How do you get from Zurich Airport to Colmar, and back for your flight home?

A private transfer between Zurich Airport and Colmar suits travelers who land on a long-haul flight, carry heavy bags, or travel as a family or small group. The road trip is about 150 km and takes about 1 hour 50 minutes, against 2 hours 15 minutes or more by train with up to two changes.

Many travelers to Alsace fly into Zurich Airport for its long-haul routes. EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is nearer to Colmar, but it serves mostly European routes. If you land in Zurich after a night flight from North America or Asia, the last thing you want is two train changes with suitcases and a platform switch at Basel SBB.

This page covers both directions. On arrival, your FJ13 driver meets you inside Zurich Airport and drives you to your hotel in Colmar. On departure, your driver picks you up at your Colmar hotel and drops you at Zurich Airport in time for check-in.

The honest summary: for a solo traveler with a backpack landing in daytime, the trains are cheaper and reliable. For two or more people with luggage, a late landing, or an early flight home, one private van from door to door is simpler, and the price is per van, not per person.

Zurich Airport has two public arrival halls, Arrival 1 and Arrival 2, on the landside after baggage claim and customs. Your FJ13 driver waits for you in the arrival hall of your flight, with your name on a sign. The points below explain where, how long, and what happens if your flight runs late.

From Zurich Airport, the van joins the A1 motorway west past Zurich, then the A3 to Basel. It crosses into France at the Basel and Saint-Louis motorway border and follows the A35 north through the Alsace plain to Colmar. The trip is about 150 km and about 1 hour 50 minutes without traffic.

Swiss motorways need a vignette, which is your driver's concern, not yours: tolls and parking are included in an FJ13 transfer. Allow extra time at weekday rush hours, when the A1 around Zurich and the approaches to Basel slow down. The return trip follows the same road in reverse.

FJ13 is not the best choice for everyone. If you travel alone, land at midday, and pack light, take the train: it is cheaper and only about 30 minutes slower. The van wins for families, groups, heavy bags, and flights that land late or leave early.

The best flights into Zurich Airport for a Colmar stay land between late morning and mid-afternoon, outside the weekday rush hours around Zurich and Basel. Flights at Zurich Airport operate from 06:00 to 23:00, and delayed flights may still land until 23:30, so a late landing is always possible.

Trains stop early on this route. On a weekday, the first train from Colmar reaches Zurich Airport at about 08:20, too late for many morning departures.

A 20% surcharge applies to FJ13 transfers between 21:00 and 06:00. In December, the Colmar Christmas market fills hotels, and snow can slow the A3 and A35: allow extra time on the way to your flight.

France has notified temporary controls at its internal borders, including the border with Switzerland, until April 30, 2027. Switzerland is in the Schengen area but not in the EU customs union, so customs officers can also check vehicles at the crossing near Basel.