City passes always sound sensible. Free transport, museum admission, boat trips and discounts arrive neatly wrapped into one convenient price. However, that doesn’t automatically mean you’ll save money.
So, is the Zurich Card worth it? For a busy sightseeing day, it can offer excellent value. On the other hand, if you mainly plan to walk through the Old Town, sit beside the lake and enjoy Zürich at a slower pace, you may spend less without it.
The answer depends on what you want to see, how often you’ll use public transport and how long you plan to stay.
Just to clarify: The official product name is the Zürich Card. More commonly referred to as the “Zurich Card” without the umlaut.
The Zürich Card is likely worth buying if you:
Plan to visit two or more included museums.
Want to use trams, trains and buses throughout the day.
Need transport between Zürich Airport and the city.
Want to visit Uetliberg.
Plan to take an included lake or river cruise.
Prefer having most of your local transport arranged before you arrive.
You may be better off without it if you:
Plan to explore mainly on foot.
Aren’t particularly interested in museums.
Are visiting on a Monday, when many museums close.
Already have a Swiss Travel Pass covering that day.
Have only one paid attraction on your itinerary.
Are visiting the Kunsthaus collection on a Wednesday, when admission to the collection is usually free.
My advice is simple: choose your itinerary first and the card second. A city card only saves money when you use the benefits you already wanted.
The Zürich Card combines local public transport with free admission and discounts at selected attractions.
Its main benefits include:
Unlimited second-class travel by tram, bus, train and boat within the covered zones.
Transport between Zürich Airport and the city.
The train journey to Uetliberg.
Selected Lake Zürich and Limmat River cruises.
Free admission to many museums.
Discounts at selected attractions, tours, restaurants and shops.
A discount on the official Zürich Old Town Walking Tour.
Popular attractions offering free admission have included the Swiss National Museum, the permanent collection at Kunsthaus Zürich, the FIFA Museum, Museum Rietberg, the Tram Museum and Pavillon Le Corbusier.
However, not every attraction is free. For example, the Zürich Card may provide a discount at Lindt Home of Chocolate and Zürich Zoo instead of complimentary admission.
Benefits can change. Therefore, always check the latest list of participating attractions on the official Zürich Tourism website before finalizing your plans.
Also, check museum opening days. Many Zürich museums close on Mondays, while some offer free admission on selected days.
Price check: The prices and card benefits below were verified in August 2026. Zürich transport fares, museum admission fees and card inclusions can change. Please confirm the latest details through the official links before purchasing.
At the time of our August 2026 price check, the card was available for either 24 or 72 hours.
| Card | Adult | Child aged 6–15 |
|---|---|---|
| 24-hour Zürich Card | CHF 29 | CHF 19 |
| 72-hour Zürich Card | CHF 56 | CHF 37 |
Children under six could travel free when accompanied by an adult.
The card works in hours, not calendar days. For example, if you activate a 24-hour card at 3 p.m., it remains valid until 3 p.m. the following day.
As a result, your starting time matters. Activate it shortly before your first paid journey or attraction so you don’t lose useful hours.
Prices checked in August 2026. Please confirm the current prices and conditions before purchasing your card.
During our August 2026 check, the Zürich Card covered the following ZVV fare zones:
110, 111, 121, 140, 150, 154 and 155
These zones included Zürich’s city center, the airport, Uetliberg and several surrounding areas.
Within the covered network, you could use:
Trams.
Local buses.
Trains.
Funiculars.
Cable cars within the included area.
Eligible boats and cruises.
The card covers second-class transport. Therefore, if you want to travel in first class or continue beyond the included zones, you’ll need the appropriate upgrade or extension ticket.
You must also activate or validate the card before your first journey. Don’t leave that small but important step until a ticket inspector stands beside you.
Because transport zones and conditions may change, confirm the current coverage on the official ZVV Zürich Card page.
Yes. At the time of our latest check, travel between Zürich Airport and the city was included during the card’s validity.
This benefit can be useful if you plan to start sightseeing soon after arriving or use the airport journey on your final day.
However, don’t activate a 24-hour card late in the evening simply to cover one airport transfer. If your sightseeing begins the following morning, paying separately for the airport journey may give you more useful time on the card.
Before deciding, compare the cost of a separate airport ticket with the value of the hours you would lose.
Yes. The journey to Uetliberg was included when we checked the card’s benefits in August 2026.
Uetliberg is Zürich’s local mountain and one of the easiest places to see the city, lake and Alps from above. It also gives you a refreshing change from museums and busy city streets.
However, check your complete route if you plan to continue hiking beyond Uetliberg. Parts of a longer journey may fall outside the card’s covered zones.
