Zurich Airport

About Zurich Airport

Zurich Airport (ZRH), known locally as Flughafen Zürich and based in Kloten, is Switzerland’s largest airport with about 31 million passengers in 2023. It has three terminals (A, B, E) connected by the SkyMetro automated underground people-mover, two main runways and a third cross-runway used in limited weather conditions. The airport opened in 1948 and has been continuously rebuilt, with the latest Dock A renewal scheduled for completion in the 2030s.

Getting from Zurich Airport to Zurich

The A51 motorway runs south from the airport to the A1 ring, with central Zurich 13 km away and Hauptbahnhof 12 km. A typical road transfer takes 20 to 30 minutes outside rush hour, with peak weekday traffic pushing the upper end. Pre-booked drivers leave directly from the named meeting point inside Ankunft 1 or Ankunft 2, skipping the airport taxi rank, and the fare is fixed regardless of traffic.

Terminals and pickup points

Terminals A and B handle Schengen flights and feed into the Ankunft 2 arrivals hall, while Terminal E handles non-Schengen and long-haul flights with arrivals at Ankunft 1. The SkyMetro links Terminal E to the main airport building airside, and customs is cleared on the way through. Drivers wait in the relevant Ankunft hall at the marked meeting point, holding a printed name sign, with all halls on the same landside level.

Common transfer routes from Zurich Airport

• ZRH to Zurich city centre (Bahnhofstrasse): 13 km, 20 to 35 minutes
• ZRH to Zurich Hauptbahnhof: 12 km, 20 to 30 minutes
• ZRH to Lucerne: 65 km, 55 to 70 minutes
• ZRH to St Gallen: 90 km, 70 to 90 minutes
• ZRH to Davos: 150 km, 130 to 150 minutes
• ZRH to Engelberg: 100 km, 80 to 100 minutes

Booking your Zurich Airport transfer

Add ZRH as the pickup point with the flight number and the exact drop-off address, then pick a saloon, estate, van or business-class vehicle to match the group and luggage. Payment runs on Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay, iDEAL, Wero or PayPal at booking, and free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before pickup. Every operator holds a Swiss federal passenger transport licence and the vehicles are insured under Konzession A or B.