Snow and winter day trips from Zurich
Down in Zurich, December snow is a coin toss and the sky is often one flat sheet of grey. On a day trip from the city, the Titlis glacier keeps its snow all winter and the cloud can sit below your feet. This guide weighs that long mountain day against a shorter coach run to the Rhine Falls and Stein am Rhein. It ends on the city's own hill, which costs little more than a train ticket.
Why leave the city for snow
Zurich in December usually means daytime highs of about 39 °F (4 °C) with nights around freezing. Snow does fall in the city. It comes and goes and rarely stays on the ground for long, so a trip planned around white rooftops can end in slush. The more common sight is the Hochnebel, a low layer of cloud that settles over the Swiss plateau for days at a time while the mountains above it sit in sunshine. Getting out from under that lid is the best reason to book a mountain day. The glacier on Titlis holds snow whatever the city is doing. Its cave and bridge still depend on the weather. Our guide to Zurich's December weather covers the grey days in more detail.
Titlis and Lucerne in one long day
The Titlis and Lucerne day with Best of Switzerland Tours, from ~$201, is the snow trip most visitors pick. You check in 15 minutes early at the operator's counter in the Sihlquai bus station, Limmatstrasse 2, right by the main station. The coach leaves at 9 am and the whole outing lasts about 10 hours, with a live guide speaking English or Spanish. Lucerne comes first, with about an hour there on the way, and then the coach drives on to Engelberg. From there aerial cable cars carry you to the summit. The listing names either the revolving Rotair or the non-revolving Titlis Connect for part of the ride up, so do not count on the spinning cabin.
- Ice Flyer. A chairlift that swings you over the crevasses of the glacier. GetYourGuide includes it. On Viator it depends on booking the Mt Titlis Day Tour option, and on the weather;
- Cliff Walk. A suspension bridge that the listing calls Europe's highest. It opens when weather and snow allow;
- Glacier cave. A walk through a tunnel cut in blue ice, on the same weather-and-snow condition;
- Snow tubing. Offered at the Trübsee middle station from December to March, weather permitting;
- Ski upgrade. In winter, an optional snow experience gives first-timers a try on skis on a beginner slope.
The stop in the old town of Lucerne comes in the morning, on the drive south. Lucerne runs several Christmas markets from late November, among them RUDOLFS Weihnacht by the KKL plus a market set around a large Advent wreath on Franziskanerplatz. Their stalls open around 11 am, and the listing promises old town time rather than market time, so treat any mulled wine as a bonus. Christmas markets near Zurich has Lucerne's markets in full if you would rather go by train and stay longer.
A day on the glacier
Best of Switzerland Tours leaves the Sihlquai bus station at 9 am for about 10 hours in Lucerne's old town and then on the glacier, from ~$201. Bring your own warm layers along with money for lunch.
The catch with the Titlis day
Ten hours is a long day, and the price leaves out the things a snow day needs most.
- Short time at the top. While the new summit station is being built, you get about an hour up there, weather allowing, before the group goes down to the Trübsee middle station, where the restaurants are;
- No hotel pickup. You make your own way to Sihlquai for the 9 am start. From most central hotels a tram gets you there;
- No food or drinks. Lunch on the mountain comes on top. Eat a proper breakfast and pack snacks for the road;
- No winter clothing. Jackets and boots can be rented at the summit, but arriving in sneakers means paying to borrow both. Dress for snow before you leave the hotel.
Reviews hold up well for a tour this size, with 4.7 from 4,182+ on GetYourGuide and 4.5 from 2,034+ on Viator, where it costs about $205. The Cliff Walk or the glacier cave can close on a stormy day. If the forecast shows only one clear day during your stay, give it to the mountain and keep the markets for the evenings.
Back in town for the evening
A 9 am start plus about 10 hours away brings you back to Sihlquai in the evening, and the timing works in your favor. Polarzauber in the main station hall stays open until 9 pm from Sunday to Wednesday, until 10 pm from Thursday to Saturday, so you can walk from the coach straight into a warm hall with more than 100 huts. Next door on Europaallee, the Weihnachtsallee serves until 10 pm except on Sundays, when it closes at 8 pm. Both markets confirm their final hours only shortly before opening, so look at their own pages if you count on a late finish. Our guide to the station market covers the hall, including the fondue served in a train carriage.
Rhine Falls and Stein am Rhein in half a day
Best of Switzerland Tours also runs the Rhine Falls and Stein am Rhein half day, from ~$85, which keeps you lower down for about 5 hours by coach in the afternoon (Viator lists a 1:15 pm start), so you are back in Zurich in the early evening. You view the Rhine Falls from Laufen Castle above the water. A boat ride out toward the falls costs extra. Then a guide walks you through Stein am Rhein, whose medieval houses wear painted facades. Ratings stand at 4.6 on GetYourGuide (2,506+ reviews) and 4.5 on Viator (874+), where the price is about $87.
Snow is not the point of this river trip at low altitude. Its catch is the short time at each stop, which matters more in December. Stein am Rhein holds its Märlimarkt, a fairy-tale Christmas market in the painted old town, from early December into January, but only from Wednesday to Sunday. On a Monday or Tuesday there is no market, and on any day the coach does not set aside time for it. Book a Wednesday to Sunday date if the market matters to you, and treat it as a taste. Laufen Castle hosts a medieval Christmas market of its own, though only on one weekend in late November.
The Uetliberg on your doorstep
Zurich has its own hill for an afternoon without a coach. The S10 train climbs from the main station to the Uetliberg in about 25 minutes, and a short uphill walk brings you to Hotel Uto Kulm at the top. On weekends from early November until just before Christmas, the Uetliberger Weihnachtsmarkt (also called Winterzauber) sets up there, open Saturday 12 pm to 8 pm and Sunday 10 am to 6 pm. Expect hobby crafts with mulled wine. You can also dip candles or try the Bavarian curling lane, and fondue is served in the Maiensäss. Do not count on snow up here, but on some grey days the summit rises above the cloud.
The train is the main cost. Zürich Tourism's Zürich Card (24 or 72 hours, from ~$35) gives free travel in the city zone and on the airport train, plus free entry to the most popular museums. Check the card's zone map for the Uetliberg line before you count on it for this ride. The catch is that the listing requires a printed ticket, so print it before you set out. It only pays off if you ride a lot and visit a museum or two.
Which day fits your trip
| Trip | From | Time | Snow | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titlis and Lucerne | ~$201 | About 10 h from 9 am | Yes, on the glacier | Sun above the fog, a first go in the snow |
| Rhine Falls and Stein am Rhein | ~$85 | About 5 h | Not expected | A shorter day at low altitude |
| Uetliberg market | Train fare | An afternoon, weekends only | Not to count on | An easy outing near town |
- You want snow under your boots. Titlis, with the long day accepted. The tour's place on the home page is at our Titlis pick;
- You travel with small children. The Rhine Falls half day or the Uetliberg asks less of them; Zurich at Christmas with kids has the family plans in town;
- You came for markets more than mountains. Lucerne or Basel by train gives you more stalls per hour;
- You only have the evenings. Stay in town and use the market dates and hours to see what stays open late.