Zurich transport tickets

Zurich’s transport is run as one network — ZVV — covering trams, buses, suburban trains, boats on the lake, two funiculars and the Polybahn. One ticket is valid on all of them.

Zones

The network is divided into numbered zones. The city itself is zone 110, and almost everything a visitor does is inside it: the old town, the lake front, the museums, Uetliberg.

The airport is zone 121, so an airport journey needs both — see from the airport.

The machine at every stop sells the right ticket if you simply type the destination. So does SBB Mobile or the ZVV app, which is easier and works before you board.

A ticket you already hold can be extended rather than replaced. If you are in zone 110 and need to go one zone further — to a neighbouring town such as Dietlikon, or out to the airport — buy a short zone-extension ticket (Anschlussbillette) for the extra zone instead of a full new one; it also comes as a 24-hour version if you expect to cross the boundary more than once in a day.

What to buy

Short-hop ticket (Kurzstrecke) — a few stops, valid 30 minutes, and the cheapest thing on the network. Good for one hop across the centre.

Single ticket — one zone, valid an hour, with changes allowed. Return journeys are not a thing; you buy two singles.

24-hour pass for zone 110 — costs about twice a single and covers everything in the city including the lake boats. If you are making three or more journeys, or doing a boat trip, this is the one. Most visitors should buy this and stop thinking about it.

9 o’clock pass — a day pass valid from 09:00, cheaper than the full one, and fine unless you have an early train.

Unlike the tickets above, the 9 o’clock pass is not limited to zone 110: it covers the entire canton of Zurich, out to Rapperswil and the Rhine Falls side of the cantonal border. It runs from 09:00 on weekdays until 05:00 the next morning, and all day on weekends and public holidays.

Zürich Card — 24 or 72 hours, adds free or reduced museum entry and some discounts to the transport. Worth it at two museums a day; otherwise the plain transport pass is cheaper. See museums in Zurich.

Swiss Travel Pass or Half Fare Card — both cover or halve Zurich city transport as well as national travel; see tickets and passes.

Buying

• The machine at every tram stop and station. Touchscreen, several languages, takes cards and contactless. Some older machines still want coins.
• Station machines at railway stations also sell tickets for the rest of Switzerland, not just the ZVV network; street and tram-stop machines cover Zurich city and canton tickets only. Language can usually be switched between German, English, French and Italian.
• The app — SBB Mobile or ZVV. Buy before boarding; a ticket bought after an inspector appears does not count.
• On board — you cannot. There is no conductor selling tickets on a tram.

Inspection and the fine

There are no barriers and nobody checks as you board. This misleads visitors constantly, and it is the single most expensive misunderstanding available in Zurich.

Inspectors board at random, in plain clothes as often as not, and the surcharge for travelling without a valid ticket is substantial — a large multiple of the fare — with a higher rate for a second offence and a report to the authorities for a third. Being a tourist is not a defence, and “I didn’t know” is heard several hundred times a day.

Checks are less frequent within the city itself than on intercity trains, where they are close to universal; city inspectors sometimes work in large teams and check passengers at the exits as well as on board.

Validate nothing: Swiss tickets are valid from purchase, so there is no stamping machine to find. Just have one.

Practical notes

• Children under six travel free; six to sixteen at reduced fares, or free with a Junior Card accompanied by a parent.
• Class matters on trains and some boats; trams and buses have one class only.
• Bikes need their own ticket on trains.
• Night service runs on Friday and Saturday nights with a supplement.
• The boats on the lake are inside zone 110 for the short round trip, and the day pass covers them — which surprises people and is the best value in the city.
• Uetliberg is inside zone 110. The train from the main station takes 25 minutes and needs no extra ticket.

Walking remains the answer for a lot of Zurich: the one-day route is entirely on foot except for the hill at the end.