BlaakLane.com books Zurich HB chauffeurs at a fixed fare shown before you pay. Enter your SBB, ICE, TGV Lyria or EuroCity train number, choose Zurich Airport, a Paradeplatz office, a lake hotel or a mountain resort, and pick a vehicle. We follow the train and time the chauffeur to its real arrival, then meet you curbside at the station's designated pick-up area.
How booking works at Zurich HB
Choose Zurich HB as the pickup in the reservation engine, enter the train number, your drop-off and the number of travellers and bags, and select one of nine classes. The fare on screen is the complete price. Our 24/7 desk in Toronto dispatches the trip to a vetted Zurich affiliate of the LimousineWorldwide.Directory network, contracted to the BlaakLane.com written standard, and your confirmation names the operator, chauffeur and car.
Switzerland's main rail hub
Zürich Hauptbahnhof is the busiest station in Switzerland, with roughly half a million passengers a day and trains arriving every few minutes. SBB InterCity trains reach Bern in under an hour, Basel in about 55 minutes, Lucerne in about 45 minutes and St. Gallen in about 1 hour 15 minutes. EuroCity trains run through the Gotthard Base Tunnel to Lugano and Milan (about 3 hours 20 minutes), ÖBB Railjets go to Innsbruck and Vienna, ICE trains to Frankfurt and Hamburg, EuroCity services to Munich, and TGV Lyria to Paris in about 4 hours. Nightjets connect with several European capitals.
Trains stop on three levels: the surface platforms in the historic hall, the underground Museumstrasse platforms for S-Bahn trains, and the Löwenstrasse through station, opened in 2014, which carries many InterCity services beneath the tracks.
Exits you should know
- Bahnhofplatz: the main exit facing Bahnhofstrasse, the Alfred Escher monument and the trams.
- Europaallee: the south-west side by the Sihlpost, with offices, hotels and the university campus.
- Museumstrasse and Landesmuseum: the north side, beside the Swiss National Museum.
- Sihlquai: the north-west side, used for vehicle access and coaches.
- Shopville: the underground shopping level that links most exits.
Where the chauffeur can stop
Curbside is the standard service. In Zurich, private cars may stop only in the designated drop-off and pick-up zones around the station, for example on the Sihlquai or Europaallee side, or in the station car parks. The Bahnhofplatz area is dominated by tram tracks and the taxi rank, so it is not a place to wait. When your train arrives, the chauffeur sends the exact meeting point by text or call.
For a concourse or platform meet with a name board, book the meet and greet add-on. Add-ons are only available in selected locations.
Swiss punctuality and when it slips
SBB trains are famous for running on time, but international trains from Germany and Italy can arrive late. We track every train number, so the chauffeur's timing follows the real arrival at no charge. Once the train is in, 15 minutes of waiting cost nothing; extra time is charged in 15-minute blocks.
Luggage and winter equipment
A Standard Sedan fits two passengers and two suitcases. Skis, snowboards and golf bags need a Standard Black SUV or Executive Black SUV, and groups of up to 12 with smaller bags travel in the Sprinter Van. Child seats are free on request; Swiss law requires them for younger children.
Drive times around Zurich
| Destination | Typical drive |
|---|---|
| Zurich Airport (ZRH) | 15-25 minutes |
| Paradeplatz and Bahnhofstrasse banks | 5 minutes |
| Seefeld and the lake hotels | 10-15 minutes |
| Hallenstadion and Messe Zürich (Oerlikon) | 15-20 minutes |
| Zug | 30-40 minutes |
| Baden | 25-35 minutes |
For flights and private jets, see the Zurich Airport page and the Zurich FBO page, plus Zurich Airport's official site.
Banks, hotels and the World Economic Forum
The banking district around Paradeplatz, the insurers on Mythenquai and the headquarters in the Zurich West area are all within 15 minutes of the station. Hotels along Bahnhofstrasse and the lake shore are 5-15 minutes away. Each January, many delegates to the World Economic Forum in Davos pass through Zurich; the drive to Davos is about 150 km, typically 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes in winter conditions. Those programmes are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing.
Road alternatives to Swiss trains
An intercity transfer makes sense for groups, heavy luggage or resorts without a convenient rail stop:
- Lucerne, about 50 km, 45-55 minutes
- Basel, about 85 km, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes
- Bern, about 125 km, 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes
- Davos, about 150 km, 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes
- St. Moritz, about 200 km, 3 hours via the Julier Pass
- Lugano, about 200 km, 2 hours 15 minutes through the Gotthard road tunnel
- Lake Como and Milan, about 280 km, 3 hours to 3 hours 30 minutes
- Konstanz, about 75 km, 1 hour
Swiss motorways require a vignette, and the Gotthard road tunnel often has long queues at holiday weekends. See the Lucerne and Basel pages for arrivals there.
Stadelhofen, Oerlikon and the city's festivals
Zurich HB is not the only useful stop. Stadelhofen, on the east side of the old town, is closer to the Opera House and the Seefeld hotels, and Zürich Oerlikon, in the north, serves the Hallenstadion, Messe Zürich and many office parks on the way to the airport. If your train calls there, you can book the pickup at that station instead.
Several events change traffic around the station: the Sechseläuten spring festival, usually in April, the Street Parade along the lake, usually in August, and the Zurich Film Festival, usually in late September and early October. On those days, streets near the lake and the old town close, and your chauffeur may ask you to use a different exit.
Choosing the right class
| Traveller | Class |
|---|---|
| Solo banker to the airport | Standard Sedan |
| Senior executive meeting clients | Luxury Executive Sedan |
| Family office principal or VIP | Executive First Class Sedan (Maybach) |
| Ski family of five | Standard Black SUV or Executive Black SUV |
| Conference group of ten | Sprinter Van |
| Seven partners with hand luggage | Sprinter Luxury Jet Van |
| Wedding on Lake Zurich | Luxury Stretch Limo |
| Celebration night out | Party Bus |
See the fleet and what fares include on the rates page.
Private clients and companies
Family offices and private banks can book through corporate accounts with monthly invoices and traveller profiles; see also HNWI and family office travel. The full city guide is on the Zurich chauffeur service page, timetables on SBB and visitor information on Zürich Tourism.