The Zürich Card included selected mini lake cruises, short lake cruises and Limmat River cruises during our latest review.
A boat trip can be one of the loveliest ways to see Zürich. However, schedules often change with the seasons. River services may not operate throughout the year, and the card doesn’t cover every cruise on Lake Zürich.
Therefore, check the route, seasonal timetable and card conditions before arriving at the pier. “Boat travel included” doesn’t mean that every lake excursion comes at no additional cost.
Museums are often where the Zürich Card begins to pay for itself.
However, admission prices, exhibitions and opening days can change. Treat the figures below as an August 2026 price snapshot and confirm the current prices before your visit.
At the time of our price check, adult admission to the permanent collection and smaller exhibitions cost around CHF 24. That made Kunsthaus Zürich one of the card’s strongest inclusions.
However, special exhibitions could require an additional fee.
The Kunsthaus collection was also free to everyone on Wednesdays. Therefore, if Wednesday is your planned visiting day, don’t count the standard admission price as part of your card saving.
Adult admission cost around CHF 26 when we checked in August 2026. Therefore, if the FIFA Museum is already on your itinerary, this benefit could cover a large portion of the 24-hour card’s price.
Still, don’t add it to your schedule simply to make the card look worthwhile. Your saving only has value if you genuinely want to visit.
Adult admission cost around CHF 13 during our August 2026 price check.
The museum sits conveniently beside Zürich Hauptbahnhof. As a result, you can easily combine it with the Old Town, Bahnhofstrasse and other central attractions.
Depending on current participation, your card may also include attractions such as Museum Rietberg, the Tram Museum, Museum für Gestaltung and Pavillon Le Corbusier.
Check opening times before you leave your hotel. An impressive list of museums offers little value when the doors are closed.
If transport is your main concern, compare the card with an ordinary ZVV 24-hour ticket before buying.
During our August 2026 price check, a second-class 24-hour ticket covering one or two zones cost around CHF 9.40 for an adult. This may be all you need if you plan to remain in central Zürich, use a few trams and spend most of your day walking.
The Zürich Card costs more because it adds:
A broader selection of transport zones.
Airport transport.
The journey to Uetliberg.
Eligible lake and river cruises.
Museum admission.
Attraction and tour discounts.
Choose an ordinary ZVV ticket if your day focuses mainly on transport. In contrast, choose the Zürich Card when your plans combine frequent transport with paid sightseeing.
Remember that ZVV fares can change. Check the latest ZVV ticket prices before making your final comparison.
The Zürich Card is a local city pass. In contrast, the Swiss Travel Pass caters to people taking journeys across Switzerland.
The Swiss Travel Pass covers travel on Switzerland’s national rail, bus and boat network for a chosen number of days. It also includes local transport in many cities and admission to numerous museums.
If your Swiss Travel Pass remains valid during your Zürich stay, you probably won’t need the Zürich Card as well. Some local discounts may differ. Even so, buying both passes for the same day rarely makes financial sense.
The Zürich Card may suit you better when:
Zürich is your only destination.
You’re visiting the city before your Swiss Travel Pass begins.
Your national pass has already expired.
You want a simple 24- or 72-hour city sightseeing package.
If you have a Swiss Half Fare Card, the situation changes. The Half Fare Card reduces the cost of eligible transport tickets, but it doesn’t automatically give you unlimited local transport. Therefore, a Zürich Card could still make sense for one or three busy sightseeing days.
Let’s look at a realistic day instead of trying to use every benefit on the list.
Imagine you plan to use local transport and visit two museums.
| Expense without the Zürich Card | Approximate August 2026 cost |
|---|---|
| ZVV 24-hour city transport ticket | CHF 9.40 |
| Swiss National Museum | CHF 13 |
| Kunsthaus permanent collection | CHF 24 |
| Estimated total | CHF 46.40 |
At the time of our price check, the 24-hour Zürich Card cost CHF 29.
Based on these figures, you could save approximately CHF 17.40. In addition, an included airport journey, boat trip or another museum could increase that saving.
However, the calculation changes if you visit on a Wednesday, when the Kunsthaus collection is usually free.
Without the Kunsthaus admission fee, your estimated cost would drop to CHF 22.40. In that case, the Zürich Card would cost approximately CHF 6.60 more unless you used another included benefit.
That one detail could change your decision completely.
Please note: This example shows how the card’s value can work in practice. Your actual saving will depend on current admission prices, opening days and the places you genuinely want to visit.
A 72-hour card gives you more breathing room. You won’t need to race from one attraction to another simply to make the numbers work.
