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Getting Around
| Public Transport
The Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich – VBZ (tel: (0848) 801 880; fax: (01) 431 1526; website: www.vbz.ch), operates the highly efficient and easy-to-use tram and bus network (known as Züri Linie) within the city. The Zürcher Verkehrsverbund – ZVV (website: www.zvv.ch), operates services within the canton as a whole, including all trains.
Services operate 0530-2400 and tickets for all forms of transit must be purchased at ticket machines (located at tram stops, bus stops and train stations) and validated before boarding. Tickets cannot be bought on trams or buses – there is a SFr60 fine for anyone travelling without a ticket. The websites explain in detail how to use the automatic ticket machines.
Zurich canton operates on a zone system. A single adult fare for one to two zones is SFr3.60 and is valid for one hour (including transfers). A short hop (known as a ‘Kurzstrecke’) costs SFr2.10 for five or fewer stops. First-class seating is available on S-Bahn trains, for a higher fare. Night buses depart from Bellevue at 0100, 0200 and 0300 on Friday and Saturday. The fare is SFr6.
It is much more simple and better value to buy a day pass, good for 24 hours of unlimited travel and available from ticket machines and the Tourist Information Office for SFr7.20 for 1-2 zones. The 24-hour Welcome 24 (SFr10.80) and 48-hour Welcome 48 (SFr25) include all travel including trips to and from the airport.
Ferries also form part of Zurich’s public transport network. The city is located at the mouth of the River Limmat, where it spills into the northern end of Lake Zurich. The main ferry terminal is at Enge – on the western shore of Lake Zurich – but it is easier to board at Bürkliplatz. Ferries go to many different towns and villages around Lake Zurich and operate daily 0900-1900. Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft, Mythenquai 333 (tel: (01) 487 1333; fax: (01) 487 1320; e-mail: ahoi@zsg.ch; website: www.zsg.ch), operates regular services to Rapperswil and Schmerikon, at the far end of the lake. Trams 2, 5, 8, 9 or 11 and buses 161 or 165 all serve Bürkliplatz. For Enge, tram 5 from Bellevueplatz or Bahnhof Zurich-Enge stops at the Arboretum adjacent to the harbour. Tickets from SFr5.40 upward can be bought at the ferry terminal.
Taxis
Taxis may be found at taxi ranks or hailed on the street, as well as ordered by phone from Züri Taxi (tel: (01) 222 2222), Taxi 444 (tel: (01) 444 4444), Alpha Taxi (tel: (01) 777 7777) or Taxi Jung (tel: (01) 271 1188). For wheelchair-friendly taxis, telephone Zurich Disabled Transport (tel: (01) 461 3866). Fares are SFr6 plus SFr3.20 per kilometre. Tipping is not an issue, seeing as a compulsory service charge of 15% is included in the fare, although it is customary to tip SFr2 per bag for luggage handling.
Limousines
Brunel Limousines. (tel: (01) 315 6030; fax (01) 315 6039; e-mail: reservation@brunel.ch; website: www.brunel.ch) offer Mercedes E-class at SFr760 and Mercedes stretch limousines at SFr920. Drivers are available at SFr65 per hour. People carriers, armoured cars, minibuses and coaches can also be hired.
Driving in the City
Motorways almost go right into the city centre, making it easy to get to destinations in Zurich. However, parking in the city can be difficult. There is a printed parking guide (including locations of car parks and price of metres), which is published by the police and available from the Tourist Information Office. It is also displayed in car parks. Parking in city-centre car parks costs approximately SFr2 for the first hour, rising to SFr5 for two hours, SFr8 for two-and-a-half hours and over SFr80 for 12 hours. The night rate is usually approximately half price. Car parks are located on Lavaterstrasse, Beethovenstrasse, Lowenstrasse, Gessner-Allee and Dufourstrasse.
Car Hire
Zurich is well represented by the major car hire firms, including Alamo/National (tel: (01) 271 2646; website: www.freeways.com), Avis (tel: (01) 296 8787; website: www.avis.ch), Budget (tel: (01) 450 7535; website: www.budget.com), Europcar (tel: (01) 271 5656; website: www.europcar.ch), Hertz (tel: (01) 242 8484; website: www.hertz.ch) and Sixt/Eurodollar (tel: (01) 445 9090; website: www.e-sixt.de). The minimum age for hiring a car is 21 years and there is an additional charge for drivers under 25 years. Visitors wishing to hire a car must have held a category B driving licence for at least one year. Rates are in the region of SFr160 per day for a small car, rising at weekends. Those hiring a car should check if basic insurance is included in the price.
Bicycle Hire
Rent-A-Bike (tel: (061) 726 9210; website: www.rent-a-bike.ch), from Züri Rollt (see Public Transport), offers free bicycles for use in the city (between 0645 and 1945) on payment of a SFr30 deposit (SFr23 for half a day) and presentation of a valid ID. Bicycles are available from Gate 18 at the Hauptbahnhof (tel: (0512) 222 904), all year round, as well as from railway stations at Altstatten, Enge, Oelikon and Stadelhofen and near the Globus department store on Usteristrasse, from May to October.
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