How to get from Austria to Switzerland: trains, driving and flights explained 

Austria-Switzerland by train: all options explained

Day trains between Austria and Switzerland: Railjet Xpress

You can reach Zurich in Switzerland by direct day trains and night trains from Austria. It’s less than 8 hours from Vienna and about 5h30 from Salzburg.

Connections and travel durations

High-speed Railjet Xpress trains connect Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, and several other Austrian towns to Zurich in Switzerland. These trains offer connections to Budapest, Munich, and Prague as well.

There are no direct trains from Austria to other Swiss cities than Zurich. So you’ll have to change trains in Zurich if you want to travel between Austria and Lucerne, Basel, Geneva, or other Swiss towns.

This is how long a trip to Zurich by Railjet Xpress takes:

• from Vienna: just under 8 hours
• from Salzburg: 5h30
• from Innsbruck: 3h30

The two main train routes between Austria and Switzerland

There are two main routes traveled by the RailJet Xpress trains:

1. A direct route via Innsbruck. This is the one we recommend, as you don’t have to change trains and it’s more scenic than the other option.
2. A route via the German city of Munich, where you have to change trains.

What to expect on board the Railjet Xpress trains

Railjet Xpress trains offer 2nd (economy) class, 1st class, and business class seats. Wifi, a restaurant, quiet zones and a children’s cinema are on board. Power outlets are available near all seats. Travelers in 1st and business class can have dishes served at their seat.

Night trains between Austria and Switzerland: Nightjet

There is a night train as well: the ÖBB Nightjet. Nightjet trains run each night between Vienna or Graz (Austria) and Zurich (Switzerland). You can choose between sleeping cars, couchette cars, and seating cars.

A journey by Nightjet train from Vienna and Graz to Zurich takes about 10h40. Theoretically, you can board the Nightjet in Salzburg or Innsbruck too. But you’d have to do so in the middle of the night, so that’s not an obvious choice.

How to plan your Austria-Switzerland train ride in the timetable

All international train journeys from and to Austria can be found in the Swiss timetable. This is what to enter for the main Austrian rail stations. The abbreviation “Hbf” stands for “Hauptbahnhof”, which is German for “‘central rail station”.

• “Wien Hbf” for Vienna
• “Innsbruck Hbf” for Innsbruck
• “Salzburg Hbf” for Salzburg
• “Graz Hbf” for Graz

These abbreviations are used to indicate the train types:

• RJX for Railjet Xpress trains
• NJ for Nightjet trains

Consult our Zurich travel guide for specifics about your journeys from and to Zurich.

Scenic train routes between Austria and Switzerland

You can easily turn your Austria-Switzerland trip into a scenic journey.

The scenic train route via Innsbruck

If you travel by Railjet Xpress trains, we advise to take the route via Innsbruck and not the one via Munich in Germany. From east to west, this is what to expect:

• From Innsbruck, the train first follows the banks of the river Inn.
• You’ll then pass the beautiful Austrian region of Arlberg.
• You’ll cross the mini-state Liechtenstein and enter Switzerland in Sargans.
• The last stretch gets you to Zurich along the banks of the Walensee (“Lake Walen”) and the Zürichsee (“Lake Zurich”).

Scenic detours in Switzerland

Depending on your destination in Switzerland, you can make several detours through beautiful landscapes.

Via Chur and Andermatt

Travel to Chur after arrival in Buchs/Sargans in Switzerland. Then head for Disentis/Mustér through the spectacular Rhine Gorge. Travel on to Andermatt, crossing the Oberalp Pass. This is all part of the Glacier Express route.

From Andermatt, you can head:

• north to Göschenen, Lake Lucerne and Zurich;
• west to Oberwald and Brig in the Valais;
• south into the Ticino.

Via the Engadine

If you don’t mind incorporating a bus trip into your journey, and if you’re not traveling with too much luggage, you can get off the train in Landeck-Zams in Austria. Then board the bus to Martina and Scuol-Tarasp in the Lower Engadine.

From Scuol-Tarasp, you can continue your journey in several directions:

• Board the train to Zernez, Susch, Saglians and Klosters. You can then travel on to Davos, Chur, St. Gallen, Zurich and Lucerne.
• Board the train to Bever, Preda and Filisur. This is the Albula Valley, one of the pretty stretches of the Glacier Express and Bernina Express routes. Continue your journey from Chur.
• Travel by train to St. Moritz or other destinations in the Upper Engadine.
• Get to the Upper Engadine and travel north by bus or car over one of the mountain pass roads. Please refer to our Engadine travel guide for details.

