What is the best way to get to Zurich from Munich

Every year, trips from Germany to Switzerland are becoming more and more popular. Swiss Zurich is not only the world center of finance and banking, but also a beautiful medieval city with a lot to see. In this post, we will look at how to get to Zurich from Munich faster, cheaper and more comfortable.

Train selection

From Munich's main train station, you can leave in almost any direction, including Switzerland. It is from this German city that most of the night trains leave. The main railway operator of Germany Deutsche Bahn AG serves passengers.

The basis of passenger traffic is the Intercity-Express (ICE) high-speed train network. All trains have a restaurant and free Wi-Fi.

Intercity (IC) trains run long distances in Germany, they do not move as fast as the Intercity-Express, but make more frequent stops.

Eurocity (EC) trains offer the same service to their passengers, but they serve international travel. Their routes run between major European cities. These trains are often called night trains, because most of them run at night.

The most convenient EC train to Zurich departs four times a day from the München Hbf station. You will spend 4 hours 30 minutes on the way. The cost of a ticket for such a train will be from 40 to 130 €. In Zurich, the train goes to the Zürich HB station.

You can save on train travel with a land ticket (Länder Tickets). Each federal state has its own travel document. A land ticket can be driven countless times within the time frame and within the territory of its validity. On the way, you can get off the train, change directions and distances.

As a rule, the document is valid for travel in 2nd class carriages, but sometimes for a special surcharge and for travel in 1st class. Thus, choosing to travel by train with transfers within the territory of validity of the land ticket, you can travel most of the way almost free of charge. This travel document is not valid on high-speed trains.

Vending machines for train tickets in Germany are the most common way to purchase train tickets, but online booking is becoming more and more popular.

After purchasing a train ticket on the official Deutsche Bahn website (you can also view the schedule there), the travel document can be printed or downloaded into a gadget and presented to an authorized employee of the station during the trip. You must also have a document identifying the identity of the passenger, or the bank card with which the ticket was paid.

The transport infrastructure and high-quality rail network have made railways in Germany the most popular mode of travel. German Railways are often shared by international rail routes with companies from other countries that connect Munich to many European cities. The comfortable station is conveniently located, so it can be quickly reached by public transport: bus, tram, city train or metro.

Bus ride

The bus journey from Munich to Zurich takes approximately 4 hours. A travel ticket will cost between 15 and 46 €. All buses in Germany are of high comfort, but experienced travelers recommend using the services of the young carrier company FlixBus. It entered the international market only in 2021 and in this short period managed to create the most popular bus network, which almost all Europeans know today.

The carrier's corporate color is green. Green buses meet the highest standards of comfort, safety and environmental friendliness. A trip in such a vehicle will not only be more economical than a private vehicle, but it will also be absolutely harmless to the environment.

You can buy a ticket on the official website of the carrier or through the FlixBus-App. The company often offers its customers lucrative offers that can significantly save on travel costs.

Thanks to the presence of Wi-Fi in each bus, the owners of the application can track the movement of the vehicle in real time.

In Munich, all buses leave from the Central Bus Station. The station is located in the city center, so it will not be difficult to get to it from any area. In terms of service level, the bus station meets the highest European standards.

FlixBus offers several daily direct flights to Zurich. If you choose a regular direct flight, then you will spend 4 hours 40 minutes on the road, if a direct express flight - 3 hours 45 minutes.

The cost of the bus ride will depend on the departure time and travel time. You can find the schedule on the official website of the carrier. Also, the Internet resource provides a service for refunding or exchanging purchased tickets. If the planned trip needs to be rescheduled, it can be done in a few clicks on a smartphone or computer with minimal financial losses.

Travel by car

The distance from Munich to Zurich is 316.1 km. If you decide to travel by car on your own, the journey will take a little over 3 hours.

By own or rented car

The cost of a trip by your own car will cost about 30-50 € - this is how much it costs 25 liters of gasoline, which you will spend on the road. You will have to go through Austria, crossing the borders of Germany-Austria and Austria-Switzerland.

The approximate route will look like this: Munich - Landsberg (61 km) - Landsberg - Lindau (116 km) - Lindau - St. Gallen (59 km) - St. Gallen (Switzerland) - Winterthur (57 km) - Winterthur - Zurich (23 km).

The path can run along another route, but this one is considered optimal. To save on gasoline, you can take your fellow travelers with you.

