[Removed user]

23 October 2017 at 13:55:25 #813551

My family and I are traveling from Zurich airport to Zermatt. When we book trains do we have to take those exact trains or can we use any that go that day? I am concerned because I don’t know exactly what time we will get our luggage etc.. after our flight arrives. Also, when I go to book trains there is only a 10 minute connection in the Main Zurich Station between our train from the airport and the train to Zermatt. I am afraid we will miss that connection with only 10 minutes.

Can someone tell me the best way to book? Second class is fine and I understand we do not need to reserve seats. We will be doing this round trip. It doesn’t seem like any of the passes really save us any money.

Thanks for your help.

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[Removed user]

23 October 2017 at 17:15:43 #871191

Hi barbarawaugh and welcome to MySwissAlps!

Yes, it is possible that if you are only making one or two trips by train, bus gondola etc in Switzerland, then a rail pass may not save you any money. If you want, to be sure, use our page on how to choose the best rail pass. You need to know all the trips you will make to compare costs. If you are using the gondolas in Zermatt or elsewhere those costs do add up.

You may want to look at the Swiss Transfer Ticket though if you are just traveling Zurich – Zermatt and back.

If you just buy regular point to point tickets within Switzerland then you can take any train that day so missed connections aren’t the end of the world. You can use the timetable to find ticket prices and make purchases. The first fare you see is for Swiss Half Fare Card though. You must click purchase and enter all your details (and select no rail pass) to get the full fare (or just double the price you see on the timetable to know quickly).

If you happen to come across a Supersaver ticket (sometimes available) then you must take that specific train. These tickets are denoted with a % sign on the timetable.

10 minutes is a very normal connection time and should be doable unless you have a lot of luggage and /or kids etc. The timetable will show you what platform your train arrives on and what platform your train leaves on. Platforms 1-18 are street level & 19 – 44 are underground.