Mobile data in Zurich: the airport, the SBB app and the trips into Germany
Zurich is close to the German border, and several classic day trips leave Switzerland for a few minutes or a few hours. Switzerland is also outside EU roaming, which makes the choice of pack matter more here than in most cities.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in Switzerland?
- Yes. It connects to Sunrise, Salt (5G).
- Price
- From 4,79 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 6,99 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- No: Switzerland is outside EU roaming, so even a plan from an EU country charges it as abroad.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in Switzerland. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
From the airport: ten minutes by train
Zurich Airport has its own railway station under the terminal, and trains reach Zürich HB in about ten minutes, several times an hour. Tram 10 is the slower way into town, and Uber also works in Zurich. The airport is on Swiss soil, so a Switzerland eSIM connects to Sunrise or Salt as you land.
If your plan is from the EU, check it before turning on data: Switzerland is not covered by EU roaming, and many operators bill it as abroad. Our guide to the Swiss roaming trap has the detail. In Zurich it is enough to know that a Switzerland or Europe eSIM takes the question off the table.
eSIM for Switzerland
Data on your phone the moment you land in Switzerland. No account, no app, no shop.
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For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
ZVV zones, SBB Mobile and EasyRide
Trams, buses, S-Bahn trains and the lake boats around Zurich share one fare system, ZVV, priced by zone, so the airport and the city are not the same ticket. The SBB Mobile app sells them, and its EasyRide function lets you check in with a swipe before you travel and check out at the end; the fare is worked out at the end of the day.
EasyRide follows the journey through the phone's location, so it suits a visitor whose phone is online all day rather than one hopping between station Wi-Fi networks. With data on the phone, the same app covers the tram, the Uetliberg train and a day trip to Lucerne.
Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls: through Germany on the S9
The S9 from Zurich to Schaffhausen runs via Eglisau and, for a few kilometres, through German territory, with two stations in Germany, Jestetten and Lottstetten, served by Swiss trains. You stay on the train and nobody asks for a passport, but on that stretch the phone can switch to a German network, where a Switzerland pack has no data.
It comes back once the train is in Switzerland again, before Neuhausen and the Rhine Falls. If you want the map and the falls tickets loaded, do it before Eglisau, or travel with the Europe pack, which covers both countries.
Konstanz, Kreuzlingen and the lake
Direct trains from Zurich reach Konstanz in a little over an hour, stopping at Kreuzlingen, the Swiss town on the other side of the border. The two towns run into each other along Lake Constance, and a walk by the water takes you from one country to the other without much to mark it.
Konstanz is in Germany: with a Switzerland pack your data stops there, and with the 33-country Europe pack it carries on, since Switzerland and Germany are both on the list. The same logic applies to a day in Vaduz, as Liechtenstein has its own networks and is also in the Europe pack.
How much data for Zurich
A long weekend in Zurich, with the old town, the lake and the Uetliberg, fits in 3 GB for 15 days on a Switzerland pack. A week of day trips by train to Lucerne, Bern or the mountains is a 5 GB trip on a 30-day pack. If any of those days cross into Germany, Austria or Liechtenstein, the Europe pack keeps one eSIM working on both sides, with 3 GB for 15 days or 10 GB for 30.
Business trips with a laptop on the hotspot start at 10 GB. The eSIM is data only, so your number stays on your own SIM; just keep data roaming off on that line in Switzerland. The data calculator gives an estimate from your habits.
Does my EU phone plan work in Zurich?
Not by law. Switzerland is outside EU roaming, so your operator decides what it charges. Some include Switzerland and many do not, so check before you land.
Why did my data stop on the train to Schaffhausen?
The S9 runs for a few kilometres through Germany, at Jestetten and Lottstetten. On a German network a Switzerland pack has no data; it comes back once the train is in Switzerland again.
Can I buy tram tickets without the SBB app?
Yes, at the ticket machines at the stops. The app is easier for zone tickets and EasyRide, and works best with data on the phone.
Does a Switzerland eSIM work in Konstanz?
No. Konstanz is in Germany. For a day there, the Europe pack covers both countries on one eSIM.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for Switzerland