Best way to travel to Yverdon, Switzerland - fly into Zurich or Geneva?

November 28, 2016 6:01 PM

I need to travel from Los Angeles, CA to Yverdon, Switzerland. Nonstop flights aren't available from LAX to Geneva, but are available to Zurich. So, is it better to fly into Zurich and take a 2 hour train, or connect somewhere, fly into Geneva and take a 1 hour train? A local is telling me to make a connection, but a flight connection anywhere in the world, including the US, seems worse than an extra hour in the train.
posted by carlodio to Travel & Transportation (12 answers total)

Take the train. The ride will be beautiful.
posted by kevinbelt at 6:06 PM on November 28, 2016 [8 favorites]

What are the train connection departure times? stops along the way, ie local or express? ease of getting to train station from airport? jet lag factor? You can check it out at the Rome2Rio website. But my inclination would be the non-stop to Z and a nice soothing train ride through Switzerland.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:06 PM on November 28, 2016

Take the train from Zurich airport. It's easy peasy.
posted by netsirk at 6:13 PM on November 28, 2016

Train. The Swiss railway system is synonymous with punctuality and reliability, and a train ride is a really good way to decompress after a long flight.
posted by holgate at 6:14 PM on November 28, 2016 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I checked DB website (pro-tip: while you may not always be able to buy the ticket online through Deutsch Bahn's website for non-German trains, they have one of the *most* user friendly experiences for looking at options of the train systems in Europe and cover time tables for IC, ICE and IR trains for most other countries) and you can do it with either no or one change, leaving right from the airport.

IIRC, the connection to the train at Zurich is pretty straightforward. If you have a chip card, you can use it in the machines and don't have to wait inline for a human to buy your tickets.

Train.

Hands down.
posted by chiefthe at 6:27 PM on November 28, 2016

Best answer: If the flight connection being considered was in like Phoenix or something (so not out of the way, and not in Europe where you'll be jetlagged), the choice was between a 20 minute train journey and a 3 hour train journey, and the train journeys weren't in Switzerland (!) then maybe I'd take the flight connection. As it is: take the longer train ride are you kidding me?
posted by caek at 6:36 PM on November 28, 2016

Best answer: As another local, I'm honestly boggled at the advice you got because "take the train" is such a no-brainer. Depending on when you land, going to Geneva instead of Zurich might only save you 30-40 minutes! (For your reference: the SBB trip planner.) You can buy a ticket in advance, but there are trains from Zurich airport to Yverdon several times an hour, so it's not necessary.

Pro-tip: the luggage racks at the entrance to each compartment fill up quickly, but the seats are arranged in groups of four and there's a little alcove between each set that looks tiny but is juuuust the right size for my (fairly large) suitcase. Don't even bother with the wifi, but if you're on a newer train there may be charging outlets (for type C/J plugs) high up on the walls between the windows, so keep a charger close to hand.
posted by bettafish at 6:58 PM on November 28, 2016 [3 favorites]

On the SBB site linked above you can buy your tickets online. You don't have to commit to a specific train, just a type of ticket. May be preferable to figuring out the machines in the arrivals hall after a long flight. Train station is right under the airport building in Zurich, couldn't be easier.
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:30 PM on November 28, 2016

As a former local, I say take the train. It's easy, nice, and you don't have the risk of missing your flight connection.
posted by meijusa at 11:32 PM on November 28, 2016

Best answer: I am not a local but I had a similar problem once. Everyone else was flying into Geneva airport and heading to Martigny by car. But most of my flight options landed at Zurich. A friend told me, just take the train to Martigny and catch them up there! I was mind boggled at the ease of it. It never crossed my mind as so many airports in so many other countries are not connected to the main train network; or one has to catch a shitty bus connection to the train; but the Zurich train station is under the airport and so convenient. A+++ will do again.
posted by moiraine at 11:44 PM on November 28, 2016

Not a local but I've flown into Geneva and used the train. Yet another vote for just flying to Switzerland direct and taking the train. The best train experience in Europe, bar none, and I've used trains in 7 European countries so far.
posted by Logophiliac at 7:10 AM on November 29, 2016

I visited Switzerland for the first time ever this past spring, and I can vouch as someone who had never been there before that getting the train at the Zurich airport is super easy.
posted by msbubbaclees at 10:09 AM on November 29, 2016