Minibus Services Across Switzerland

Zurich Airport by minibus: from the arrivals hall to your first Swiss day

Landing in Zurich with a wedding party, a ski club or three generations of one family? A minibus with a driver keeps everyone and every bag together from the arrivals hall onwards. Here is how the pickup works, and where a small group can be by the afternoon.

Where your minibus pulls in

Zurich sorts vehicles by size, and a minibus with more than nine seats including the driver's counts as a bus. It can load at stand R of the bus station, the airport's zone for coaches and tour vehicles, or use the barrier-controlled lanes in front of the terminals with a permit or a single-trip ticket. Your confirmation will say which.

For eight people or fewer, a car with driver is often the easier choice. It uses the same inner lanes under a limousine-service permit and waits in area P12-100 instead of circling. The kerb outside Arrival 1 belongs to hotel shuttles, so don't look for your vehicle there.

Passenger van rear compartment loaded with luggage
Passenger van rear compartment loaded with luggage

If the plane or the bags are late

Kerb time is short. With a regular permit a bus may stand free for up to 30 minutes in the arrivals lane; on a single-trip ticket every minute is charged. When a flight is delayed, the driver waits in the separate area P12-300 and comes back to the stand once your group is through.

The airport names no meeting point for groups. Pick one with the operator when you book, somewhere in the arrivals hall that the whole party can find, and tell everyone before they board.

Arrival areas at a glance

  • Docks A, B and E for the aircraft gates (Dock E is reached by the Skymetro)
  • Airport Center with the Airport Shopping, the railway station and the bus station
  • Arrival 1 and Arrival 2 (arrivals halls)
  • Check-in 1, Check-in 2 and Check-in 3 (departures), each linked to its own car park (P1, P2 and P3)

Good to know: Zurich Airport

  • St. Moritz is about 214 km by road via Chur and the Julier Pass road, about 3 h 30 min by coach in light traffic; winter conditions can add time.
  • Davos Platz is about 160 km by road via Landquart, about 2 h 45 min by coach in light traffic.
  • Interlaken (Höhematte) is about 136 km by road via Luzern and the Brünig Pass road, about 2 h 30 min by coach in light traffic; Grindelwald is about 152 km, about 2 h 45 min.
  • Chur is about 129 km by road, about 2 h by coach in light traffic.
  • Engelberg (for Titlis) is about 102 km by road, about 1 h 45 min by coach in light traffic.
  • St. Gallen (Marktplatz) is about 85 km by road, about 1 h 15 min by coach in light traffic.
  • Luzern (Schwanenplatz) is about 67 km by road, about 1 h by coach in light traffic.
  • Schaffhausen (Fronwagplatz; the Rhine Falls are nearby) is about 37 km by road, about 50 min by coach in light traffic.
  • A covered bus station for coaches and long-distance buses is planned in front of the new food hall, to replace today's open coach stands; local press reported in October 2024 that it should be finished in 2028.
  • The Airport Shopping is being rebuilt, with a new food hall due in autumn 2027. During the works, arriving passengers in Arrival 1 reach the Airport Shopping, the railway station and the bus station through the drop-off area, and passengers with reduced mobility reach the bus station by the lift to car park P3.
  • Tram lines 10 and 12 serve the stop Zürich Flughafen, Bahnhof; regional buses leave from the bus station.
  • The railway station Zürich Flughafen is reached from the Airport Shopping (Airport Center). Trains run to Zürich HB about every 10 minutes and take about 10-15 minutes. Direct IC and IR trains run to St. Gallen (about 50 min), Luzern (about 1 h 10 min), Bern (about 1 h 10 min-1 h 20 min), Lausanne (about 2 h 35 min) and Genève (about 3 h 30 min); Basel SBB has an hourly direct IR train (about 1 h 30 min), and Chur needs one change.

Your first afternoon: falls, lakes and mountains

Paradeplatz, in the heart of Zurich, is about 13 km away, roughly 20 minutes in light traffic. Plenty of small groups skip the city on day one. Schaffhausen, with the Rhine Falls close by, is about 37 km, around 50 minutes. Lucerne is about 67 km, around an hour: settle in by the lake and ride up Pilatus or Rigi the next morning.

Engelberg, below Titlis, is about 102 km, around 1 h 45 min. For the Bernese Oberland, allow about 2 h 30 min to Interlaken by Lucerne and the Brünig Pass road, and a little more for Grindelwald.

Ski weeks in Graubünden

Davos Platz is about 160 km by Landquart, around 2 h 45 min. St. Moritz is about 214 km over the Julier Pass road, around 3 h 30 min on a clear day, and winter conditions can add time. Skis, boots and boot bags fill a minibus quickly, so list them with the headcount.

Questions travellers ask

Could part of the group take the train?

Yes. Zürich Flughafen station sits under the Airport Centre, and trains run to Zürich HB about every 10 minutes. Some families ride into town by train and keep the minibus for the day trips that follow.

Which arrivals hall will we come out of?

Zurich has two, Arrival 1 and Arrival 2. While the Airport Shopping is rebuilt, the walk from Arrival 1 to the bus station runs through the drop-off area, so allow a few extra minutes.

How big a vehicle do we need?

Count people and bags together. A minibus usually carries 9 to 16 passengers, with little luggage room when every seat is taken. Beyond that, ask about a midi-coach.

More places for your group

Other vehicles with a driver

Plan your Zurich Airport pickup

Send the flight number, landing time, how many of you there are, the bags (skis and pushchairs too) and where you are staying. A licensed partner operator supplies the minibus and its driver.

Request a quote or call 35227647770