Travel from Zurich airport to Friedrichshafen

Yoillauwoing97

Hello everyone, I would very much appreciate some advice on how to travel by public transport from Zurich airport to Friedrichshafen in Germany. Our plane is due in to Zurich at 14:20 so I would like to know what kind of ticket I can buy that is the cheapest for our family, which is two adults, two 13 year olds and one 15 year old. I am concerned that we don’t know exactly how long it will take to get from the airport to the train and that there is a possibility of delays, so are the tickets flexible? We will need to get back to the airport for our return 8 days later for a flight at 19:15, but we would be happy to arrive earlier in the day. Many thanks in advance!

Danhiel

Hello Yoillauwoing97

For the Swiss part of your journey, you can buy a Junior Travelcard and your 3 children will travel for free, but you must buy this card and the tickets after your arrival in Switzerland at the ticket office at the airport. It is not recommended to buy non-flexible tickets in case of flight delay.

For the German part of the journey, e.g. from Konstanz to Freidrichshafen, you can buy tickets on bahn.de, in DB Navigator app or on vending machines in German stations. Children under 15 will also travel for free. Such tickets are not available from SBB.

For the return journey, Supersaver Tickets may be available for Switzerland if you buy them in advance.

Kind regards
Danhiel

Krist

Look up train times on www.sbb.ch

The easiest way to do this is take the train from Zurich Airport to Romanshorn, and then take the ferry across lake Constance. This route has several advantages…

Only one change. The transfer from the train to the ferry involves a short walk, but this is only about 160m, so should not be an issue.
The Swiss tariff applies for the ferry too.

So you can buy then:

A normal point to point ticket Zurich AirPort - Friedrichshafen Hafen for the adults. Costs 41.80 pp
A junior card for each child at 30,- per child. The Junior card gives free travel for children for a whole year, so covers both outward and return trip.

You can buy this in advance online, or just when you arrive at the airport.

The trains run every hours, and the ferries connect with the trains.

Yoillauwoing97

Thank you both very much for your advice. I did try to find out myself online, but it is very reassuring to hear from people who are much more familiar with the services than I am.

I assume the point-to-point ticket is flexible and can be used on any train on that day?

Danhiel

Yoillauwoing97 I assume the point-to-point ticket is flexible and can be used on any train on that day?

Yes, it is exact, but I would not buy such tickets in advance, the price is always the same, and change of flights are frequent this year. I you want to buy any ticket in advance, always create an account and don’t buy tickets as guest.

RedBaron

Yoillauwoing97 I assume the point-to-point ticket is flexible and can be used on any train on that day?

Any train on the specific route mentioned on the ticket, e.g. via Schaffhausen - Singen. A different route, such as taking the ferry across Lake Constance via Romanshorn, is not allowed.

Yoillauwoing97

Hi Danhiel Sorry, the ticket is exact, meaning it is for an exact train? In any case, I think I will take your advice and buy the tickets when we are at the airport. Thanks again.

Tafunge25

Hello Yoillauwoing97

I think by ‘this is exact’ he meant that your assumption is correct and indeed, the point to point ticket is valid on any train that runs on your selected route.

( @Danhiel speaks french, where the expression for ‘this is exact’ and ‘this is right’ are the same, so I think that’s where the confusion comes from)

Danhiel

Bonjour Yoillauwoing97

Sorry, my answer was confusing. Point-to-point tickets are flexible and can be used on any train on that day.

However, they are only refundable up to the day before their validity date. They would no longer be usable the following day in the event of a significant flight delay.

Yoillauwoing97

Hi Tafunge25 Thank you for the explanation! I didn’t know that phrase was used that way in French, but it is always good to learn more.

Yoillauwoing97

Hi Danhiel I completely understand now, thanks for taking the time to explain. I think I am all set for my journey now!