$488 Find Cheap Flights from Zurich to California

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Zurich to California departing on 10/7. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to California

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Zurich to California.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Zurich to California.
Travelers love KAYAK
41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 24% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Bundle and saveSave money when you bundle your flight + hotel.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Zurich to California

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Los Angeles
Los Angeles2 stops$782
San Francisco
San Franciscononstop$789
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$835
San Jose
San Jose2 stops$707
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo2 stops$1,134
Reno
Reno2 stops$958
Sacramento
Sacramento2 stops$948
Los Angeles
Los Angeles2 stops$782
San Francisco
San Franciscononstop$789
San Diego
San Diego1 stop$835
San Jose
San Jose2 stops$707
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo2 stops$1,134
Reno
Reno2 stops$958
Sacramento
Sacramento2 stops$948

Book Cheap Zurich to California Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Zurich to California that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Zurich to California

Thu, Jun 11 - Mon, Jun 15
United Airlines Logo
9:50 am - 10:35 pm
ZRH
-
SJC
21h 45m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
6:30 am - 11:45 am
SJC
-
ZRH
20h 15m
2 stops
$707United Airlines
Mon, Aug 17 - Sat, Sep 5
United Airlines Logo
2:35 pm - 10:21 am
ZRH
-
BUR
28h 46m
2 stops
United Airlines Logo
6:35 pm - 10:20 am
BUR
-
ZRH
30h 45m
1 stop
$707United Airlines
Thu, Jun 11 - Wed, Jun 17
American Airlines Logo
9:45 am - 11:12 pm
ZRH
-
SJC
22h 27m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:01 am - 8:05 pm
SJC
-
ZRH
29h 04m
2 stops
$721American Airlines
Thu, Jun 11 - Sun, Jun 14
American Airlines Logo
11:45 am - 10:42 pm
ZRH
-
SJC
19h 57m
2 stops
American Airlines Logo
7:24 pm - 7:45 am
SJC
-
ZRH
27h 21m
2 stops
$733American Airlines
Thu, Aug 20 - Mon, Aug 31
SWISS Logo
1:35 pm - 9:59 pm
ZRH
-
BUR
17h 24m
1 stop
SWISS Logo
1:50 pm - 3:50 pm
BUR
-
ZRH
17h 00m
1 stop
$748SWISS
Sat, Sep 19 - Wed, Sep 30
SWISS Logo
1:10 pm - 4:30 pm
ZRH
-
LAX
12h 20mnonstop
SWISS Logo
7:35 pm - 3:45 pm
LAX
-
ZRH
11h 10mnonstop
$784SWISS
Thu, Jun 11 - Thu, Jun 25
British Airways Logo
11:45 am - 8:50 pm
ZRH
-
SFO
18h 05m
1 stop
British Airways Logo
5:23 am - 7:35 am
SFO
-
ZRH
17h 12m
1 stop
$792British Airways
Mon, Jun 15 - Sun, Jun 28
British Airways Logo
7:30 am - 10:06 pm
ZRH
-
SFO
23h 36m
2 stops
British Airways Logo
12:59 am - 7:45 am
SFO
-
ZRH
21h 46m
1 stop
$794British Airways
Fri, Aug 21 - Sun, Aug 30
Lufthansa Logo
7:15 am - 3:25 pm
ZRH
-
SAN
17h 10m
1 stop
Lufthansa Logo
5:15 pm - 4:10 pm
SAN
-
ZRH
13h 55m
1 stop
$835Lufthansa
Fri, Aug 21 - Sun, Aug 30
Lufthansa Logo
11:20 am - 9:25 pm
ZRH
-
SAN
19h 05m
2 stops
Lufthansa Logo
5:15 pm - 4:10 pm
SAN
-
ZRH
13h 55m
1 stop
$838Lufthansa
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Zurich to California flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Zurich to California to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

How much is a round-trip flight from Zurich to California?

This analysis is based on the cheapest round-trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from Zurich to California departing in October.

What is the cheapest Zurich to California flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest ticket to California from Zurich found in the last 3 days was to San Francisco, at $765 round-trip. The most popular route is from Zurich (ZRH) to San Francisco (SFO), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 3 days was $765.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to California?

