Zürich / Zurich to Disentis/Mustér by train

How to take the rail journey from Zurich to Disentis/Muster in order to access the Disentis-Sedrun skiing area

Share

Routes

From Zürich HB / Zurich main station to Disentis/Mustér

Journey Summary

Travel Time
2hr 39min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Information

Change trains in: Chur

At Chur station the usual connecting time between trains will only be around 4 mins, but this is Switzerland so making the connection can be virtually guaranteed.

Though you will usually need to switch between platforms/gleis at Chur, so you'll need to hurry, though you'll only have to wait an hour for the next train on to Disentis/Muster.

If you want to reach Disentis/Muster as quickly as possible then definitely book tickets for the end2end journey on SBB's booking service.
You won't have time to book tickets for the next RhB train to be departing on arrival at Chur station.

1 x connection per hour

Tickets

Booking tickets

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

‘Individual 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 - see our Swiss Tickets guide for more advice on how to book these tickets

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 ‘Individual 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; they might save you money and can also allow for a less stressful journey.

Using Saver Day Passes:

A Saver Day Pass is likely to save you money.

They can be cheaper than tickets for the end-to-end journey, particularly when the discounted Supersaver tickets aren't available; and are often cheaper if you will be making a day return trip between Zurich and Disentis/Muster, even if you can book in advance.

They can be used on;

  • the trains between Zurich Fughafen/Airport and Zurich HB station
  • the trains between Zurich HB and Chur
  • the trains between Chur and Disentis/Muster

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, so if you will be travelling back on another date, you’ll need to purchase another Saver Day Pass for your return journey.

Though they need to be booked at least a day ahead of your travel date, so won't be an option if you book tickets at the station on arrival in Switzerland.
They're also cheaper the further ahead that you book.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
SBB *

SBB Guide

SBB is the main national rail operator in Switzerland, but tickets for journeys by the other significant operators including BLS and SOB can be be booked on the SBB website.

SBB also sells tickets for journeys to many destinations which involve a combination of SBB trains and services provided by the many independent operators who serve the Alpine resort towns.
However, if you will be making a long-distance return day trip, look out for he possibility of SaverDay passes being cheaper than tickets.

Though if you download the SBB app, booking tickets on SBB's mobile services can be simper than using the website.
Also watch out for the fact that booking international tickets can be comparatively quirky.

Journey Features

Scenic - YesLake viewsLandscape (Hills / Mountains)

Good to Know

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.

Final Destination: Chur

Departing From Zurich HB:

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

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.

Arriving in Chur:

Connect at Chur into RhB trains on towards Disentis/Muster.

Journey description:

From the left of the train (when facing the direction) of travel, there are fabulous views over Lake Zurich...

and then over the Walensee...

...before the train makes its first station call in Sargans

Then between Sargans and Chur there are very pleasant views of distant mountain ranges from both sides of the train.

Lake Zurich comes into view as soon as the train exits a long tunnel Lake Zurich comes into view as soon as the train exits a long tunnel
From the left there are great views over Lake Zurich for around 15 - 20 mins From the left there are great views over Lake Zurich for around 15 - 20 mins
Leaving Lake Zurich behind, but the highlight of the journey is yet to come Leaving Lake Zurich behind, but the highlight of the journey is yet to come
The spectacular Walensee can also be seen on the left The spectacular Walensee can also be seen on the left
The final view of the Walensee The final view of the Walensee
Between Sargans and Landquart Between Sargans and Landquart

Train 2

Between And
Disentis/Mustér
Image coming soon...
Disentis/Mustér

Journey Features

Scenic - YesRiver viewsLandscape (Hills / Mountains)

Good to Know

Final Destination: Disentis/Mustér

Buses link Disentis/Muster station with the Caischhavedra cable car base station of the Bergbahnen, the walk will take around 12-15 mins.
The cable car is one of the access points to the Disentis-Sedrun winter sports area.

If you want to travel on to Sedrun or Dieni stations for further cable car access, you can change trains at Disentis/Mustér.
However, you will have to wait 30 mins for a train on towards Andermatt.

All trains also call at: Ilanz

The railway follows a route through a river valley - the train makes several crossings of this river, so it can be seen from both sides of the train during the train.

The most spectacular part of the journey is the passage through the gorge between Reichnau-Tammins and Valendas-Sagogn.

The videos were filmed from a train travelling in the opposite direction.

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

Please support ShowMeTheJourney

Help keep us advertising and paywall free!

Donate

This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.

We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.

Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.

So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.

See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
Leaving From
Going To
ShowMeTheJourney

This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.