Switzerland – Zurich

Zurich, Switzerland

Another beautiful lakeside city full of Swiss chalet style building, impressively well maintained edifices and the famous church clock tower that can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. Wealth is clearly residing here judging by the boutiques and high end restaurants but walking and taking in the sights is free and plentiful! Take a trip out on the lake, up the river or even ride the unique train specially adapted to the mountain inclines to reach the lookout points from the mountain park above the city. You wanna see a whole lake in one go then here is where you do it by climbing the tower on the already high mountain … get the camera ready !

Switzerland had always been on my list of countries to visit, yet I never got round to booking time there until well into my travels. I knew I wanted to visit more than just one city as they each had their own points if difference.

If I was to do it, I wanted to visit around 3 or four places on this trip. Well, that’s what I did as I visited Zurich, Lucerne (click here for info), and Basel (click here for info), on a week trip. I managed to slip into Vaduz in Liechtenstein (click here for review) for2 days as well, as it borders Switzerland and was easy to get to.

My next trip would have to be a separate one as I still want to see Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux and Berne – watch this space!

I carefully planned my trip and worked out that I could easily base myself in Zurich and take a full day trip to visit Basel and Lucerne and see pretty much all I wanted. The Vaduz part would have to be a stopover there as it was a bit too far for a one-day trip from Zurich.

How to get from Zurich Airport, Switzerland to city centre.

Zurich airport is quite near the city (6 miles away) and the transport to and fro is really easy. See here for airport info.

• Tram: Number 10 tram stops outside the main entrance and takes you right into the city centre to the main train station and the start of the old town area of the city. Journey is about 35 mins. Day ticket 24h: CHF 13.60. However, I bought the Zurich Card at airport arrivals which included all city transport.
• Train: Gets you to the City Centre main train station in around 10-15 Minutes, run every 5-10 mins and is the fastest and cheapest method. Single ticket: CHF 6.80
• Bus: Several buses from Switzerland’s largest covered bus station at the airport will get you to the city centre in about 20 mins, tickets vary as each has a different route so you will need to find out if your hotel is on one of their routes to use
• Shuttle bus: These run every 30-40 mins and take a circuitous route around the city dropping off at the main hotels. Tell the driver your hotel and it’s virtually door to door and costs around CHF 25
• Taxi: The most expensive option (Switzerland is not cheap remember), but it gets you door to door comfortable and fast in around 15 mins to the centre, expect CHF 30-60

Zurich Card

I bought the Zurich Card (click here for info), at the airport so I could use it straight away on the tram. It gives you unlimited access to tram, train, bus, and even short boat trips as well as free or reduced entrance to most Museums/Galleries.

Cards cost about 27 Swiss Francs for 24hours or a 3-day card for 53 Swiss Francs. Valid from the time you first use it by validating on the tram/Museum.

I used it for 3 days and saved quite a bit as I travelled on public transport every day extensively and visited every museum I wanted for free. Link is here to buy online in advance. Fortunately, my hotel is on the tram line between the airport and the city and had a tram stop right outside. I would recommend it.

Where I stayed in Zurich.

I opted to stay out of the city centre at the Ibis hotel not far from the airport in Unterriet. I chose here for several well-founded reasons.

• A, Hotels in central Zurich were 2 even 3 times the price of this hotel. Yes, it is a budget hotel but it was fairly new and on arrival still looked pristine. The rooms are basic but modern, clean, quiet – as are soundproofed from any airport noise – and really stylish. The breakfast area was very good, spacious in a comfy modern styled Ikea-looking way. Staff were great.
• B. There were a couple of restaurants across the road and others not far so I had a choice of places to eat in the eve as there is not a restaurant onsite. It does have vending machines selling drinks, snacks and microwavable ready meals. It has a communal microwave and seating/eating area. I used the Italian restaurant next door and it was inexpensive and great.
• C. With the tram stop virtually outside and a tram every 7-10 mins it was perfectly placed to easily get into town. I had the Zurich Card which covered all my transport so my trip into town was paid for and conveniently door to door. I loved looking into the streets and shops as we trundled by and it gave me  a further insight into the city.
• I was pleased with my stay, wifi good, comfy bed. In all it was a great choice and I would recommend it for a cheap stay in relatively basic comfort.