Here is one possible comparison based on the prices we checked in August 2026:
| Expense without the Zürich Card | Approximate August 2026 cost |
|---|---|
| Three city transport day tickets | CHF 28.20 |
| Swiss National Museum | CHF 13 |
| Kunsthaus permanent collection | CHF 24 |
| FIFA Museum | CHF 26 |
| Estimated total | CHF 91.20 |
At the time of our check, the 72-hour Zürich Card cost CHF 56.
Based on this example, you could save approximately CHF 35.20.
Furthermore, this calculation doesn’t include an airport journey, Uetliberg or an eligible boat trip.
Still, that saving only counts if you genuinely want to visit these museums. Filling three days with attractions that don’t interest you isn’t good value, regardless of what the calculator says.
Please note: Prices and card inclusions can change. Use this calculation as an example, then compare the latest figures with your own itinerary.
I would skip the card if your ideal Zürich day looks something like this:
Walk through the Old Town.
Visit Lindenhof.
See the Grossmünster from outside.
Browse Bahnhofstrasse.
Sit beside Lake Zürich.
Stop for coffee, chocolate or lunch.
Take only one or two short tram journeys.
Many of Zürich’s most memorable experiences don’t require an entrance ticket. You can enjoy the atmosphere, architecture, lakefront and historic streets without buying a sightseeing pass.
The card may also offer poor value if:
You arrive after most attractions have closed.
You visit several museums on a Monday.
Your chosen museums offer free admission that day.
Bad weather or delays shorten your itinerary.
You already have another transport pass.
You stay centrally and prefer walking.
You buy it mainly for shopping or restaurant discounts you may never use.
A discount isn’t a saving unless you planned to spend that money in the first place.
At the time of writing, you could buy the Zürich Card:
Online through Zürich Tourism.
Through the ZVV app.
At ZVV and SBB ticket machines.
At staffed railway stations.
At Zürich Airport information and sales desks.
At the Tourist Information office in Zürich Hauptbahnhof.
At selected hotels.
Buying online before your trip is convenient. However, you can also wait until you arrive and confirm that the card still suits your plans.
Waiting may make sense if your itinerary depends on the weather. For example, rain could make museums more appealing, while a clear day may tempt you to spend more time walking, enjoying the lake or visiting Uetliberg.
Check the current Zürich Card price and benefits before you buy →
If you purchase through a link on this page, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Based on the prices checked in August 2026, the Zürich Card can pay for itself when you combine regular public transport with two or more included attractions.
The 24-hour card works best for one carefully planned sightseeing day. Meanwhile, the 72-hour version gives you more flexibility if you want to visit several museums, see Uetliberg, take a boat trip and explore without watching the clock quite so closely.
However, it isn’t an automatic purchase. If you prefer walking, free sights and long lunches beside the lake, an ordinary transport ticket may suit you better.
Write down what you honestly want to do. Then check the latest admission and transport prices and compare the total with the current card price.
Five quiet minutes with a calculator could save you far more than chasing every discount printed on a city pass.
Public transport isn’t technically free because its cost forms part of the card price. However, during the card’s validity, you receive unlimited second-class travel within the designated zones.
Airport transport was included during our August 2026 check. However, confirm the current covered zones before purchasing
Yes, the journey to Uetliberg was included at the time of our latest review.
The card included selected mini lake cruises, short lake cruises and Limmat River cruises during our August 2026 check. Longer excursions may require an additional ticket.
No. At the time of our review, the card offered a discount instead of free admission. Check the latest benefit and book ahead because timed entry may sell out.
No. During our latest check, the zoo offered a discount to cardholders instead of complimentary admission.
The permanent collection was included during our August 2026 check, although special exhibitions could carry an additional charge. The collection was also normally free to everyone on Wednesdays.
You’ll need an extension or zone upgrade for journeys beyond the included area. First-class travel also requires an upgrade.
Usually not. A valid Swiss Travel Pass already covers much of the transport and many museum benefits you’re likely to use in Zürich. Compare the current benefits before buying both.
Choose the 24-hour card for one well-planned sightseeing day. The 72-hour card gives you more flexibility and may provide better value if you plan to use public transport and visit several paid attractions over three days.
No. Each adult and child aged six or older needs an individual card. During our August 2026 check, children under six could travel free when accompanied by an adult.
Activate it immediately before your first included journey or attraction. Avoid starting the clock unnecessarily early, especially if you arrive late in the day.
We aim to review this guide regularly. However, Zürich Card prices, transport fares and attraction fees can change between updates. Therefore, please use the official links on this page to verify the latest information before purchasing.
The Zürich Card can simplify a short city stay, but it’s only one part of planning a Swiss vacation. Our complete Switzerland travel guide will help you choose beautiful places to visit, discover Swiss villages and hidden gems, understand practical costs and plan the rest of your journey.