Zurich can easily be reached by plane or train. In case flight fares are cheaper from your location to Basel you may want to consider flying-in there, since it is only a one-hour train ride from Basel to Zurich with trains leaving every half hour. There is also a larger airport in Geneva, but it is a considerably longer train ride to Zurich (i.e., almost three hours).
If you arrive by train at the Main Station (Hauptbahnhof) you will be in the heart of the city, close to the popular (and most expensive) shopping street (Bahnhofstrasse) and the historically older parts of the city (Niederdorf). You can use the river (Limmat) and the lake (Lake Zurich, Zürichsee) for your orientation. It takes about 10 minutes by tram from the main station to the
conference venue.
Zurich has a comprehensive public transport network made up of buses, trams and trains. The network is zone-based and the entire city of Zurich is in zone 110 (which counts as 2 zones). The airport is located in zone 121. Tickets for the public transport within Zurich are available at special sale booths (e.g., at the main station or other larger stations), but can also be easily purchased at each tram or bus stop through vending machines (English and a range of other languages can be selected). Most of the machines now take credit cards, in addition to coins (for ticket fares see here). We recommend you purchase a day pass (for zone 110) that allows you to use all trams, buses, and even the ships on the Limmat as well as some larger ships on Lake Zurich.
Links for further information