If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Munich, for example, using the rentalcars.com service. The rental price depends on the class of the car: compact cars will cost from 115 € for three days, middle class - from 130, luxury - from 180 €, and for an SUV you will have to pay at least 220 € for three days. The rental conditions in each company may be different.

Order a taxi transfer

If you do not want to search for a route on your own, depending on the timetable of trains, buses and planes, you can order a taxi transfer from Munich to Zurich from Kiwitaxi. Having entered the company's website, be sure to read the conditions of carriage. Prices are usually indicated for a certain class of vehicle, next to it you can find information on the capacity of the luggage compartment and the maximum number of passengers. However, only the vehicle class affects the pricing.

The minimum cost of a taxi transfer in Germany on the Munich-Zurich route is about 500 €, a car for this amount can accommodate 3 passengers.

When ordering a taxi transfer, you specify the route in advance: the starting and ending stations. The driver will pick you up at the specified place at a convenient (pre-agreed) time and comfortably take you to your destination.

This option of traveling from Munich to Zurich will cost more than driving your own car, but you do not need to think over the best route yourself, especially if you are going to Switzerland for the first time.

As a travel companion

You can go on a trip as a fellow traveler, especially if you are going to travel light.

The most popular platform for finding a travel companion or carrier is BlaBlaCar. This service operates in 22 countries around the world, and Germany is no exception.

To find someone who leaves Germany (Munich) to Switzerland (Zurich) on suitable dates, you need to go to the service and create your account. This can be done through your social media profile or by entering some personal information.

After registering, select the desired country (in our case Germany) and see if the required trips are registered there. If not, continue to track this information periodically throughout the day.

If you find a suitable option, book your seat by paying your ride and service fee. This can be done using a bank card or other online services. You do not need to link the card to your profile in advance; this is done during the first booking. The service provides a service for canceling a reservation, so you can always refuse a trip if there is such a need.

Flight

You can also get to Zurich from Munich by plane from Munich International Airport. Franz-Josef Strauss, using the services of the popular European airline Lufthansa. You can buy a ticket and view the flight schedule on the company's official website. The minimum cost of this travel option, together with the road to the airport, is 83 €.

You can get to the airport, which has two terminals, from the city center by taxi, train or bus. Considering that the airport is located 30 km from Munich, a taxi trip will take about 40 minutes and will cost from 60 €.

To the railway station of the international airport from Munich, city trains run on two routes at intervals of 10 minutes.

Also, the airport can be reached by train from other German cities, which is convenient for passengers who are not residents of Munich. The road from the city center to the air port takes about 45 minutes.

The bus station is located a few steps from both terminals of the airport. Buses leave every 20 minutes, the cost of such a trip is 10.5 €.

Despite the fact that the plane is one of the fastest modes of transport, flying from Munich to Zurich is not much less than traveling by car or bus.

The flight time is 3 hours 5 minutes. excluding the time you spend on the road to the airport. But for a plane ticket you will have to pay much more. However, if booked in advance, air travel can be quite economical.

Which way is better

We have considered all possible options for how to get from Munich, Germany to Zurich, Switzerland. It remains to find out which method can be called optimal. To help you make an informed choice, we offer you a comparison table.

As you can see, whichever method you choose, you will have to spend at least 3 hours on the way. The table shows that the best option is to go to Zurich by bus.

If you do not want to depend on routes and schedules, give preference to traveling by car, but be prepared to spend more money.

A train or plane is a proven vehicle that is usually chosen by passengers who are accustomed to using it and who trust a particular carrier.

Summarize

There are several ways to travel from Munich to Zurich in 2021. The most common means of transport are train and plane. Munich train station can be reached by public transport. The international air port is located 30 km from the city, so electric trains run between Munich and the airport every 10 minutes and buses run every 20 minutes.

The train and plane timetables can always be viewed on the official websites of the carrier. On the Internet resource, online booking and purchase of a ticket for the specified date and time are also carried out.

To travel from Munich to Zurich, you can also use the services of the FlixBus bus network. Such a trip will be the shortest in terms of time and the minimum in terms of financial costs.

Lovers of comfort and independence usually prefer to travel to Zurich by car. The tourist is not tied to a specific schedule and can go on the road at any time and from anywhere. If you do not have your own car, you can always order a taxi transfer or rent a car of any class. In order to save money, you can find fellow travelers using the services of the BlaBlaCar service.

The choice of how to get to Zurich will mainly depend on the financial capabilities of the traveler.