The average price for all round-trip flights from Zurich to California depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

The cheapest time of day to fly to California is generally in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $903 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to California is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $903.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Zurich to California?

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

Yes, flying with a layover may cost you more time, but you can also save money on the route, with a 2 stops layover the cheapest option at $871 on average.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Zurich to California?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Zurich to California, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from Zurich to California is February, when tickets cost $399 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are November and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,537 and $1,505 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Zurich to California?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Zurich to California clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

When flying from Zurich to California, you should consider leaving on a Wednesday and avoid Thursdays if you are looking for the best rates. For your return to Zurich, you’ll find the best rates on Wednesdays and the most expensive ones on Saturdays.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Zurich to California?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Zurich to California, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from Zurich to California, you should book around 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 34% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 17 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$488
Most popular time to fly with an average 17% increase in price.
Flight from Zurich to Las Vegas

Flights from Zurich to California: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from Zurich to California 
JanieFlew with SWISS
ZRH
-
SFO
Jan 2026
If you need to do an overnight layover, Grand Hyatt at SFO is perfect and has a 24 hour cafe!
Verified travelerFlew with SWISS
ZRH
-
LAX
Dec 2024
Don't pack too much, as the carry-on back size is smaller than most other airlines.
Verified travelerFlew with SWISS
ZRH
-
LAX
Sep 2024
Have Swiss app it keeps you updated pretty instantly of any delays or gate changes

FAQs - booking California flights

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Zurich to California?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Zurich to California.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Zurich to California?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Zurich to California is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Zurich to California?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly from Zurich to California with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Zurich to California?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from Zurich to California up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Zurich to California

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Zurich to California. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Zurich to California? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
7.5
SWISSOverall score based on 1958 reviews
8.3Crew
7.7Boarding
7.4Comfort
7.1Food
6.8Entertainment
Airline reviews

Didn't make the connection as my primary flight was 3 hrs late, I had to basically beg to be put on a different airline to continue my trip otherwise I would have been sitting on the airport for 8 hrs

2.0 MediocreAnonymous, May 2026
ZRH - ATH
Read more SWISS reviews

Didn't make the connection as my primary flight was 3 hrs late, I had to basically beg to be put on a different airline to continue my trip otherwise I would have been sitting on the airport for 8 hrs

Best service we’ve ever experienced! Special thanks to the crew member who took care of us throughout the journey. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We love Swiss Air!

The boarding of this flight was total chaos. For some reason, all passengers had to stand in a lengthy line at the gate to have our passports checked for the FOURTH time. No reason was offered for the necessity of the fourth re-check, and when we got to the end of the line, the check was perfunctory. There was little to no crowd control at the gate and in some cases, tempers were flaring. On the other hand, once we got on board, everything about this flight from start to finish, especially the quality of the food and the service, was probably the best I have ever experienced..

Boarding was very chaotic, we had to stand in two different lines that were not clearly marked, and the announcements were not understandable from the microphones, and we speak both German and English. We paid Kayak $120+ for seat assignments when we purchased our tickets but when we printed our boarding passes, suddenly we had been changed to 16 rows further back than our assigned seats we paid for. The seats we were assigned to on our boarding passes had no usable overhead bins and so we had to sit with our carry on backpacks underneath our feet in an already crowded space. One video/entertainment screen kept crashing and thus was useless for viewing anything. It was not an enjoyable flight.

The biggest plus point of this flight is that the crew was very friendly. Otherwise on European sectors, the Business class seats are a joke and there is no entertainment of any kind. The staff should be trained to greet the Star Alliance Gold members to make them feel special.

The seat and leg room is small on the 2 seated row. Otherwise, very good crew and service.

Entertainment sounds were not good. Otherwise everything else was good.

Business class seating in Swiss really is just Economy seating minus the middle passenger

No choice of food was given, and I was served leftovers, so they were returned back. the crew is unfriendly and harsh. Need to be trained on communication.

Great flight. I didn't watch the entertainment. I used my iPad the whole flight. But, staff was great, smooth flight, comfortable seat (business seat 7A) and food was really good (I'm a vegetarian).

