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Traveling in Switzerland -
how to get around by train or car
Switzerland offers the most comprehensive public transport system
in the world. It incorporates trains, buses, boats, lake steamers, funiculars and
cable cars. Roads and highways are well maintained and signposted.
Internal flights are not of great interest to the visitor due to
the excellent ground transportation.
Trains are a
popular and convenient way to travel to Switzerland, and Swiss and
European rail passes make train travel affordable. The public transportation
network covers more than 5000km. It's hard to overstate just how
good this network is: you can get anywhere you want quickly, easily
and relatively cheaply and everybody relies on it as a matter of
course. The Swiss are run by SBB and the trains are clean, reliable and frequent. The yellow
post buses are supplementing the rail network and their stations
are next to railway stations. Major hubs like Zurich and Geneva,
with train stations right at the airports, are less than four hours
apart. Simple and many times direct connections to the main resorts
such as Interlaken, Montreux, Zermatt and St. Moritz and to scenic
sites such as the Jungfraujoch make train travel fun, exhilarating
and rewarding.
There are car-rental agencies in most sizeable towns and at the
airports. Driving in Switzerland is easy with the roads are well
maintained, well signposted and generally not too congested, though
you may find it hard to concentrate with such wonderful scenery
unfolding around you! Getting to Switzerland by road is simple,
since there are fast highways through all surrounding countries.
Lake steamers service all the larger lakes, and the Swiss rail passes
are valid on most steamer routes.
Bicycles can be hired from most railway stations and returned to
any station with a rental office.
The main entry points for international flights are Zurich-Kloten and Geneva-Cointrin. The cities of Basel, Bern and Lugarno also
have airports that receive international flights, but on a much
smaller level.
If you have time and money, it's possible to get to Switzerland by
boat along the Rhine all the way from Amsterdam. Switzerland can also
be reached by lake steamer ferries from Germany via Lake Constance,
from Italy via Lake Maggiore and from France via Lake Geneva.
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