Lucerne and Zurich are two unique Swiss-German speaking cities that are highly likely to be on your itinerary as a visiting tourist to Switzerland. To travel between the two there is a fast, comfortable, direct train that serves the two cities operated by SBB in as little as 41 minutes.
Those who know this part of the world could well be asking “which slow option?”. Well this is very much an off-the-beaten-track route and one I’ve very much devised on my own, taking three trains instead. Why not just take the fast train you ask? I’ll show you why I think the slow option made for a more memorable experience and in my opinion is not worth missing if you can spare the time. But first, what’s the fast route like?
Fast Option – Direct
| Journey Leg | Duration | Train Type | Operator |
| Zรผrich <> Lucerne | 41 minutes* | InterRegio [IR] | SBB |
The direct route from Zรผrich to Lucerne is well served with two trains per hour using comfortable, modern double-deck SBB InterRegio trains. The route travels via the aptly named town of Zug, though the name doesn’t refer to its railway heritage but its fishing past.
The route takes as little as 41 minutes on the fastest trains and up to 50 minutes on the slightly slower trains. The Swiss offer fantastic dining cars on many routes, but not this one – the journey is too short to offer such a luxury. Simply grab your morning coffee at the station beforehand.
If you’re looking for views then this route will most likely disappoint, especially if you’re used to Swiss standards. There is some token scenery in the form of two lakes en route to take in however.
Slow Option via Interlaken
| Journey Leg | Duration | Train Type | Operator |
| Lucerne <> Interlaken Ost | 1 hour, 49 minutes* | InterRegio [IR] | Zentralbahn |
| Interlaken Ost <> Bern | 52 minutes* | InterCity [IC] | SBB |
| Bern <> Zรผrich HB | 56 minutes* | InterCity [IC] | SBB |
Now for the scenic route I’ve devised from Lucerne to Zurich which goes via Interlaken and Bern – perfect if you’ve got some extra time and want to enjoy some spectacular Swiss scenery.
This route travels via Interlaken with hourly departures. It’s worth noting that there are three trains to catch instead of one on this route but you won’t find yourself waiting around in stations as the connections are short. If missed connections are a concern, we experienced first-hand a delay to our first train and much to our delight the second train waited for our arrival. Should the train not wait, there are certainly worse places to spend an hour in both Interlaken and Bern before continuing your journey on the next train.
It’s worth noting that the journey time for this route is considerably longer, taking 3 hours, 52 minutes in total however if you’re like me and love gazing out the window and dining on the move time will fly-by – all three of these trains had excellent Swiss dining cars. There’s no need to reserve these in advance – just show up whenever you feel like it. Here is a summary of each leg of the slow option. This journey can also be taken in the reverse direction with a similar journey time.
Leg 1: Lucerne <> Interlaken Ost
First up, from Lucerne to Interlaken via the jaw-dropping scenery of the Luzern-Interlaken Express by Die Zentralbahn. This route is full of character from start to finish with steep ascents, the magical Brรผnig mountain pass and no fewer than five lakes – all to enjoy at your seat through the window. Sitting on the right hand side departing Lucerne is recommended for the best scenery and staying on that side when the train reverses at Meiringen.
This is a regional train but with a bistro! Our train was formed of two trains coupled together, one without a bistro – so if you would like to take advantage of a cuppa on the move make sure you sit in the train set that has one.
Our train managed to rack-up a small delay of five minutes – which would have been enough to miss the connection at Interlaken Ost should the onward train have departed on time. Much to our surprise there were many customers switching trains and our next train was held back for our arrival despite being different operators – impressive work from the Swiss railway companies!
Leg 2: Interlaken Ost <> Bern
Next up, after the (rather unnecessary) drama of rushing to catch this InterCity train we were hungry. It was time to eat at the dining car for our 52 minute journey to Bern. The SBB InterCity trains on this route have a whole dedicated dining carriage with a mix of table sizes from sitting two people up to five with one host looking after what turned out to be a full carriage. He impressed us with his speed and managed to serve us a delicious warming Thai Green Curry and chilled wine within minutes of departure. They arrived just as we were passing the glorious Lake Thun on our right. Bliss. There’s something truly special about dining on the move.
Leg 3: Bern <> Zรผrich HB
We arrived into Bern a few minutes behind following our late start from Interlaken. No time to waste we headed straight over to catch our next SBB InterCity train to Zรผrich, this time a more modern double-decker variant for our final leg of the journey to Zรผrich.
We had room left for dessert so headed again straight to the dining car which is on the upper level. The train was busy, however we were able to share a table with a friendly Swiss couple playing a board game. Enjoying some more wine and a tasty Schweizer Apfelkรผchlein, the conductor checked our tickets. It was our last date of travel on our train passes and she commented sympathetically “last one” – our two weeks travelling on Swiss trains was drawing to a close and what a way to spend our last day in this beautiful country with our three-train adventure. We enjoyed every minute.
Tickets
There are whole host of ticketing options for train travel in Switzerland including point-to-point tickets for a one-off journey (more expensive per journey), to cheaper travel if you’re planning more journeys for example using the half-fare travelcard or InterRail tickets if you live in another European country. Reservations are not required to travel on non-tourist trains in Switzerland such as these journeys featured in this blog post.
As you can see in the table below if you’re planning the direct train from Zรผrich to Lucerne and not making any other journeys in Switzerland a point-to-point ticket might be cheaper for you. If you’re planning the trip via Interlaken, then a day pass might be cheaper for you (SBB Saver Day Pass or InterRail) or purchasing a half-fare railcard for point-to-point tickets from SBB. It all depends what else you have planned.
| Ticket Type – Available to the Public | Full Price one way | Price (half-fare travelcard) one way | Reservation Fees |
| Zรผrich to Lucerne Point-to-Point (2nd Class) – valid for one journey, bought in advance | from CHF 13.80 | from CHF 7.60 | Not Required |
| Zรผrich to Lucerne Point-to-Point via Interlaken (2nd Class) – valid for one journey, bought in advance | from CHF 92.00 | from CHF 46.00 | Not Required |
| SBB Saver Day Pass – valid throughout Switzerland, bought in advance | from CHF 52.00 | from CHF 29.00 | Not Required |
| Swiss InterRail Pass (e.g. 5 days in 1 month, 1 Adult) – valid throughout Switzerland | โฌ56,50 per day | N/A | Not Required |
If you work for the rail industry in a European country, as I do, you can take advantage of FIP free and discounted travel across Europe – again no reservation fees for these journeys.
| Train | Journey Leg | FIP Facilities Used | FIP Facilities Reservation Fees |
| InterRegio (SBB) | Zรผrich HB to Lucerne | FIP Free Coupons (SBB) | Not Required |
| InterRegio (Zentralbahn) | Lucerne to Interlaken Ost | FIP Free Coupons (SP) | Not Required |
| InterCity or EuroCity (SBB) | Interlaken Ost to Bern | FIP Free Coupons (SBB) | Not Required |
| InterCity (SBB) | Bern to Zรผrich HB | FIP Free Coupons (SBB) | Not Required |
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This article was first published in October 2021.
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