Flight-free from the UK to Europe
Foot passenger ferries to Europe
UK to Ireland
Map of UK Ferry Routes to Europe
Scotland to Europe
North of England to Europe
Wales to Europe
Southwest England to Europe
UK to France
UK to Spain
UK to Italy
UK to Greece
UK to Morocco
Sleeper trains
in UK
Train travel to Europe:
Eurostar Route Map
Under 5 hours
by train from London:
Amsterdam
Brussels
Cologne
Ghent
Lille
Paris
Utrecht
Arrive same day by train from London:
Antwerp
Avignon
Barcelona
Basel
Bayonne
Bordeaux
Brive
Geneva
Hamburg
Interlaken
Lausanne
Marseille
Milan
Munich
Nantes
Nice
Toulouse
Turin
Valence
Zürich
Winter Trains to French Alps
Require overnight stopover from London:
Lisbon
Naples
Rome
Sicily
Venice
Train + Ferry:
How to travel by train from London to Zürich, Switzerland
Travel by train from London to Zürich in less than seven and a half hours by taking the Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord then change to Gare de Lyon and catch the high-speed train to Zürich.
Renowned for its quality of life and cultural offer, Zürich is Switzerland’s largest city with a thriving international business scene. With panoramic Alpine views from its lakeside position, Zürich offers a relaxed, healthy outdoor lifestyle combined with a buoyant restaurant and nightlife scene (over 1,500 restaurants offer cuisine from around the world), and a vast number of museums and galleries. A university city with a history dating back before the Romans, Zürich is at once young and ancient – and it wears its past proudly in its architectural heritage. Whether you come for the culture, the lifestyle, or just for business, there is plenty to enjoy in this dynamic city.
Flight-free travel from London to Zürich:
Journey Time: from 7 hours 25 mins
Sample timetable: Depart London 11.31am, arrive Zürich 8.26pm
Changes: 1
Transfer: Paris Gare du Nord to Paris Gare de Lyon
Frequency of Departures: 16/day
Carbon emissions: 4.96kg (flight would be 123.19kg)*
Tickets provided by Trainline, which allows you to buy tickets for multiple train operators in multiple European countries. It does charge a small booking fee, but offers several useful facilities, such as a free email alert service to let you know as soon as bookings open for your chosen route so you can snap up the cheapest tickets when they become available.
How to book train tickets as part of a package with accommodation
If you want someone to book the whole journey for you or combine it with staying in hotels en route, get in touch with the travel agent Byway through its page for booking enquiries.
On Board Eurostar
For ticket types (Standard, Plus and Premier) and information on what it's like on board, see our Guide to Eurostar
What's the journey like?
You have to change stations in Paris from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon, which can take about half an hour on the Paris RER line (it's only two stops, though we recommend you leave at least 50 minutes for the entire transfer - you have about an hour and a quarter to get the connection). See our guide to How to transfer between train stations across Paris. At Gare de Lyon, you board a TGV high speed train to 'Zürich Hauptbahnhof' station.
Miss your connection?
Don’t panic. Railteam’s ‘Hop on the Next Available Train’ service means that if you have missed your connection because of a delay on the preceding leg of your journey, you’ll automatically be put on the next available high-speed train. NB Remember to get your ticket stamped by your Train Manager.
Stopover in Paris 🏠
If you want to break the journey and stay overnight to see a bit more of Paris while you're travelling through, there are lots of lovely places to stay conveniently near the two railway stations (ie the station you arrive at on the Eurostar in Paris – Gare du Nord, and the station that you depart from Paris – Gare de Lyon).
Hotels close to Gare du Nord 🚉
Grand Hotel de Paris and Hôtel Kabanel are just a few minutes walk from Gare du Nord (and Gare de L'Est so also great if you're heading out east). Rooms from about €100 per night. For more hotels near the station, see Hotels near Gare du Nord
Hotels close to Gare de Lyon 🚉
citizenM Paris Gare de Lyon is one of 5 citizenM hotels in Paris that aim to provide 'affordable luxury' in central city locations. Billed as 'hybrid hotels', they're as much about places to work as they are to sleep, with the idea that you can meet local people in a smart, cozy environment. For more hotels near the station, see Hotels near Gare de Lyon
Green Traveller's Top Pick 💚
Mob Hotel is a particularly environmentally friendly and socially conscious hotel that's in the heart of St Ouen, just a few miles north of Gare du Nord and close to the Garibaldi metro station (line 13). The hotel is all about being socially engaged within its neighbourhood (the artistic creations of local craftspeople are everywhere), but it also has strong eco credentials, such as water jugs rather than plastic bottles, refillable toiletries and organic cosmetics in the rooms. The restaurant is fully organic with a seasonal menu that draws on produce from farming cooperatives or direct from local producers (they also make their own honey and beer).
Eco-certified hotels in Paris ✔️
If you're looking for other green hotels in the French Capital, then these have all been certified by an accredited ecolabel: Hotel Gavarnie (near the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides Museum) | Hotel Le Pavillion (a former convent in the Saint-Dominique area) | Amélie Hotel (2-star) | Hôtel Malar (10 minutes from the Champs Elysees) | Hôtel Du Printemps, about a mile from Gare de Lyon.
On arrival in Zürich
Willkommen in Zürich! Zürich Hauptbahnhof is the city’s main point of arrival for mainline and international rail services, and is one of the world’s busiest railway stations. A hub of S-bahn, tram, bus, and trolley lines, it is well connected for travel across the rest of the city, and its central location at the northern tip of the old town puts the station within easy walking distance of much of central Zürich.
Hotels in Zurich
More about Zurich
Despite being Switzerland’s largest city, Zürich remains a compact, manageable place and the central area is very walkable – your feet could be your best option for getting around. However, its (renowned) dense and comprehensive public transport system means that if you want or need to make a hop by bus, trolley, tram, or s-bahn (suburban rail), it’s definitely possible.
Zürich's trams, trolleybuses and buses are operated by VBZ (Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich), but whilst the S-bahn railway network is separately run, the same tickets, travelcards and fares apply across the city’s transport network – which is collectively known as ZVV. The ZVV website has a map of the Zürich area’s train network, with bus and boat connections, a detailed map of all transport in the city of Zürich and a useful Zürich public transport journey planner. If you’ll be using public transport a lot and intend to visit several of the city’s museums and attractions, it might be worth considering buying a Zürich Card for the duration of your stay – it offers unlimited travel as well as free entry into most museums, and a range of other offers and discounts.
You could also consider cycling in Zürich as a way of getting around: relatively compact and with good segregated bike lanes, the city has a bike sharing scheme called Züri Velo that allows you to borrow bikes for a small charge - you have to register with the scheme and then you can see in your customer account how much each ride cost and the amount that was debited from your credit card.
Gute Reise!