Seat pitch is horrible especially on the 15 hour flight. Gate crew at SFO was Outstanding. The flight crew was also great.

6 1/2 hours from Tampa to SFO on a Boeing 737. Cramped. No Service. No real food. One pass for coffee at the beginning and a second pass THREE hours later. And check-in in Tampa was nasty even by United standards. And I am at almost TWO million miles on United. It's a non-stop. But terrible service.

First class ticket gets you no seat back entertainment? I have to bring my own laptop to see a movie? And most of their movies have ADS? No thank you. Worse: Tiny snacks only on a 2 hr flight?

Late plane. Only one crew on the ground so we b had to wait for Denver flight to come in, board, and depart. At 78 yrs of age I was not pleased trying to get my connection. What really made me angry was the notification you sent me to hurry up or I would miss my connection. Why tell me to hurry up when you got me in late. It was not a good way of treating customers.

No complaints other than luggage carousel was incorrectly guiding passengers to the wrong carousel on the screen.

Seats were not super comfortable and food was not good at all. If I had a chance I would definitely fly a different airline. Of course they are better than any budget airline, but not by much.

Flew steerage class. Short on leg room unless you pay more. No window unless you pay more. Etc. United is trying to squeeze every cent from you. It doesn’t make for any loyalty.

Flight crew was super friendly and helpful. Food was frequent and honestly pretty good. Plenty of on-board entertainment. Economy seats are super cramped for such a long flight, but the crew allowed people to get up and stretch, and kids could wander with their parents, so we all made it work. Overall a very good experience.

Outstanding service, efficient & friendly crew, flight was safe, comfortable & on time

Outstanding service, great food, friendly & efficient crew, safe & comfortable flight

The seat when "flat" was not flat and pad was too thin to cover it.

American delayed the flight for a crew rest period. The delay occurred late in the evening - the earliest i can find is 10:20 pm. With a 6 am flight anyone on the flight would have already have been asleep (unless you are insane, a vampire or on drugs) and at least for me i was already on the way to the airport at 445 am the next morning when i discovered they delayed the flight until 9 am. Given the incoming flight was in the air at 6 pm the evening before this should have been figured out a lot more timely that was there only crew to use. Just frustrating given there is no consideration for customer experience anymore in flying.

Flight: Started on time. Comfortable flight. Arrived on time. Crew: Very cordial and helpful. Drinks and snack was served with a smile. Overall enjoyed the trip. Regards, Hari Doss Chanchala Doss

To have arrived on time and not 3 hours late after having already spent $100 to change to an earlier flight, only to arrive back home close to the original flight time.

American Airlines is a miserable experience. It is predictably miserable, in the sense that every time I fly American, I brace myself for the certainty that it will be unpleasant and uncomfortable. But it is unpredictable in the sense that I never know if the flight will be on time or delayed nine hours (both happened to me this week). I never know if I will be able to sit in the seat that I selected when I purchased the ticket or if I will be told by Customer Service (!!!) that I must relocate from first class to a seat in the back of the aircraft with no explanation (both happened to me this week). Will the food be frozen and half defrosted, or scalding hot? Will the drinks be warm? Will the flight attendants be surly and mean? Will the toilets be cramped and foul? Will the seats be narrow and uncomfortable? Will there be a real electric outlet at the seat, or just an unreliable USB-2 port? Will there be enough seats in the boarding lounge or just a few? Will the boarding process be smooth and efficient, or will the gate agents mess it up and delay it needlessly for 30 or 40 minutes? Will the catering and cleaning crew be prompt or will they take an extra 30 minutes? Will the brakes on the aircraft work properly, or will the pilot delay takeoff for four hours while the ground crew attends to what can only be described as routine maintenance that should have been done the night before? I've eexperienced every one of these unpleasant things this year, 2026. The only thing I can reliably count on is that American will find a new way to make the experience of flying as miserable as they possibly can.

Wifi was spotty. Tray table was very dirty when I sat down.

The WiFi would not connect enough for me to do my actual work. It permaspooled, disconnected, said it was connected, then wouldn't open an email... it was frustrating. I am not a tall person, 5'4" - and I felt cramped with little room to reach into my bag under the seat in front of me. I feel sorry for anyone taller than me having to fly. the one positive thing I will add, is the overhead bins are roomy enough to manage more bags than other carriers.

