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

Austria-Switzerland by train: route 1 (via Innsbruck)

This direct scenic route between Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Zurich crosses a large part of Austria. Especially the western part along the river Inn is very appealing.

Planning details

• Departure station: “Wien Hbf”, “Salzburg Hbf” or “Innsbruck Hbf”
• Arrival station: “Zürich Hbf”
• Travel duration Vienna-Zurich: 7h50
• Travel duration Salzburg-Zurich: 5h25
• Travel duration Innsbruck-Zurich: 3h30
• Number of changes: 0

Route details

• The train first travels west from Vienna to Salzburg, then further to Rosenheim.
• There, it bends south toward Innsbruck.
• 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 Buchs SG.
• The last stretch gets you to Zurich along the banks of the Walensee (“Lake Walen”) and the Zürichsee (“Lake Zurich”).

Austria-Switzerland by train: route 2 (via Munich)

This alternative route passes Munich in southern Germany, where you’ll have to change trains. It’s only 5 to 10 minutes longer than route 1.

Planning details

• Departure station: “Wien Hbf” or “Salzburg Hbf”
• Arrival station: “Zürich Hbf”
• Via station: “München Hbf”
• Travel duration Vienna-Zurich: 8h00
• Travel duration Salzburg-Zurich: 5h30
• Number of changes: 1, in Munich

Route details

• The train first travels west from Vienna to Salzburg, then further to Rosenheim.
• There, it bends north to Munich in southern Germany, where you’ll have to change trains.
• From Munich, you’ll follow “route 3” as explained in my Germany-Switzerland travel guide.

Train types: Railjet Xpress and Nightjet

Day trains between Austria and Switzerland: Railjet Xpress

Railjet Xpress connections

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

There are no direct trains from Austria to Swiss cities other than Zurich. So for most Swiss destinations, you’ll have to change trains in Zurich.

What to expect on board the Railjet Xpress trains

Railjet Xpress trains offer 2nd (economy) class, 1st class, and business class seats. A restaurant, quiet zones, and family/toddler zones are on board. Power outlets are available near all seats, and all of these trains have WiFi.

If you travel in business class, you can order and enjoy meals from the comfort of your 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 or 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.

2026 maintenance works between Austria and Switzerland

From 6 to 30 January 2026, the tracks between Innsbruck and Hall im Tirol (route 1) are partially closed. As a result:

• the Nightjet trains are re-routed via St. Margrethen.
• the Railjet Xpress trains start and end in Innsbruck. Between Innsbruck and Zurich, you can take any other train as suggested by the timetable.

From 15 October to 12 December 2026, travel times between Salzburg and Zurich (route 1) are longer. As a result:

• the Nightjet trains and several Railjet Xpress trains operate with adjusted departure times.
• some of the direct Railjet Xpress trains will not operate all the way to Zurich, but end in Sargans. Between Sargans and Zurich, you can take any other Swiss train.

Of course, you can travel via Munich (route 2) as well.

Scenic train detours in Switzerland

The Railjet Xpress ride via Innsbruck (route 1) is very pretty in itself. In addition, you can opt for scenic detours once you’re in Switzerland.

1. 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.

2. 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 buses to “Pfunds, Kajetansbrücke” 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, such as the Albula or Julier Pass. Please refer to my 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) – Pfunds/Kajetansbrücke (Austria) – 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, 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 your way to or from 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:

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”). I 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

Use these helpful links to plan your car trip in detail.

Flights between Austria and Switzerland

Flights between Vienna, Basel, and Geneva

There are direct 1h30 flights between Vienna International Airport (VIE) in Austria and the Swiss airports of Zurich, Basel, and Geneva.

Why I don’t recommend flying between Austria and Switzerland

I 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.
3. The direct Railjet Xpress trains and Nightjet trains from/to Zurich are a perfect alternative.
4. You’ll miss out on the beautiful scenery that train rides have to offer, especially on route 1 via Innsbruck.