Zurich Airport Car Rental
The Zurich Airport ran over 24 million passengers thru turnstiles in 2011 - an increase of over 6% from 2010. Most of those flight's destinations were in other cities in Europe, with over 5 million into and from other continents. The airport is situated due North of the city center of Zurich - roughly 12 km away. 
There are several car rental companies in the Zurich Airport to choose from. Avis, Budget, Europcar, National, Hertz and Sixt each have car rental companies situated in the airport facility. Each of these companies would provide excellent service and possibly cheap prices on their rental cars as well. Rental cars are stored in the P3 facility just across the terminal.
To get to the city center of Zurich from the airport you will hop in your rental car and head out on Butzenbüelring until it turns into Butzenbüelstrasse. Immediately, overhead you will notice blue and green signs pointing you to Zurich. If you follow the signs pointing you to Zurich here, you will soon hop on a toll road and will use it into Zurich. We, however, recommend that you do not use the toll road. Instead, at this fork we recommend that you veer hard to the right at the fork towards Rumlang and Glattbrugg. Then take a left and continue on Butzenbüelstrasse. Drive about 400 meters until you come to a roundabout (traffic circle) and go around the roundabout and turn left after it (instead of going straight towards Zurich (watch for blue signs pointing you towards Zurich). You will encounter immediately your second roundabout, turn right on Balz-Zimmermann-Strasse. You will go buy a bus stop, travel underneath an overpass and will soon (within 1 km) come to a stop. Take the right on Route 4 to Zurich.
Drive a little over 4 km and you will approach a stop sign. Continue on Route 4 by veering right at the light. Drive about 400 more meters and veer left at the next light and continue on Schaffhauserstrasse/Route 4. Drive about 1.6 km (you will often follow quite a bit of traffic doing the same thing you're doing - driving to Zurich without having to pay for tolls). Continue on thru a few stoplights and watch for overhead signs directing you to "city". After you have driven the 1.6 miles mentioned, turn left at a stop light on Irchelstrasse/Route 17, then right (after about 350 meters) on Winterthurerstrasse/Route 17 and follow it about 3 km into the city.
Granted these directions are a little more difficult into the city center of Zurich - but not by much. The benefit of the above course, is that if you're unfamiliar with the territory, you will be able to make decisions more slowly. If you take a wrong turn, you will be able to hop right back on the road that you were on and continue to Zurich. See a typical Zurich road below..... 
The Wi-Fi at the Zurich airport is not free, but at least it is available. Eateries include sit-down restaurants, cafe's and bars as well. From Burger King to the la Corbeille sit down restaurant, we're sure you'll find something that will work.
Radisson Blue - Sitting right on the Zurich Airport is the Radisson Blu. Here you will find free Wi-Fi, a variety of room types to choose from, high-quality furnishings and a mini-bar. A fitness club and wine tower are also part of the experience. A restaurant called the Filini serves up Italian dishes to its patrons, and by most accounts, is at least decent. Prices at the Radisson on the Zurich Airport grounds are pretty steep. Figure at least $300 to get started. See a typical Radisson Hotel Room below. 
Economy cars, mini cars, standard/intermediates, compacts, full-size, exotic, luxury, SUV's, and minivans (7-seaters) are all usually available at the Zurich Airport. Be warned - rental cars at the Zurich Airport are fairly expensive. However if you review some of the prices from the downtown Zurich car rentals, you will find that they're really not much cheaper down there.
Remember to reserve a GPS if you aren't familiar with the Zurich area. I don't know that I've ever heard of anyone being disappointed that they reserved one. Again, if you're unfamiliar with the area, we strongly recommend it.
Finally, thanks for visiting our site. We sincerely appreciate you checking in on us and would love to have your business.
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Zurich Airport Basics.....
The Zurich Airport ran over 24 million passengers thru turnstiles in 2011 - an increase of over 6% from 2010. Most of those flight's destinations were in other cities in Europe, with over 5 million into and from other continents. The airport is situated due North of the city center of Zurich - roughly 12 km away.
