Zurich to Interlaken train times, price and platforms
You'll start at Zurich HB and end at Interlaken Ost, which is the station you want for Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and the boats on Lake Brienz. The fast version takes 1h 54mins direct via Bern, there are about 13 trains a day across both routes, and the first one out is around 06:02. A one-way ticket is roughly CHF 76 in second class, about EUR 38. On a Swiss Travel Pass it's CHF 0, and you don't need a reservation on either route.
That last part matters more than it sounds. Because both routes cost the same nothing on a pass, you're not choosing between cheap and scenic. You're just choosing between fast and pretty.
Via Bern or via Lucerne: which Zurich to Interlaken route to take
Two ways to do this, and they're genuinely different journeys rather than two versions of the same one.
| Via Bern | Via Lucerne | |
|---|---|---|
| Journey time | 1h 54mins direct | 2h 40mins to 3h with one change |
| Frequency | Only seven direct trains a day, at two minutes past the hour | Regular, roughly hourly connections |
| The catch | A three hour gap between the 08:02 and the 11:02 | You change trains at Lucerne, and it's a four minute walk |
| Scenery | Fine. Flat, fast, forgettable | The Luzern–Interlaken Express over the Brünig Pass, panoramic windows, Lake Lungern and Lake Brienz |
| Cost on a pass | CHF 0 | CHF 0 |
| Reservation | Not needed | Not needed. Optional, about CHF 16 in summer, CHF 12 otherwise |
So you're paying an extra hour of your day for one of the better train rides in the country. If it's your first day in Switzerland and you're not racing a check-in time, take the Brünig. If you've landed at Zurich airport on a red-eye and want a bed, take the direct train via Bern and don't feel bad about it.
Watch the three hour gap on the direct trains via Bern
The direct service is thin. Seven trains a day sounds fine until you turn up at 09:30 and find the next one leaves at 11:02. If you're aiming for a specific departure, check it the night before rather than wandering into Zurich HB and assuming something will be along shortly. Via Lucerne is the more forgiving option when your morning has already gone sideways.
Changing trains at Lucerne for the Luzern–Interlaken Express
This is the only fiddly bit of the whole journey, and it's fiddly for about four minutes.
- Arrive at Lucerne from Zurich on a mainline platform.
- Head down towards the end of platform 3.
- Turn left and walk past the glass partition.
- You'll come out at the narrow gauge platforms, which is where the Interlaken trains go from.
- Board and find a seat on the right hand side.
Allow longer than four minutes if you're wheeling a big case or you've got kids in tow. It isn't obvious from the mainline platforms that there's a whole other station tucked round the corner.
Heading for Pilatus? Don't take the express
The Luzern–Interlaken Express skips Alpnachstad, which is where you catch the Pilatus cogwheel railway. If Pilatus is on your list, take a stopping train from Lucerne instead. Same line, same scenery, just with the stops in it.
Where to sit on the train from Zurich to Interlaken
- Zurich to Lucerne: sit on the left. You'll get the lake on the run into Lucerne.
- Lucerne to Interlaken: sit on the right. That's the side for Lake Lungern, the climb over the Brünig, and then Lake Brienz opening up as you drop down towards Interlaken.
If you've booked a seat reservation you obviously sit where you're told, but on an unreserved train it's worth getting on a couple of minutes early to claim the right side. Everyone who's read this does the same thing, so the good seats go first.
Is the Zurich to Interlaken train covered by the Swiss Travel Pass?
Fully covered, both routes, no reservation needed. Walk on, sit down, show the pass when the conductor comes round. That includes the Luzern–Interlaken Express, which surprises a lot of people because panoramic trains elsewhere in Switzerland do want a supplement. This one doesn't. The optional reservation is about CHF 16 in summer and CHF 12 the rest of the year, and you only really want it in summer or if you're travelling as a group and want to sit together.
Whether the pass itself is the right buy for your trip is a separate question, and it depends a lot on what else you're doing. We've worked through the maths on whether the Swiss Travel Pass is worth it.
What to do either side of this journey
If you're stopping in Lucerne anyway, you might as well make it a proper stop rather than a four minute platform change. See Zurich to Lucerne by train for how to build that in, and then pick up the Brünig line the next morning with your bags already unpacked.
Heading further south afterwards? Zurich to Zermatt by train is the usual next leg, and there's a neat version of it that runs from Interlaken rather than doubling back. All our other routes are on the route index.