Coach Hire Across Switzerland

Zurich Airport by coach: stand R, the waiting area and the road out

Forget the terminal door at Zurich Airport. A full-size coach takes its passengers on board at stand R of the bus station and, if it must wait, waits at P12-300. Plan the walk from the hall to stand R and the rest follows.

Where the coach stops

Stand R, or Kante R, is the airport's coach and tour-car zone, stands R1 to R5. Coaches load and unload people and bags there. The stay is charged in 5-minute steps, so stand R is for loading, not for sitting out a delayed flight.

For a longer wait the coach moves to waiting area P12-300. Give the driver your group leader's mobile number so the coach returns once everyone has their bags.

Setra 49-seat touring coach, exterior
Setra 49-seat touring coach, exterior

The inner lanes need a permit

Both terminal levels have a public outer lane and a barrier-controlled inner lane: Arrival Services below, Check-in Services above. A coach may use the inner lanes only with an airport permit or a single-trip ticket from the barrier.

With the regular bus and coach permit, a coach has up to 30 minutes free on the arrivals side and 20 on the departures side. With a ticket, every stop is charged from the first minute. The kerb at Arrival 1 belongs to the hotel shuttles.

Where the coach collects the group

  • Coaches and buses load and unload passengers at stand R (Kante R) of the airport bus station, which the airport also calls the coach and tour-car zone, stands R1-R5. For longer stays, coaches must use the separate waiting area P12-300. The barrier-controlled inner curbside lanes, 'Arrival Services' on the arrivals level and 'Check-in Services' on the departures level, are not public: they need a curbside-lane permit from the airport ('bus and coach' for regular users, 'party bus' for occasional users; both only for buses and coaches, minibuses with more than nine seats including the driver, and vehicles over 2 m high), or a single-trip ticket bought at the barrier by non-regular commercial users. Cars with driver use the same inner lanes with a 'limousine service' permit or a single-trip ticket, and wait in waiting area P12-100. Airport hotel shuttles stop in the inner curbside lanes of Arrival 1. The airport publishes no group meeting point: agree the meeting point in the arrivals hall and the stopping place with the operator when booking.

Coach parking and waiting

  • At stand R the stay is charged in 5-minute steps and paid on site (Parkingpay). With a bus and coach permit, a coach may stay up to 30 minutes free in the Arrival Services lane and up to 20 minutes free in the Check-in Services lane; with a party-bus permit or a single-trip ticket the stay is charged from the first minute, with a fee for the first 10 minutes (arrivals) or 15 minutes (departures) and a further charge for each extra minute. The waiting areas P12-300 and RFS take coaches for longer waits, charged by duration (permit holders have a free first period). The public outer lanes are for short stops only: the Departure lane is free for the first 5 minutes, and the Arrival lane is a premium short-term pick-up zone charged from the first minute, with an extra charge for more than two entries within two hours. Vehicles may only stop in the marked spaces, must keep the lanes clear and may not cross the pedestrian area between the outer and inner lanes.

By coach to the centre

  • about 13 km by road to Paradeplatz, in the centre of Zürich, about 20 min by coach in light traffic; longer at peak times

Getting the group to the bus station

No group meeting point is published, so agree a spot near the arrivals exit when you book. The Airport Shopping is under reconstruction. For now the route from Arrival 1 to the coaches runs via the drop-off area, and travellers with reduced mobility go by lift through car park P3.

For a small party a car with driver may suit better: up to 8 passengers is a car, from 9 it is a bus. A car with driver needs the limousine-service permit, or a ticket, for the inner lanes; its waiting area is P12-100.

Drive times from the airport

Paradeplatz in central Zürich is about 13 km, a 20-minute coach run in light traffic. Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls take about 50 minutes, Luzern about an hour, St. Gallen about 1 h 15 min.

The mountains take longer: Interlaken about 2 h 30 min via the Brünig road, Davos about 2 h 45 min, St. Moritz about 3 h 30 min over the Julier, where winter can add time. If the coach drove far to reach the airport, a long onward run may need a second driver. Ask when you book.

What organisers ask us

Can the coach set us down at departures on the way home?

Yes, at stand R, or in the Check-in Services lane with a permit or a ticket. Stops are short, so have the group ready to unload.

Can part of the group take the train instead?

Yes. Trains from Zürich Flughafen to Zürich HB run about every 10 minutes, which helps anyone on a later flight.

Can a coach from Germany collect us for a tour inside Switzerland?

Not for a tour that stays in Switzerland. A coach operator from the EU may not carry passengers between two places in Switzerland, though it may bring a group across the border. For domestic transfers we book a partner based in Switzerland.

Destinations

Vehicles, each with a driver