Travel information

🇨🇭 Welcome to Switzerland! 🇨🇭

On this page, you can find some helpful travel information.

International travel

Airport

It is best to arrive at the Zurich International Airport (ZRH). Train travel from Geneva takes an extra 3h. Travel from Milan involves busses and is also longer.

The train station is directly below the airport terminal (station “Zürich Flughafen”).

• 2h40min – 2h55min, 2 transfers, destination station “Davos Platz”
• 2h20min by car

Visas

If you need an invitation or confirmation letter for a visa application, contact registration@siqew2024.ch with your request.

Getting around & activities

Public transport

The Swiss public transport system is extremely developed and punctual. Trains are quiet and comfortable. We recommend it to get around, including getting to and back from the conference in Davos.

The easiest way to prepare is to install the SBB Mobile app (SBB mobile app) (SBB website). Through the SBB app, you can buy tickets for trains, regional and local busses seamlessly as a one-stop shop. Setting up an account and payment card beforehand will make everything more stress-free. Vending machines exist in most locations, but buying through the app is fast and simple.

Reservations are not required to travel on trains in Switzerland. You can therefore buy your tickets at the last moment. However, without a half fare card, it is worth considering buying a “supersaver” ticket in advance and save. Supersaver tickets are valid only for a specific route and time, while regular tickets (full or half price) are valid for the route but are flexible for the timing.

Half fare card

If you plan to travel around Switzerland a little bit more than only getting to the airport and back, you should consider whether it is worth to buy a tourist half fare card. It pays itself off as soon as you spend over 240 CHF, which is not very hard to do (SBB website). Traveling without it quickly gets expensive. It also reduces the incentive to buy tickets in advance, traveling more like a local.

Main stations

Zurich airport train station: “Zürich Flughafen”
Zurich city main train station: “Zürich HB”
Davos train station: “Davos Platz”

Google maps / Apple maps

Google maps and Apple maps are also tried and tested, and will show you accurate public transport directions. However, using the SBB app tends to be easier since you can also get your tickets there.

Within Davos

Davos is small, you can get to most places on foot. The conference hotel is very close to the train station (4-5 min by foot). With the hotel reservation, you get a Davos Guest Card which includes public transport in Davos.

Premium card for overnight guests

Guests at the conference hotel (and other holiday flats) get the Premium card. This is arranged through your host.

The Premium card gives free local public transport and rebates for cable cars / mountain railways. Check out the benefits here.

Hiking

Hiking is almost a national sport in Switzerland. The trails are well marked and easy to find. Make sure you appreciate the potential hazards of mountain weather!

The SwissTopo mobile and web app are excellent free resources for finding trails! The Swiss are very proud of their cartography, and these resources are free to use by the public. You can even download the maps for offline use.

All the yellow and red trails are well maintained and normally don’t require climbing. The “Hiking SwitzerlandMobility” layer (SwissTopo mobile app only; available on web here) further has a down-selection of nice itineraries.