re only valid for one day’s travel, the clue is the name, you’ll need to purchase another Saver Day Pass for your return journey if you'll be holidaying in Arosa.