Home / Zurich /Zurich Airport / SBB train to Zürich HB vs IC8 to Thun

ZRH → Zurich · head to head

SBB train to Zürich HBorIC8 to Thun?

The short answer

These do not go to the same place, so price is not the comparison. The SBB train to Zürich HB reaches Zürich HB, the main station; the IC8 to Thun does not. Goes to Thun, not Zurich: it runs through Zürich HB and Bern to Thun, on an SBB point-to-point fare rather than the ZVV ticket.

The SBB train to Zürich HB is quicker: 11 min against 1 h 37. The IC8 to Thun varies between 97 and 100 minutes.

SBB train to Zürich HB: 05:00–00:42. IC8 to Thun: 06:46–18:46.

Priced against each other

Whole-party totals · adult fares
What each costs for the whole party, in CHF. The cheaper of the two is marked on every row.
TravelersSBB train to Zürich HBIC8 to ThunDifference
1CHF 7.20CHF 68CHF 60.80
2CHF 14.40CHF 136CHF 121.60
3CHF 21.60CHF 204CHF 182.40
4CHF 28.80CHF 272CHF 243.20
5CHF 36CHF 340CHF 304
6CHF 41CHF 408CHF 367
7CHF 48.20CHF 476CHF 427.80
8CHF 55.40CHF 544CHF 488.60

Side by side

Where each one leaves you
regional · SBB, on a ZVV zone ticketSBB train to Zürich HB
From
Zürich Flughafen railway station, platforms 1 to 4 — follow the train signs from arrivals
To
Zürich HB, the main station, in 9 to 13 minutes; most trains call at Zürich Oerlikon on the way
Luggage
Mainline Swiss trains: racks and standing space by the doors.
Runs
05:00–00:42
Journey
9–13 min

Take whichever train comes first. The S2, S16, S24, InterCity and InterRegio all reach Zürich HB in 9 to 13 minutes on the same CHF 7.20 ticket; there is no premium service and no supplement.

The last train toward the city is at 00:42, the first at 05:00. Between them no train runs, on any night of the week.

Buy a three-zone ticket, not a two-zone one. The city zone counts double, so airport to anywhere in Zurich is three zones; a cheaper ticket is not valid on arrival.

Coming back the same day? Buy the CHF 14.40 24-hour ticket instead of two singles. It costs the same and covers everything in the city in between.

Six or more of you: one CHF 41.00 Multikarte covers six rides and the tariff lets a group share it — CHF 2.20 less than six singles, and the only party-size saving Zurich has.

The airport says the ride takes 15 minutes and trains run every 10; the timetable says 9 to 13 minutes and 12 or 13 trains an hour. The airport's figure is the safe one for a connection.

The single is valid for one hour and the last journey must be finished inside it; the train plus a tram across town fits, a long wait does not.

SBB train to Zürich HB: price for every party size

See ZVV single tickets
IC8 · SBB, on a point-to-point ticketIC8 to Thun
From
Zürich Flughafen railway station, platforms 1 to 4
To
Thun station, by the lake, in 97 to 100 minutes; via Zürich HB and Bern
Luggage
Mainline Swiss trains: racks and standing space by the doors.
Runs
06:46–18:46
Journey
97–100 min

The ticket is SBB's, not ZVV's: Zürich Flughafen to Thun, CHF 68.00 an adult, CHF 34.00 for a child of 6 to 15 or with a Half-Fare card, under-6s free. It is cheaper than the CHF 77.00 to Interlaken Ost, which the same train goes on to.

One an hour, at :46, from 06:46 to 18:46. Earlier or later, change at Bern on the same ticket.

The full fare is fixed; the "Supersaver" for one named train is cheaper, demand-priced and refused on any other train, so it is not priced here.

IC8 to Thun: price for every party size

See the fare on sbb.ch

This compares two of 19 options. See all of them ranked for your party size

The other comparisons at Zurich Airport