Minibus Services Across Switzerland

Ski week transfers: airport to chalet in one minibus

A ski week starts with the longest drive of the holiday. With ten friends, a family or a ski club in one minibus, the boards, boots and children stay together from the arrivals hall to the last stop below the slopes. Here is what shapes that drive in a Swiss winter.

Which airport suits which valley

For the Valais, Geneva is usually the nearer airport. Geneva to Täsch, the end of the road below Zermatt, is about 230 km, roughly 3 h 30 min by coach. From Zurich the high passes are shut in winter, so the drive swings west via Bern, Lausanne and Martigny, some 356 km and about 4 h 30 min by car.

For the Jungfrau region, Zurich works well: Lauterbrunnen is about two hours away and Grindelwald Terminal a little more.

Full-size coach interior with reclining seats and aisle
Full-size coach interior with reclining seats and aisle

Car-free villages: where the minibus stops

Zermatt, Saas-Fee, Wengen and Mürren keep cars out. At the Matterhorn Terminal Täsch your minibus can use the free Kiss & Ride area for up to 30 minutes while everyone moves across to the shuttle train, with departures every 20 minutes and a 12-minute ride. The covered car park has a 2.30 m height limit, so a high-roof minibus that needs to park uses the outdoor area.

In Saas-Fee, bags come off at Terminal A or B by the village entrance. For Wengen and Mürren the drive ends in Lauterbrunnen, and a train or cable car does the rest.

Worth knowing before the day

  • Road-condition signs at the start of pass roads and access roads to winter resorts show whether the road is open, closed or passable only with snow chains (Art. 58 SSV)
  • At the Matterhorn Terminal Täsch the covered car park has a 2.30 m height limit; larger vehicles use an outdoor parking area (no reservation), buses and cars may use the free Kiss & Ride transfer area outdoors for up to 30 minutes, and coach passengers can use a free luggage service if it is registered by 16:00 the day before
  • Mürren is car-free: from Lauterbrunnen take the cableway to Grütschalp and the train to Mürren (about 20 minutes), or the bus to Stechelberg and the Schilthornbahn cableway (about 30 minutes); parking in Lauterbrunnen and Stechelberg is limited
  • Vereina car-carrying train (RhB, Klosters Selfranga-Sagliains, 18 minutes through the 19 km Vereina tunnel, all year): it carries buses including coaches up to a loading height of 3.77 m on covered wagons; capacity for vehicles over 3.30 m corner height is limited on winter weekends and public holidays, and bus passengers stay seated in the bus
  • Zürich Airport to Lauterbrunnen is about 142 km (about 2 h) and to Grindelwald Terminal about 149 km (about 2 h 10 min)

Snow, chains and a shortcut through the mountain

Swiss law fixes no date for winter tyres: a vehicle simply has to be fit for the road, and chains become compulsory where the snow-chain sign is up. Road-status signs where pass and resort roads begin say whether the way is open, closed or chains-only, so leave slack in the timetable on snowy days.

Here a small vehicle has an edge. The Lötschberg rail shuttle carries buses of 22 seats or fewer, so a minibus can cross from the Bernese Oberland to the Valais in about 15 minutes, while a full-size coach goes round by road.

Questions travellers ask

How much ski kit fits in a minibus?

Less than you might think once every seat is taken. List skis, snowboards and boot bags with the headcount, and the operator may suggest a larger vehicle such as a midi-coach.

Can the minibus drive right up to Verbier?

The tourist board advises day visitors to park in Le Châble and take the gondola. No official coach stop is published in Verbier itself, so the operator confirms where your vehicle sets down.

What if our flight lands late?

Give the flight number when you book. Waiting rules differ from airport to airport, and the operator plans the pickup around your landing time.

More places for your group

Other vehicles with a driver

Book your ski week transfer

Send the airport, flight times, resort, the number of skiers and every bag, board and boot bag. Your transfer is run by a licensed partner operator with a professional driver.

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