Getting around Switzerland

By plane

The following carriers offer domestic flights within Switzerland:

SWISS (Basel/Mulhouse (EuroAirport Swiss), Geneva (Geneve-Cointrin Airport), Lugano Airport, Zurich Airport)

Darwin Airlines (Berne (Belp Airport), Geneva (Geneve-Cointrin Airport), Lugano Airport)

Public Transport

The Swiss will spoil you with fantastic transportation - swift, disturbingly punctual trains, clean buses, and a half dozen different kinds of mountain transport systems. The Swiss public transport system offers a multitude of discount options, from half fare cards to multi-day, multi-use tickets good for buses, boats, trains, and even bike rentals. In general there's at least one train or bus per hour on every route, on many routes trains and buses are running every 30 min. The bus network is an addition to the train network, there's no intercity bus network, but there are many scenic bus routes in the Alps. More information and all the timetables for Trains, Buses and Boats can be found at http://www.rail.ch. Tickets: The most expensive tickets are - of course - the standard tickets. But there are several cheaper ways: Half-Fare Card: Available for one year (CHF 150) or one month (CHF 99, for foreigners only). The card saves you 50% of the standard fare on all trains and most busses or cable cars, e.g. CHF 57 for a return ticket from Zurich to Lugano in 2nd class. Press the '1/2' button on the ticket machines (same for tickets for children under 16). Junior Card: Valid for one year (CHF 20). Children up to 16 years travelling with at least one parent (who can use the Half-Fare Card) travel for free. Swiss Passes: If you will be taking several train journeys in Switzerland it is worthwhile looking at some of the train passes http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/ Surcharge & Reservation: Trains are all free of surcharge, a reservation is not required. There are two exceptions to this rule, the special trains: Bernina Express, running daily between Chur and Tirano and the Glacier Express running from St. Moritz to Zermatt. Travel: Using the trains is quite easy, although the number of different kinds of trains can be a bit confusing unless you know that the schedules at a Swiss train station are color coded. The yellow sheet is for departures and the white sheet is for arrivals. Faster trains appear on both of these sheets in red, while the trains in black stop at more stations. At the track, the signs indicate the destination and departure time. The small numbers and letters along the bottom show you where you can board the train. The letters indicate the zone you should stand in, and the numbers indicate the class. The class (1st or 2nd) is indicated by a "1" or "2" on the side of the car, these correspond with the numbers on the sign. Luggage can be stowed above your seat or in between seats, or on a rack at the end of the car. During busy periods, people often stow large luggage (or skis) in the entrance area in between cars. This is usually fairly safe, but use common sense.

Information for railway fans

In Switzerland nearly all railways run electrically but it is possible to find many steam railways such as the Brienzer Rothornbahn or the Furka Railway for instance. There are many interesting mountain railways of all types. In Switzerland most electric trains get their power from a single phase AC network at 15 000V 16 2/3Hz. This network uses its own powerlines run with 66 kV and 132 kV, which have, unlike normal power lines, a number of conductors not divisible by 3. (Most powerlines for the single phase AC grid of the traction power grid have four conductors.) Here is short list of remarkable railway lines:

• The Glacier Express from St. Moritz to Zermatt, a 8 hours travel in the swiss Alps.
• The Bernina Express from Davos to Tirano, the highest transversal in the Alps, high mountain scenery.
• The Jungfraujoch railway, from Interlaken (560 meters) to the Jungfraujoch station (3450 meters) in two hours. Definitely the most impressive journey in the Alps.
• The Gornergrat railway, departure from Zermatt to the 3090 meters high Gornergrat.
• The Lötschberg is a line connecting Berne and Brig, not considered as a mountain train but still impressive scenary.

Car

For using the motorways you need to buy a "Vignette", a sticker which costs 40 CHF that allows you to use the motorways as much as you like for the entire year. Avoiding the motorways in order to save the toll price is generally futile; the amount is well worth it, even if you are only transiting. Other roads may have additional tolls levied, such as the Gottard base tunnel. Speed limits: 120 km/h on motorways, 80 km/h on normal roads and 50 km/h inside villages. Whilst driving "a wee bit too fast" is common on motorways people tend to stick pretty closely to the other two limits. Fines are hefty and traffic rules are strictly enforced. WARNING: If you get fined but not stopped (e.g. caught by a Speed Camera) the police will send you the fine even if you live abroad. In Switzerland, speeding is not a violation of a traffic code but a Legal Offence, if you fail to comply there is a good chance that an international rogatory will be issued and you have to go to court in your home country. Also, starting from 2007, Switzerland banned all GPS appliances with built-in speed cameras databases as they are equiped with "Radar Detectors". According to some GPS navigator producers, it is advised to remove the Swiss radar database while driving in the country as the police may give you a fine and impound your device even if is turned off and placed in the trunk of your vehicle! The blood alcohol concentration limit is 0.05%. As in every country, do not drink and drive, as you will lose your license for several months if you are cited and a heavy fine may be imposed. Driving on small mountain roads can be nerve-wracking if you come from a flat country. But beside this, swiss roads are in general safe and very well maintained. Five tips for mountain roads:

• Honk if you're on a small road and you don't see around the bend.
• The bus always has priority.
• The car driving uphill has priority over the car driving downhill.
• Don't even think about driving as fast as the locals: they know every bend, you don't.
• In general, drive at a speed which allows you to stop within the distance you can see, in order to be safe; and drive so that you would be happy to meet yourself coming the other way!

Bicycle

Switzerland is a cyclists place! Veloland Schweiz has build up an extensive network of long distance cycle trails all across the country. Check their website for more details. http://www.cycling-in-switzerland.ch/ There are many Swiss cities where you can rent bicycles if that is your means of traveling and you can even rent electric bicycles. During the summer it is quite common for cities to offer bicycle 'rental' for free! Cycling in cities is pretty safe, at least compared to other countries, and very common.

In-line Skating

Besides the main types of transportation, the adventurous person can see Switzerland by in-line skating. There are three routes, measuring a combined 600-plus kilometers designed specifically for in-line skating throughout the country. They are the Rhine route, the Rhone route, and the Mittelland route. These are scenic tours. Most of the routes are flat, with slight ascents and descents. The Mittelland route runs from Zurich airport to Neuenburg in the northwest; the Rhine route runs from Bad Ragaz to Schaffhausen in the northeastern section of the country. Finally, the Rhone route extends from Brig to Geneva. This is a great way to see both the country-side and cityscapes of this beautiful nation. For more information: http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/navpage-Active-Inline%20Skating.html