Whether in the air, on rails, or on the lake, the new year will usher some changes to Switzerland’s domestic and international travel, as well as to its public transport.
Let’s start with the new train timetable
The 2026 schedule includes a number of new routes within Switzerland.
Among the most important changes to go into effect on the domestic network is that services between Bern and Zurich will be further expanded.
Additionally, a continuous half-hourly service with the InterCity 3 will be introduced on the Chur–Zurich route. Four trains will now run daily in each direction.
The national railway (SBB) will also add new night trains, including a Bern-Zurich-Winterthur one that will run on weekends.
The company also has plans to introduce round-the-clock weekend service between Zurich and Geneva, Olten and Basel, Bern and Thun, Lausanne and Sion, and Zurich and Chur.
You can see all the changes here:
READ ALSO: The changes to Swiss train schedules you should expect in 2026
International trains
In 2026, Swiss national railways (SBB) will operate, in partnership with foreign companies, various trains – both to near and far European destinations.
The direct connection to Bologna will be extended to Florence, and the summer train to Genoa will now run to La Spezia.
The new timetable also offers more comfort for night train passengers: modern Nightjet trains with mini cabins and private toilets and showers will be used to connect Zurich and Basel with Hamburg, Amsterdam and Vienna.
However, the SBB’s most ambitious project for 2026 is a train running from Basel to Malmö from April 15th, stopping in five cities in Germany and five in Denmark before reaching Sweden.
READ ALSO: The new international train services from Switzerland in 2026
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Trams and buses
Timetables for public transport in Swiss cities will also change in 2026 to coordinate with the new SBB schedule.
Three largest cities – Zurich, Geneva, and Basel – will introduce improvements in terms of frequencies, as well as new and/or expanded routes on their bus and tram lines.
You can find out about these changes on the public transport network in more detail here:
READ ALSO: The public transport changes to expect in Switzerland’s biggest cities in 2026
Air travel
SWISS will launch two new European flights from Zurich.
One, will go to the Polish city of Poznan; the other new addition to the airline’s European route network is Rijeka on Croatia’s Adriatic coast.
In terms on long-haul flights, the airline will also fly soccer fans “daily or even several times a day” to FIFA World Cup sites in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston and Miami.
From April 26th, five flights a week will also go to Toronto, another 2026 World Cup venue.
Edelweiss, SWISS’ sister airline, has also added a number of new destinations for 2026 from its Zurich hub.
Among them are São Vicente and Praia in Cape Verde, as well as Windhoek in Namibia.
EasyJet will also inaugurate two new routes from Geneva: to Rennes and Skopje.
Additionally, tje airline is adding Fuerteventura to its list of destinations in the Canary Islands from Geneva.
READ ALSO: The new flights to and from Switzerland this autumn and winter
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Other travel changes:
Zurich airport could lose its long-haul flights to Germany
SWISS’ owner, Lufthansa, wants to centralise certain flights from Zurich to Frankfurt and Munich in 2026.
This would mean that some of the direct flights from Zurich to destinations like North America and Asia could be scrapped, and passengers from Zurich would have to transit via Germany to reach those destinations.
New CT scanners to go into effect at Zurich airport in summer 2026
Twenty-six high-tech CT scanners, which will enable a 3-D analysis of carry-on luggage, will be inaugurated at Zurich airport in summer 2026.
They will enable not only quicker and more efficient security screenings, but also allow a less restrictive liquids (up to 2 litres) and electronics rule.
READ ALSO: Zurich Airport to lift restrictions on liquids in 2026
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Lake Geneva ferry services to be cut
Navigation on Lake Geneva between canton of Vaud and neighbouring French communities will be sharply slashed in 2026.
Among changes to be made to the timetable are reduced frequencies, particularly between Lausanne and Evian.
The connection with Yvoire will also be reduced.
Rush-hour journeys, however, will be maintained to ensure travel of cross-border workers.
READ ALSO: Which ferry services between Switzerland and France will be cut in 2026?
