Sheila's Fast and Easy Zurich Kloten Airport, Switzerland

The Zurich Kloten Airport (Flughafen) has to be one of the easiest airports in Europe to navigate. Signs in both German and English, personnel that speak many languages, along with free baggage carts both inside and outside the terminals. Some of the many airlines will check in luggage and give your boarding card the evening before. Unfortunately, none of the American Airlines will do that.

United Airlines usually lands at the new Terminal E gates and you must take the Skymetro (train) between that terminal and the Arrival area where Customs is located. Your Swiss experience immediately begins on the Skymetro with Heidi blowing kisses to the passengers as the train zooms through the tunnel, alpenhorns and Swiss music fills the cars and the sounds of cow's mooing and clanking bells add to the fun. You'll hear most of the passengers laughing when the mooing begins.

Are you transiting to another flight? Follow the transit signs. Otherwise, it's off the Skymetro for a fast walk through Customs (with no paperwork to be filled out in advance for U.S. Citizens and members of the European Union), and there are the luggage carousels with big screens showing rail departures from Zurich Kloten Airport's Bahnhof located in the same terminal. Easy so far, Ja?

If train travel from Kloten Airport is in your plans, load bags on the free luggage carts and set off following the signs (train/bahnhof) and down one set of escalators. You can take the carts on the escalators because the wheels magically lock on. However, I do recommend hanging on to the cart. There is always a remote chance your cart wheels won't lock and will wipe out everyone on the escalator below you.

one of Europe's sleek trains

The Bahnhof ticket offices are on this level. Buy your tickets from the multi-language speaking and friendly personnel (credit cards accepted) who will give you a printed timetable on request with all intermediary stops to your destination, and then just one more escalator down to the train tracks. If you've never trained in Europe before, here is a small sample section of a timetable. The 10:44 by Innsbruck tells you when the train arrives, the 10:46 when it departs and the three trains listed in the Innsbruck box are the ones you would transfer to if any of those is your destination. Are you with me? For more complete train information, you can order Sheila's Guide to European Train Travel located on this website.

sample Austrian train schedule

There are more than enough shops, restaurants (including a McDonald's), Internet, comfortable waiting areas and airline clubs within Zurich Kloten Airport to keep yourself occupied if you have a lengthy wait.

Our flights usually require an overnight in Zurich before heading back to the U.S. the next day. I choose the least expensive hotel by the Airport with free transportation between the hotel and airport. Our preference. You may want to stay in the downtown Zurich area and do a little touring. Right outside Arrivals, follow the signs to the Hotel Bus area where the complimentary transport makes their rounds.