≡ At a Glance (Click):
Jump to a section
Getting Around Zürich
Travelling in JUST Zürich for 1 – 3 days?
Your best option is to buy the Zürich Card.
The Zürich Card is by far the best option when visiting the city. Why?
- You get unlimited access to all forms of public transport – including busses, trams, trains, cable cars, funicular railways, boats within its area of validity
- Free entrance to 21 museums
- Discounts on various tours
- Discounts on leisure activities
- Discounts in selected bars and restaurants
- Discounts on various experiences (mountain excursions, Lindt chocolate factory etc.)
The two passes available are the 24 hour pass: CHF 29, and the 72 hour pass: CHF 56.
For full details on the benefits of the pass, simply visit the Zurich Card Website.
Using Zürich as a Base for Day Trips?
If you are using Zürich as a base for day trips, then your best bet is to use the Friends Day Pass for Youths, or the Youth Multi-Day Passes. You can find all the information you need for these passes here.
Things to Do:
Bahnhofstrasse
Bahnhofstrasse is one of the world’s most famous and luxurious shopping streets. Stretching about 1.4 km from the main train station to Lake Zürich, it is lined with luxury designer stores, Swiss watchmakers and expensive jewellers. Even if you are not one for luxury brands, the street is still a pleasant place to stroll, with historic buildings and nice side streets leading to parks, cafe’s and nice courtyards.
Tip: Up one of the side streets on Bahnhofstrasse, be sure to check out Lindenhof Park. It offers great views of the old town and the river Limmat.
Altstadt/Old Town
There are various landmarks in the old town, with the three most notable being, the Grossmünster, St. Peter’s Church and Fraumünster.
The area offers narrow winding streets, traditional restaurants, cozy cafe’s and a relatively vibrant nightlife. Just stroll through and let your eyes lead you through the historical centre.
Lake Zürich
Lake Zürich is a massive lake boasting a length of about 40km. It has picturesque rolling hills along each side, and the beaming alps as the backdrop. There are many places along the shores of the lake to relax, stroll, or even take a nice dip in the summer.
Bürkliplatz
To get arguably the most picturesque view of the lake, you can head to Bürkliplatz at the end of the Bahnhofstrasse. You can walk along the waters edge, or have a seat at one of the many benches.
Bellevue
You can also sit along the shore of the lake on the benches at Bellevue, next to the Opera House. You get a nice view of Uetliberg to the west of the city as well as the alps to the south.
Enge
A little bit further away from the main streets (10min walk from Bürkliplatz), you can head to Enge for a nice stroll along the shores of the lake or have a quick break away from the noise and luxuries at Rentenwiese Park.
To get there: If you are at Zürich HB (Main Station), you can catch trains S2, S8, S24 from the Main Station platforms and trams T6, T7 and T17 from Bahnhofplatz/HB to Zürich Enge. And then simply walk from that station to the lake shores.
Zürichhorn
One last place along the lake I can recommend is the Zürichhorn. It is in my opinion the least touristy place within reasonable distance from the city center to relax by the lake. There are large grassy lawns where you can lie down in the sun during those warm summer days.
To get there: If you are at Zürich HB (Main Station), you can catch the Tram Number 4 (Direction Bahnhof Tiefenbrunnen), and get off at Fröhlichstrasse. Or if you are already by the lake, you can catch the Tram Number 2 (Direction Bahnhof Tiefenbrunnen) from Bürkliplatz or both the 2 and 4 from Bellevue.
Uetliberg
Uetliberg is Zürich’s local mountain, rising to about 870m. On a clear day, there is almost nowhere better to view the alps in Zürich than on the top of Uetliberg.
To get there, simply catch the S10 (known as the Uetlibergbahn) from platform 22 with connections roughly every 30 minutes.
*The Uetlibergbahn is currently undergoing construction. Check the SBB app for the best up-to-date connections
Price:
- Free if you have the Zürich Card (included in card)
- Free if you have the Friends Day Pass for Youth, Youth Multi-Day Pass or any other SBB travel pass (included in card)
- Approximately CHF 20 for single ticket return trips
Polyterrasse
For one of the nicest views over the Old Town of Zürich, head to the Polyterasse at ETH Zürich (Zürich University). It has a nice open square with views from the Old Town all the way out to the lake.
To Get There: Its a 15 min walk from the main station. Alternatively Hop on the tram 6 (direction Zürich Zoo), or the tram 10 (direction Zürich Flughafen, Airport) from Bahnhofplatz/HB. OR you can also take the UBS Polybahn, which is included in SBB passes, and the Zürich Card. Simply head to the Polybahn Station, a 5 minute walk from the Main Station.
Eating Cheap
There’s one answer to cheap eats in Zürich, and thats Coop. Coop is a supermarket that offers “cheap” bites to eat that are actually good quality. You can get salads, hot bites, sandwiches etc. for much cheaper than restaurant food.
There are two main Coop’s in the central Zürich area that I recommend:
