Zürich HB travel guide

View of Zurich Hauptbahnhof (Photo: Ikiwaner, CC BY-SA 3.0)

It's hard for a station to get better than Zürich HB (ZLP, sometimes ZRH). Zürich HB (short for Zürich Hauptbahnhof, lit. Zurich Main Station) is the main station of Zurich and is Switzerland's largest station.

The station is huge: it's a hub for all kinds of long-distance trains from all over Europe, intercity and regional SBB trains, and forms the core of Zurich's S-Bahn and tram system. The station is operated and directly managed by the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS).

Understand

History

In 1847, Zurich HB was the terminus of the first Swiss railway line, running from Zurich to Baden. It therefore makes it one of the oldest railway stations in Switzerland. The station hall, built in 1871, no longer serves as a departure point and is now the largest covered space in the city, with the above-ground platforms now beginning beyond the hall.

Layout

Inside the Museumstrasse section of the station. (Photo: Adrian Michael, CC BY-SA 3.0)

SZU Station. (Photo: Bobo11, CC BY-SA 4.0)

There are four sections of Zürich HB.

Visitor information

Interactive station map (by SBB)

• SZU station (by SBB)
• SBB Travel Centre (SBB Reisezentrum Zürich HB) (on the southern side of Main Hall, level 0). Daily 06:30–21:30. An information centre and travel centre where you can purchase tickets, any travel cards or passes, and exchange currency. A Western Union (WU) is also available on-site.

Services

Zurich HB sees many services. For a proper comprehensive list for routes within Switzerland, visit the sbb.ch website. There is no official up-to-date list for international services, but the German Wikipedia has an easy-to-read list kept up-to-date.

International

TGV Lyria service. (Photo: Hoff1980, CC BY-SA 3.0)

International services are all operated by non-Swiss operators.

ICE (run by DB in Germany):

• Zurich to Berlin (Ostbahnhof) via Basel and Frankfurt;
• Zurich to Hamburg (Altona) via Frankfurt and Cologne;
• Zurich to Stuttgart via Schaffhausen.

Some DB services start at Brig or Interlaken and reach Zurich via Bern.

TGV (run by SNCF in France):

• Zurich to Paris (Gare de Lyon) via Mulhouse.

RJX (run by ÖBB in Austria):

• Zurich to Vienna via Saint Gallen. Some Railjet services continue to either Budapest or Bratislava.

EuroCity (EC, jointly run):

• Zurich to Graz via Bischofshofen (EC Transalpin);
• Zurich to Milan via Bellinzona (with some trains continuing to Venice);
• Zurich to Bologna via Milan;
• Zurich to Munich via Saint Gallen.

Night trains

OBB Nightjet at Zürich HB (Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0)

As of 2026, ÖBB (Austrian rail carrier) operates five main NightJet trains out of Zürich HB to:

• Vienna via Saint Gallen (with some carriages continuing to Prague and Budapest)
• Graz via Saint Gallen (with some carriages continuing to Zagreb)
• Amsterdam via Basel, Cologne and Utrecht
• Hamburg via Basel, Heidelberg Göttingen and Bremen
• Berlin via Frankfurt, Leipzig and Halle (Salle)

There are no NightJet trains from Zurich to France or Italy.

Domestic trains

There are domestic trains (IC, IR and RE) from Zürich to almost all parts of Switzerland. Some smaller destinations may require a transfer. See SBB's website for detailed route information.

S-Bahn

All S-Bahn services in Zurich proper (except for  S18 ) pass through Zürich HB. These lines serve almost all part of Zurich where you'd travel to as a visitor not served by the tram network.

Local transport

Trams and buses

Zürich HB is served by nine tram routes and two trolleybus routes.
There are five stops in the area:

• Bahnhofquai – temporarily closed for tram service, served by trolleybus route  46 ;
• Sihlquai – served by tram routes  17  50  51 ;
• Bahnhofstrasse – served by tram routes  4  7  10  11  13  15 ;
• Bahnhofplatz – served by tram routes  3  6  14  and trolleybus route  31 ;
• Sihlpost – served by tram routes  3  14  and trolleybus route  31 .

S-Bahn

With the exception of  S18 , all S-Bahn services in the city of Zurich run to or through Zürich HB.

From Zurich Airport (Flughaven Zürich), use either  S2 ,  S16 ,  S24 ,  IC 1 ,  IC 81 ,  IR 75 ,  IR 13  or  IR 36  – there will be very clear signage towards Zürich HB.

By bicycle

There are two bicycle facilities in Zürich HB, Velostation Europaallee and Velostation Stadttunnel. They can be accessed via the Stadttunnel bike tunnel. The access ramps are located on Kasernenstrasse, Konradstrasse and Sihlquai.

At Velostation Europaalle, bicycles can be parked for Fr. 2 per 24 hr (as of 2026), with no maximal parking time. Monthly and annual passes are also available. Bicycles can also be rented. Regular bicycles are free of charge, while e-bikes and cargo bikes are available for a fee. Charging stations are provided for e-bikes. The bicycle parking facility is under continuous video surveillance and staffed during the day who can perform repairs and sell accessories.