More Hotels near Zurich airport

If you are looking for an out of town hotel to save on costs, quieter location and also be near Zurich airport then click on this link at https://airportsandhotels

This website has several alternatives for a stay in an hotel near the airport and has lots of useful info on transport links to those hotels also. This site is really informative if, for example, you have a long layover/couple of days stay in Zurich (often the case if flying long haul on a connecting flight with Swiss International Airlines).

What to see in Zurich, Switzerland.

Zurich has a couple of unique and unmissable culture houses/churches – yep I went to several of them – but also stuff that doesn’t particularly float my boat.

Thus, you won’t see references to:

The FIFA Museum of Football (click here for info). Dare I say it I have no interest whatsoever in football!.

Zurich Zoo. I am not big on Zoos – the sight of caged animals, no matter how well they are looked after, repels me.

The Botanical Gardens were also not on the list – beautiful no doubt, but when like me, you have seen most of them in the forests and jungles of the world in situ, it lacks interest for me.

The Swiss National Museum (click here for info), also did not seem that interesting on paper to me.

The Museum Rietberg (click here for info), is a museum that concentrates on non-European art from around the world and whilst it sounded interesting, I was aware that recently I have been spending days inside museums and Galleries. I had seen plenty of worldwide art in the world countries I had visited so far.

I was missing out on e.g. mountains, street life, rivers and parks and I was determined not to let this become another museum/culture only visit.

Turns out Zurich has plenty to see in the open air in abundance and so apologies in advance for those culture vultures wanting only paintings etc.

The Kunsthaus/Museum of Art.

This is deemed one of the best painting and sculpture Museums in Switzerland, (click here for opening times etc). It has stacks of Rembrandt, Pollock, Warhol, Van Gogh, Munch, Giacometti, Picasso, Monet, Leger, Miro, Degas, Renoir, Chagall and Braque and more. Ok, I was awash with delight as Picasso, leger, Van Gogh and Pollock are among my favourites.

It contains Old Masters to Surrealists to Modern Art and is a hugely diverse collection of art. You could spend a long time in here if you are a real art aficionado and I did take longer than I originally planned to see it all. However, this was my one museum visit so I feel I deserved it. It has a big new extension planned to open in 2020 so a revisit may be on the cards then!

The museum is closed on Monday, so be aware as initially that was my visit day that I had to quickly change to the next day – unlike me to not check opening times in advance but that slipped through the net.

Zurich Old Town.

This is the big thing about Zurich for me – and probably true for much of Switzerland. The perfectly maintained big houses and blocks are wonderful and areas feel as if they carry you back to the 17th century. The square or street is virtually void of modernity and filled with these historic buildings.

I snapped away as I walked, not knowing what the next beautiful building was – a hotel, apartments, offices – it was not always obvious from the outside but they were majestic anyhow. It is so easy to walk as the Altstadt , Niederdorf and opposite riverbank around Lindenhof Park, that make up the Old Town are virtually car-free. The area is basically on either side of the wide Limmat River running through the middle of town.

It has two lovely riverbank walkways alongside either side of the Limmat, so is  easy to walk down one side. You can dart off along the side streets, re-join the river walk down to the lake then repeat when going back on the other side of the river!

The walk from the central train station along one bank of the river past the medieval Town Hall and finishing at the majestic Opera House would take in most of the old town.

However, you need to walk up the side streets and meander along the roads on predominantly pedestrianised streets to capture all the older family houses, churches and Halls. The area is awash with restaurants, small artisan shops, cake and chocolate shops and a plethora of gift stores.

The Dada art movement (poetry, music, sound) began in 1916 in the heart of Zurich’s historic district at café Voltaire on Spiegelgasse street in Old Town. The group met in the Cabaret Voltaire (which is still there and can be visited) and from here this artistic group spread its message over the world.

Fraumünster Church.

