How to take the rail journey from Zurich to Lugano

Final Destination: Lugano (IC trains on route IC 2), Milano or Venezia or Genova or Bologna (EC trains)

All trains also call at: Arth-Goldau and Bellinzona (connect for Locarno)

Taking the train from Zurich to Lugano:

There are two types of express train service on the Zurich to Lugano route:

(1) Swiss IC trains which will be heading to Lugano; a mix of trains is used on this route, with the new Twindexx double-deck trains appearing on some departures; though the same trains which are used for the international EC services are used on many IC departures.

(2) International EC trains, which will be heading to Milano or other destinations in Italy
(Some of EC train departures MAY will still be by the Astoro trains)

Swiss 'rules' apply to this journey, so whether you will be buying tickets or using a rail pass, it doesn't particularly matter which of these train services you choose to travel by; seat reservations aren't compulsory on Zurich to Lugano journeys by the EC trains.

The timetable is slightly eccentric because in most odd hours both an IC AND an EC train depart, but in most even hours there are no direct trains from Zurich to Lugano.

Though in most even hours there will be an IR train heading to Bellinzona on a more spectacular route, so if getting to Lugano in the fastest possible time isn't your primary criteria, take that train and connect there.

Or another option in the even hours, is to take that IR train as far as Arth-Goldau and connect there for an IC or EC train that takes the more direct and faster route

The IC and EC trains to Bellinzona and the IR trains to Arth-Goldau should all depart from the street level platforms/tracks in Zurich HB (gleis 3 - 18).

From Zurich Flughafen/Airport:

There are no direct trains between the station at Zurich Flughafen/Airport and Lugano.

You will have to change 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 Bellinzona will 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 train service between Zurich and Lugano is split between:
1: IC trains - that are slightly slower, but also generally cheaper, than...
2: the EC trains that call at Lugano on route to Milano.

Book early and save: Yes - If you book Supersaver tickets (more info is available on the 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.

So try and be flexible with your departure and arrival times, book as near to 30 days ahead as possible and don't be overly concerned whether you will be taking an IC or EC train

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

If you will be making a return day trip to Lugano from Zurich, be open to the possibility that Saver Day Passes are likely to be a cheaper option than booking return tickets.

Seat reservations:

Seat reservations are optional on Swiss IC trains, so seats won't be assigned when booking online.

You can book reservations online for journeys by these IC trains, AFTER you have booked a ticket, by using the SBB (Swiss national railways) seat reservation service OR request 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.