Buying ticket from kayak instant booking was a huge mistake, never to be repeated again! The Kayak didn’t book the tickets directly, it handed it off to a third party Underpricer, that booked a code shared American Airlines flight operated by Cathay Pacific!! When managing the booking American Airlines would recognize the itinerary but wouldn’t let me do anything stating, the flight is operated by Cathay Pacific so go to their website. Cathay Pacific would recognize the itinerary, neither by reservation ID or ticket number…asking to reach out to the third party Underpricer….calling Underpricer resulted in no help like seat requests, mileage number or upgrade request, 15hr layover accommodation voucher guidance…so net in net avoid booking through three layers of intermediaries

Going non stop to lax like I paid for. Not stopping in MCI for gas. Too long of delays

Flight was on time. Cabin attendants made no recognition of my name or being an Advantage Executive Platinum member.

The legroom was lacking and the entertainment system lacked adequate selection of older films. Modern films are generally not very good.

Perfect airline, super friendly, great service, tasty food. Would fly again.

The flight attendants were wonderful - one man put my carry on in the bin for me. Very attentive service. Loved the blanket and pillow waiting for me in economy. Food was excellent which is a surprise given the reputation of any airline food. Wine was fine with the meals. Delighted with the new movies - flight went by very quickly. I would definitely fly Lufthansa again.

Flight was delayed by several hours and then cancelled due to weather. But Staff was very helpful getting me on a different flight. United should offer food coupons and tooth brush and paste for stranded passengers

Service was excellent. Flight was only about half full, which meant we had tons of room to stretch out. Boarding area was nice and well organized, flight attendants were super friendly and attentive and we loved the 3 snacks!

My flight was cancelled, but it was not Kayak's fault. Kayak did require me to pay for the ticket twice to two different venders who paid Lufthansa. Kayak/Lufthansa owes me for the first booking I made first was fraudulent on the part of the subcontracting ticket seller. There will be litigation over this issue under the current passenger protection laws.

flight was half full, plenty of empty seats, was able to lie down across 4 seats, food was good, arrived on time

Was never allowed on and not refunded the full amount of the ticket plus charged a $300 processing fee.

Terrible. Our flight was completely cancelled with no options to rebook until 4 days later.

Generally good. Not their fault but the design of the Boeing 747 had seating supports directly in line with my legs. So my legs always had to straddle this support which caused body misallignment. Such poor design from Boeing. There was no USB port for me to charge my phone. The screen touch control was very poor.

Cheap Flight Fares would not provide booking info. I canceled the reservation and we arbitrated with American Express. They provided erroneous info to Amex and it was determined that C.F.F. deserved the price of the ticket. Worse experience I've ever had.

Seating space is appalling. Seats and all surrounding area in "Economy" is built for individuals shorter than 4' 10" and below 120 lbs. Ridiculous. While I'm not expecting fine dining, the food was the worst airplane food that I can recall.

My luggage was lost at the airport but American Airlines contacted me and got it to me the next day.

Business class lounge for my gate was closed and no email was sent, causing me to walk back and forth to different gates, etc for over 20 minutes one way. Flight entertainment was mediocre with very poor choices especially for business class cabin. Original flight was cancelled and rebooking was difficult and no reason given for cancellation.

Very comfortable flight and simple and directed one way and back. Amazing price.

We loved our flight attendant, Emma from Scotland, the meal and entertainment offerings were wonderful, the flight was smooth, and enough leg room to stretch. We would fly with you again!

Los Angeles to London. 25th of April 2026. Business class. I was flying backwards with a complete stranger snoring next to me. In Business class. Males and females, strangers lying next to each other. Seats were backwards. I paid for comfort. I got dizziness and stress.

24 hour delays aren’t even heard in 3rd world countries with archaic transportation systems. I’m never flying American Airlines again.

Long line with check in at the DIA British Airway counter.

The flights were on time. Cabin crew were nice. The food was terrible! Checking in was not easy using my phone.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Zurich to California

Information on your arrival and departure airports