Geneve-Cornavin's main entrance, departure point for the direct IC1/IC5 InterCity service to Zurich.
Photo: Manoillon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)Geneva to Zurich by Train
A domestic route within Switzerland.
Reviewed by Eurotraintrip on 2026-07-30
- Duration
- 2h 47m – 2h 59m
- Price from
- 25 CHF
- Distance
- 224 km
- Operators
- SBB CFF FFS
- Frequency
- Two direct InterCity departures per hour (IC1 and IC5), roughly 25 trains a day in each direction
Compare and book Geneva–Zurich tickets
Check pricesWhat makes Geneva to Zurich different
- Geneve-Cornavin takes its name from a district of former vineyards on the site, and the station has stood at this exact spot since 1858, when it opened alongside the newly built Lyon-Geneva railway - among the oldest working station sites on any route on this site.
- This InterCity service is only the middle third of a single line: IC1 doesn't start or end at either Geneva or Zurich, but runs the full stretch from Geneve-Aeroport to St. Gallen near the Austrian border, making the Geneva-Zurich leg just one segment of one of the longest InterCity lines on the Swiss network.
- Since December 2019, Cornavin has also anchored the Leman Express, a CHF 1.6 billion cross-border regional rail network reaching Annemasse in France through a new mostly-underground line - the first direct rail link across this specific stretch of the Franco-Swiss border in generations.
Geneva station
Departs from Geneve-Cornavin, Geneva's only mainline station and the hub for InterCity and InterRegio connections fanning out toward Lausanne, Bern, Basel and Lucerne as well as this Zurich line - practically every domestic long-distance train serving the canton passes through here.
Zurich station
Arrives at Zurich Hauptbahnhof's main concourse, home each winter to the Christkindlimarkt, one of Europe's largest indoor Christmas markets, built around a roughly 15-metre tree decorated with thousands of Swarovski crystals - a very different scene from the everyday commuter traffic the station otherwise handles.
Train vs. other options
There's a short domestic flight option between Geneva and Zurich, but by the time you've reached either airport and cleared security, the roughly 2h51m Cornavin-to-Zurich-HB train is rarely slower door-to-door; driving covers the 224km in similar time to the train without traffic, but adds a Swiss motorway vignette and the hassle of city-centre parking at either end that the train sidesteps entirely.
Booking tips
- Book an SBB Supersaver ticket as early as possible for up to 50% off the standard fare - it locks you to one specific train and can't be refunded or exchanged.
- If your journey actually starts at Geneva Airport rather than central Geneva, check whether your ticket includes the connecting shuttle to Cornavin - Supersaver fares are priced for the specific station pair you search, so search 'Geneve-Aeroport' rather than 'Geneve' if that's your real starting point.
- A Half Fare Travelcard is worth it for stays involving more than a couple of Swiss trains - it stacks with Supersaver pricing on this route too.
Good to know: Cornavin's departure boards mix Leman Express regional trains, the Geneva Airport shuttle, and long-distance IC1/IC5 departures toward Zurich on adjacent platforms - since the airport shuttle and the Zurich IC can leave within a couple of minutes of each other, confirm the train number before boarding, not just the platform number.
While you're in Zurich
Zurich's Altstadt straddles the Limmat River, with the Grossmunster's twin towers rising above the east bank.
Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE)Zurich splits a compact, walkable old town along the Limmat River, with the Grossmunster's twin towers on one bank and the narrow lanes of Niederdorf on the other - then opens straight onto Lake Zurich, a 10-minute walk from the station.
Full Zurich travel guide →Frequently asked questions
How long is the train from Geneva to Zurich?
Direct IC1 and IC5 InterCity trains take around 2 hours 47 minutes to 2 hours 59 minutes.
How much does the train from Geneva to Zurich cost?
Fares start from about CHF 25 for advance SBB Supersaver tickets in second class, rising toward CHF 88 for a fully flexible standard fare.
Is the Leman Express the same train as the Geneva-Zurich InterCity?
No - the Leman Express is a separate cross-border regional network linking Geneva to Annemasse in France, using the same Cornavin station. The Geneva-Zurich journey uses the long-distance IC1/IC5 InterCity trains instead.