Swiss Travel Pass, Half-Fare Card & Zürich Card

It is a practical base, not an alpine one. Zurich has no high mountains of its own; Lucerne is about 40 to 50 minutes away by train and Interlaken roughly one and a half to two hours, according to timetable sites. The Jungfraujoch is a full-day tour of around 12 hours.

In Kilchberg on Lake Zurich, not in the centre. The museum gives about 20 minutes from most parts of Zurich by boat, bus, train or car. Because of demand it asks visitors to book online in advance.

They are the shortest of the classic excursions, about 30 to 50 minutes by train according to travel guides. The boat tour at the falls lasts 30 minutes and starts in Neuhausen, so you can do it on your own; a tour from Zurich mainly pays for transport and a guide.

Yes, but the listed Jungfraujoch tours are long days of about 12 hours, mostly spent travelling. The cheaper Grindelwald, Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen tours visit the valley villages, not the summit. Cloud can cover the view, so check the forecast and the cancellation terms.

Only if you will travel a lot. For a weekend in Zurich with one or two excursions, single tickets can be cheaper. Compare your planned journeys with the pass price and check on the booking page which mountain lines are included.

We list offers that start in Zurich, so that the departure point matches where you are staying. Tours that begin in other cities are left out; our sister sites for Lucerne and Interlaken cover those.

There is no sea and no mountain to climb on a tour inside the city. The old town, the lake and a handful of museums fill a day or two; the famous views of the Alps belong to day trips of ten hours or more.