At Velostation Stadttunnel, bicycles can be parked free of charge, but parking is limited to a maximum of 48 hr. At the back of the parking area, a marked area allows for 7 days.

Get around

The station is accessible and easily navigable on foot. SBB estimates transfer times of around 7 minutes, but quicker transfers are possible, especially when transferring between platforms close to each other.

Accessibility

The SOS Bahnhofshilfe Zürich offers information about accessibility and mobility aid free of charge to people in wheelchairs, with walking disabilities, visual impairment, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, or other disabilities. For a fee, the Bahnhofhilfe also rents out temporary wheelchairs. People with their own wheelchair should directly contact the Contact Center Handicap (sbb.ch).

The travel assistance comprises of helping people board/unboard with ramps and lifts. The staff can be recognized by their orange vests.

For assistance with boarding/unboarding, a reservation at least one hour in advance is required. For journeys before 6:00, make reservations before 23:00 the day before. For trains travelling abroad, make reservations at least 24 hours in advance. More information can be found at bahnhofhilfe.ch.

The Contact Centre Handicap estimates transfer times of 10 minutes when transferring between surface platforms 3–18, and 20 minutes when transferring from the surface to the underground platforms 21–22, 31–34, 41–44 or between the different underground platform sections.

Wait

The station is reasonably well-connected with its surrounds, so in most cases you're much better off going outside and exploring the city if you have a long wait.

There is some seating along the tracks, and some throughout the shopping areas. A dedicated waiting area can be found on the mezzanine floor by the lockers.

Locker facilities

There are two locker facilities/luggage storage (Gepäckaufbewahrung) in the station. The one in the mezzanine floor is available 04:15–01:15 on weekdays and all hours on weekends, while the one on ground floor on the northern side of Main Hall is open M–F 08:00–19:00 and Sa Su 09:00–18:00. Lockers can be hired for a maximum of 96 hours, starting from Fr. 5. Full pricing on the sbb.ch website.

Eat and drink

Ground floor

Brasserie Federal (in northern section of Main Hall), ☏ +41 44 217 15 85. Mon–Thu 09:00–23:00; Fri Sat 09:00–00:00; Sun 09:00–23:00. Known for their over 100 selection of Swiss beer.

• Chez SBB (SBB Restaurant Oase) (in northern section of Main Hall), ☏ +41 44 430 00 83. Daily 06:00–20:00.
• Süd and Da Capo Bar (Brasserie Sud) (in southern section of Main Hall), ☏ +41 44 244 32 15. Mon–Fri 08:00–23:00; Sat Sun 09:00–23:00. Two separate establishments but under one singular management. Süd specialises in Mediterranean cuisine, whilst Da Capo Bar is a bar within the restaurant.
• The Counter (in southern section of Main Hall). Wed–Fri 18:30–00:00; Sat 12:00–14:00, 18:30–00:00.
• Yardbean Coffee Shop (in southern section of Main Hall), ☏ +41 79 317 27 08. Daily 06:00–18:00.
• Yardbird Southern Fried Chicken (in southern section of Main Hall), ☏ +41 79 317 27 08. Sun–Thu 10:30–21:00; Fri Sat 10:30–00:00.

Sihlquai (Sihlpost)

• BackWerk, ☏ +41 41 289 64 64. Mon–Thu 05:00–22:00; Fri 05:00–24:00; Sat 00:00–24:00; Sun 00:00–22:00.
• Brezelkönig, ☏ +41 41 289 64 64. Sun–Thu 05:00–23:00; Fri Sat 05:00–03:00.
• Burger King (Sihlquai). Mon–Thu 11:00–23:00; Fri Sat 11:00–24:00; Sun 11:00–21:00.
• Miró Manufactura de Café, ☏ +41 43 548 35 37. Mon–Fri 06:00–21:00; Sat 07:00–20:00 (closed Sun).
• Point, ☏ +41 76 345 59 20. Mon-Thu 06:00–22:00; Fri Sat 06:00–24:00; Sun 06:00–22:00.
• The Barn, ☏ +41 44 508 09 03. Mon—Fri 06:00–21:30; Sat 07:00–20:00; Sun 08:00–20:00.
• The Matcha Club. Mon–Fri 07:00–21:00; Sat Sun 09:00–20:00.
• Yooji's Sushi Deli, ☏ +41 44 576 91 11. Mon–Fri 09:00–21:00; Sat Sun 09:00–20:00.

Buy

ShopVille is directly connected and well-integrated with the station that there is an ample variety shops. On Sundays, you'll see the centre particularly busy as that happens to be one of the only places open in the city.

The shopping avenues Bahnhofstrasse and Europaallee are adjacent to the station and can be reached on foot.

Connect

SBB offers free Wi-Fi at the station. If you've connected to SBB's free Wi-Fi at another station, you should be automatically connected; if you haven't, join SBB-FREE and register. Check the SBB website for more information.

Cope

Cantonal police of Zürich (stationed in the northern part of the main hall, towards Landesmuseum), ☏ +41 58 648 68 10. Mon-Sat 07:00–22:00, Sun 07:00–18:00.

The national transport police can be reached under 0800 117 117 for emergencies on trains or at train stations.

Sleep

There is ample accommodation in the general area. See Zurich § Sleep.

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