Day Trips from Zurich: Falls, Lucerne, Rigi

October 29, 2026

Trains from Zürich HB make the surrounding country accessible without a car. The list below sorts the trips into easy ones and exhausting ones. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF).

Easy: Rhine Falls and Schaffhausen

About 50 minutes by regional train brings you to the falls, Europe’s largest plain waterfall by flow, 23 m high and 150 m across. Schloss Laufen has a lift and a trail down to a platform close to the water. The entry charge is CHF 5 for adults and CHF 3 for children aged 6 to 16, and the site is open 08:00 to 18:00 in summer and 10:00 to 16:00 in winter. Boats in the basin run in the warm months; ask the operator about fares. Continue five minutes to Schaffhausen for the Munot fortress, which is free to enter.

Easy: Lucerne

Direct trains take 41 to 50 minutes. The wooden Chapel Bridge, the Lion Monument and the Glacier Garden are all within a walk of the station, and the Glacier Garden’s fee and closing day should be confirmed.

Easy with a pass: Rigi

Combine Lucerne with a mountain loop: train to Arth-Goldau, the rack railway to the 1,797 m summit, and down the other side to Vitznau for a lake steamer. A Swiss Travel Pass or GA makes all of it free. A traveller without one pays about CHF 55 for the Vitznau to Rigi Kulm return.

Gentle: Stein am Rhein

The painted old town is about 1 hour 10 minutes away by train. It lies in the canton of Schaffhausen. Rathausplatz and the lanes around it make a good half day, and Burg Hohenklingen sits above on the hill.

Rainy day: Technorama

The science centre near Winterthur takes about 30 minutes to reach. Plan for adult admission of roughly CHF 33 to 34, subject to change.

Local peak: Uetliberg

At around 870 m, Zurich’s own mountain has a lookout tower and a ridge path. The S10 does not run from the main station to Selnau until 13 December 2026, and the signposted walk to Selnau takes 12 minutes, or you can take tram 3 or 14 to Stauffacher. After works end, the ride takes about 25 minutes. There are no ski lifts, but a winter sledging run opens when there is enough snow.

Long days: Jungfraujoch and Titlis

Neither suits a casual day trip. Packaged tours from Zurich to Jungfraujoch start around CHF 290 and fill most of a day. A night in the Interlaken area is more relaxed. See multi-day trips for how to combine stops.

Tickets

Timetables are on sbb.ch . For a guided day, this day trip search lists packages.