There is one building, or rather tower, that stands out in many parts of the Old Town. The blue/green copper roofed spire of the Fraumünster Church can be seen from many parts of central Zurich. Its foundations were built on an Abbey dating from 853 AD and was a powerful seat of government for the city.

In 1045 it even minted coins, collected taxes and held markets, so was a key centre for hundreds of years. Nowadays it is famous for its Chagall stained windows in the Choir area telling biblical stories and even Giacometti, in 1940, installed a stained-glass window of his own.

It has a helpful audio-guide system which I used and it explained things I would have easily missed so do use it to get the most out of your visit. Outside is a square with an eclectic mix of styles of buildings – all definitely “Swiss style”

St Peter’s Church.

Just a few streets away is St Peter’s Church, yet again with a tall spire that is seen from most parts of the city. Like the Fraumünster church, its tower has a four-side clock – you will never need a watch in Zurich with these two massive clocks in easy visibility!

Again, it is set in a pretty shutter-windowed, window basket filled square of houses and slightly elevated up a wide flight of open-air steps.

From here walk towards the river through atmospheric side streets and cobbled streets to the very wide platform bridge with the decorative Rathaus (City Hall) on the other side. From this bridge there is an amazing view down the river to the lake, across to the skyline and across the river to the next point of interest, the twin towered church – the Grossmünster.

Grossmünster Church.

This is again an elegant Romanesque Cathedral with towers visible from a long way off. You can’t take pictures inside but for 10 Euros you can climb the steps to the top of one of the towers for the best view of the whole of Zurich from the top. Set again on a square in the gently sloping Old town, the church faces the river at an angle.

I didn’t mean this review to be one about churches but these are three of the most famous buildings in Zurich. The whole Old Town of Altstadt and Niederdorf is one big tourist attraction and they are at its core. So again, a wander through the town is a necessity as the buildings (not famous in themselves) are all huge attractions. Just further along the riverbank, just past the river bridge to the right, is another well known building.

Zurich Opera House.

It is one of the smallest Opera Houses, (click here for info), in the world as it seats only 1,100 people. In 2014, it was awarded Best Opera Company of the Year at the International Opera Awards. Hosting 250 performances a year on average it is a big draw for the citizens of the city and indeed internationally.

It sits on the huge open plaza of Sechselautenplatz, near to the lake and several grassed and tree covered walkways.

Further along the lakeside is a fabulous walk with views of the distant snow-capped mountains, the lake, piers and jetties for private boats and bathing areas. I walked along this area and encountered the luxury hotels set off the banks of the lake, with their fine restaurants and artwork in delicately maintained gardens.

You can watch the lake boats ply in and out of the river mouth boarding areas and capture the unique lake and mountain setting that is Zurich.

Uetliberg.

Outside the city is Uetliberg, an area of hiking trails, forest, nature lands and with panoramic views over the city and Zurich lake and the surrounding mountain – it was on my list. To get there you take the railway (included in the Zurich card) to the mountaintop.

The train S10 from the central train station rides up the mountainside at an amazingly steep gradient. In fact, it is the steepest standard gauge adhesion railway in Europe and just seeing the passing forest, mini villages and several views down to Zurich on the way is worth the trip alone.

However, it is the arrival at the top that is the wonder. From the station there is a walk through the greenery and calm of the forest to a huge steel-truss tower with an open observation platform and the next door tall, slim TV mast.

The walkway has artistic statues and carved wooden artworks of an art deco nature – one is of a lampost shaped into a huge deer with the lights in its antlers.

From the tower you get a panoramic view of Zurich and the Alps. You can see for miles and the greenery of the mountains and the glistening waters of Lake Zurich is stupendous. There is a restaurant at ground level near here for refreshments as the walkway can be steep in areas and you may need that sit down and drink!

As I said, I based myself here as several other well worthy Swiss cities to visit are within an hour or two of Zurich. I was easily able to visit these cities and they really can be visited in a full day trip. I would recommend this rather than stay over, with hassle of transportation, luggage, check in etc at each individual city.

Trains to these cities are frequent, reliable, very comfortable, modern and relatively inexpensive and you get the added bonus of seeing the scenery on the way!

June 2017.