Semih
Travel editor at Reisedrop · 2026-09-15
There’s that one moment when cruise fans from Switzerland are allowed a slightly smug grin: when others are talking about missed connecting flights and lost suitcases. Because the industry’s best-kept secret is surprisingly simple – Switzerland is closer to the Mediterranean than many people realise. Zurich to Genoa takes around four and a half hours by train. That’s less time than some people spend getting to the airport, checking in and waiting around.
Why Genoa is the perfect departure port
Genoa is one of the Mediterranean’s key cruise ports: MSC sails its classic Western Mediterranean routes from here all year round (Naples, Sicily, Barcelona, Marseille), while Costa departs from nearby Savona. The port is right in the city centre – from Genova Piazza Principe station, it’s ten minutes by taxi to the terminal, and if you’re travelling light on your feet, you can even roll your suitcase there on foot.
Getting there: more relaxed than any gate sprint
From Zurich, you take the EuroCity via Milan, then change to the Intercity to Genoa – around 4.5 to 5 hours in total, often without a single traffic jam or security check. From Bern or Basel via Milan it takes a little longer accordingly, while from Ticino it’s practically just around the corner. The difference compared with flying: no 23-kilo luggage limit, no 100-ml rule, no need to be there two hours early. You get on, order a coffee, watch the Alps go by and then the sea.
The classic: one night in Genoa before departure
Our most honest advice: arrive the day before. Not because the train would be unreliable – but because Genoa deserves it. Its old town, with its caruggi alleyways, is one of the largest in Europe, pesto comes from here, and a plate of trofie al pesto overlooking the old port is a better start to a holiday than any boarding pass. There’s also the safety buffer: even if something goes wrong on the way, the ship is waiting for you the next day.
What does the whole thing cost?
Train tickets from Zurich to Genoa are often available with saver fares for under 50 francs each way, with regular fares a little higher depending on class. Compared with a flight to Palma or Barcelona plus the transfer to the port, the train is at least on a par price-wise – and you begin your holiday without a CO2-heavy guilty conscience and without suitcase-belt roulette. Families benefit twice over: children travel cheaply with the SBB Family Card, and nobody has to hand over the buggy at the gate.
Conclusion: the ship is practically waiting on your doorstep
For the Caribbean, there’s no way around the airport. But for the loveliest Mediterranean routes, this much is true: Switzerland may not have a sea, but it does have a direct rail line to one. Anyone who has travelled to a cruise by train understands why we at Reisedrop always factor in the journey there as well. One sea, please. Just not via Gate B27.
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