What the Zurich to Zermatt train costs
A full-fare second class ticket from Zurich HB to Zermatt runs to roughly CHF 125 one way. That's the headline number, and the biggest of the major Swiss routes. It's the biggest one you'll meet on any normal Swiss itinerary. Nothing else you're likely to book, not Zurich to Lucerne, not Bern to Interlaken, comes close.
That makes this single route do more work on your break-even maths than anything else in the country. A return trip is around CHF 250, and that's most of the price of a 3-day Swiss Travel Pass before you've boarded a single other train. If Zermatt is on your list, the pass conversation is basically already over.
How long the Zurich to Zermatt train takes, and where you change
Budget 3h 15mins to 3h 35mins, departing roughly hourly. There's one change, at Visp, and it's about as painless as a change gets.
- Board the intercity at Zurich HB, it runs down through Bern and along Lake Thun.
- Get off at Visp, in the Rhône valley. Same station, cross-platform.
- Step onto the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, which is timed to your incoming intercity.
- Ride the last hour up the valley to Zermatt, cogwheel section and all.
The connection at Visp is usually ten minutes or less, so you're walking across a platform rather than killing time in a waiting room. No reservation needed on any leg, you turn up, you get on.
Which side of the train to sit on from Zurich to Zermatt
- Zurich to Visp: sit on the left. Between Thun and Visp you get Lake Thun and the mountains behind it.
- Visp to Zermatt: switch to the right. This is the same stretch the Glacier Express runs, and you're paying nothing extra for it.
Is Zurich to Zermatt covered by the Swiss Travel Pass?
Yes, the whole thing, end to end. The intercity, the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, and the final cogwheel climb into the car-free village are all included. You don't pay a supplement at Visp and you don't pay anything for the mountain leg.
Zermatt itself has no cars, so once you're off the train you're walking or taking an electric taxi. The train station is the village entrance, which makes the covered final leg feel less like a transfer and more like arrival.
Paying per ticket vs using a pass on this route
| Point-to-point tickets | Swiss Travel Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Zurich to Zermatt one way | approx CHF 125 | CHF 0 |
| Return | approx CHF 250 | CHF 0 |
| Cogwheel leg from Visp | Included in the fare | Covered |
| Reservation needed | No | No |
| Flexibility | Tied to the fare you bought | Any train, any hour, turn up and go |
| Effect on your break-even | — | One return covers most of a 3-day pass |
If you want the full sums rather than just this route, we've laid them out on whether a Swiss Travel Pass is worth it.