Zurich Airport Car Rental.....
There are several car rental companies in the Zurich Airport to choose from. Avis, Budget, Europcar, National, Hertz and Sixt each have car rental companies situated in the airport facility. Each of these companies would provide excellent service and possibly cheap prices on their rental cars as well. Rental cars are stored in the P3 facility just across the terminal.
To get to the city center of Zurich from the airport you will hop in your rental car and head out on Butzenbüelring until it turns into Butzenbüelstrasse. Immediately, overhead you will notice blue and green signs pointing you to Zurich. If you follow the signs pointing you to Zurich here, you will soon hop on a toll road and will use it into Zurich. We, however, recommend that you do not use the toll road. Instead, at this fork we recommend that you veer hard to the right at the fork towards Rumlang and Glattbrugg. Then take a left and continue on Butzenbüelstrasse. Drive about 400 meters until you come to a roundabout (traffic circle) and go around the roundabout and turn left after it (instead of going straight towards Zurich (watch for blue signs pointing you towards Zurich). You will encounter immediately your second roundabout, turn right on Balz-Zimmermann-Strasse. You will go buy a bus stop, travel underneath an overpass and will soon (within 1 km) come to a stop. Take the right on Route 4 to Zurich.
Drive a little over 4 km and you will approach a stop sign. Continue on Route 4 by veering right at the light. Drive about 400 more meters and veer left at the next light and continue on Schaffhauserstrasse/Route 4. Drive about 1.6 km (you will often follow quite a bit of traffic doing the same thing you're doing - driving to Zurich without having to pay for tolls). Continue on thru a few stoplights and watch for overhead signs directing you to "city". After you have driven the 1.6 miles mentioned, turn left at a stop light on Irchelstrasse/Route 17, then right (after about 350 meters) on Winterthurerstrasse/Route 17 and follow it about 3 km into the city.
Granted these directions are a little more difficult into the city center of Zurich - but not by much. The benefit of the above course, is that if you're unfamiliar with the territory, you will be able to make decisions more slowly. If you take a wrong turn, you will be able to hop right back on the road that you were on and continue to Zurich. See a typical Zurich road below.....
Zurich Airport Amenities.....
The Wi-Fi at the Zurich airport is not free, but at least it is available. Eateries include sit-down restaurants, cafe's and bars as well. From Burger King to the la Corbeille sit down restaurant, we're sure you'll find something that will work.
Hotels Near the Zurich Airport.....
Radisson Blue - Sitting right on the Zurich Airport is the Radisson Blu. Here you will find free Wi-Fi, a variety of room types to choose from, high-quality furnishings and a mini-bar. A fitness club and wine tower are also part of the experience. A restaurant called the Filini serves up Italian dishes to its patrons, and by most accounts, is at least decent. Prices at the Radisson on the Zurich Airport grounds are pretty steep. Figure at least $300 to get started. See a typical Radisson Hotel Room below.
Hotel Welcome Inn - If you're looking for something a quite a bit cheaper, check out the Hotel Welcome Inn. This one sits on Holbergstrasse 1, a short car rental drive - about 2 blocks from the airport. This one is far cheaper, as you can pick up a room for less than $200, sometimes far less. You can also pick up free Wi-Fi here as well and a continental breakfast for fairly cheap as well.
Types of Rental Cars Available at the Zurich Airport.....
Economy cars, mini cars, standard/intermediates, compacts, full-size, exotic, luxury, SUV's, and minivans (7-seaters) are all usually available at the Zurich Airport. Be warned - rental cars at the Zurich Airport are fairly expensive. However if you review some of the prices from the downtown Zurich car rentals, you will find that they're really not much cheaper down there.
Remember to reserve a GPS if you aren't familiar with the Zurich area. I don't know that I've ever heard of anyone being disappointed that they reserved one. Again, if you're unfamiliar with the area, we strongly recommend it.
Finally, thanks for visiting our site. We sincerely appreciate you checking in on us and would love to have your business.
Source: Zurich Airport Homepage