Bus rides between Austria and Switzerland

Regional border-crossing buses

The national transport companies of Austria and Switzerland mainly offer connections by train. There are border-crossing regional bus routes too:

• Feldkirch (Austria) – Vaduz (Liechtenstein) – Sargans (Switzerland).
• Landeck-Zams (Austria) – Pfunds/Kajetansbrücke (Austria) – Samnaun (Graubünden, Switzerland).
• Landeck-Zams (Austria) – Martina (Graubünden, Switzerland) – Scuol-Tarasp (the Engadine in Graubünden, Switzerland).

You can replace part of your train ride with a bus trip. This is not recommended if you carry large pieces of luggage though. Bus trips are better suited for day trips with light backpacks.

The bus rides can all be found in the Swiss timetable.

International journeys by private bus companies

Several private bus companies offer transfers between Austrian cities and Zurich in Switzerland. Such bus tickets can be a bit cheaper than a train ride.

The bus rides aren’t quicker than train journeys. Travel times Vienna-Zurich by bus vary a lot, but count on at least 10 hours. Also, note that you may need to change in Munich (Germany) or other towns.

Find bus rides here.

Austria to Switzerland by car

Toll stickers required for Austria, Switzerland, and Germany

You can drive between Austria and Switzerland as well. Note that you require a motorway vignette (“Autobahnvignette”) to use the Swiss highways and motorways, and an Austrian toll sticker (“Vignette”) to use the ones in Austria.

If you plan to enter Munich on or from your way to Switzerland, an environmental badge (“Umweltplakette”) is required too. Munich is one of Germany’s low-emission zones for which this badge is obligatory.

Rental cars mostly include the vignettes or badges required for the country you rent them in. But they don’t necessarily contain vignettes or badges for surrounding countries. So always check what is and is not included in your rental car.

The main car routes from Vienna and Salzburg

You can drive between Austria and Switzerland without challenging mountain roads. The main routes from Vienna to Zurich in Switzerland are:

1. The route via Innsbruck takes about 8h10. This excludes breaks and possible delays. You’ll drive via Feldkirch (Austria), Vaduz (Liechtenstein), Sargans (Switzerland), the Walensee (“Lake Walen”) and the Zürichsee (“Lake Zurich”). We recommend this route as it’s more scenic than the one via Munich.
2. The route via Munich takes 7h30, again excluding breaks and delays. You’ll drive to Munich in Germany. Then, you’ll head south for Bregenz on the Bodensee (“Lake Constance”) and St. Gallen.

The main routes from Salzburg are similar. Salzburg is on the border of Austria and Germany.

1. You can drive south via Innsbruck and continue as described above. The quickest option to reach Innsbruck is via Rosenheim in Germany. This route to Zurich takes 4h55.
2. If you prefer to avoid German highways, drive directly south from Salzburg toward Bischofshofen. Then bend west to Sankt Johann and Innsbruck. This option takes roughly 6h40.

Traveling via the Engadine

If you travel between south-western Austria and Switzerland, you can drive via Landeck-Zams – Nauders (Austria) and Martina – Scuol-Tarasp (Engadine, Switzerland).

A journey from Vienna to Chur in Graubünden via this route takes 8h25. From Salzburg, it’s 5h30. If you continue to Zurich, count on 9h20 from Vienna and 6h25 from Salzburg.

Driving directions from Austria to Switzerland

We recommend using our helpful links to plan your car trip in detail.

Flights between Austria and Switzerland

Flights between Vienna, Basel, and Geneva

There are direct flights between Vienna in Austria and the Swiss airports of Basel and Geneva. Examples:

• Vienna International Airport (VIA) – Basel EuroAirport (BSL). A direct flight takes about 1h25. This does not include time for check-in and check-out procedures.
• Vienna International Airport (VIA) – Geneva Airport (GIA). A flight takes about 1h35.

There are no direct flights to and from Zurich. You’ll have to transfer at a German airport, such as Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, or Frankfurt. This adds a considerable amount of time to a journey by plane: count on 3h50 to 11h00.

Why we don’t recommend flying between Austria and Switzerland

We don’t encourage traveling by plane between Switzerland and Austria for these reasons:

1. Such short flights are damaging to the vulnerable Alps and heavily contribute to global warming.
2. You’ll have to add the time required for check-in and check-out procedures, collecting your luggage, traveling between the airports and city centers, et cetera. Time savings compared to a train journey are therefore smaller than you might think at first sight.
3. The direct Railjet Xpress trains and Nightjet trains from/to Zurich are a perfect alternative.

Border crossing regulations

Switzerland and Austria are part of the Schengen area. As a rule, there are no passport checks for travelers crossing international borders within this area.

However, your passport can be checked at all times, in both Switzerland and Austria. For example: train staff may want to check your ID to see if you’re the owner of a travel pass. You’ll also need your passport when checking in for flights.

If you enter Switzerland or Austria from a non-Schengen country, extra procedures apply. Learn all about the entry procedures for Switzerland in our guide about Swiss visa and entry rules, and about customs procedures on our shopping page.