Things to do in Zurich
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Zurich
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Summer and best months overall: badi season, full lake boat timetables, open gardens and long evenings.
Spring, best value: mild weather, Uetliberg hiking and Rhine Falls at high water, plus Sechseläuten in April.
Autumn connoisseur season: film festival, wine ships and fondue season starting, with cooler lake and no swimming.
Winter: short grey days but Christmas markets, Lucy lights and Illuminarium from mid November, plus fondue and day ski trips.
Weakest window outside a ski day plan: markets gone, lake grey and prices only slightly kinder.
What's on
- Street Parade August, usually the 2nd Saturday
The world's largest techno parade around the lake basin. Book hotels months ahead or avoid the weekend if crowds are not your thing.
- Zurich Pride June
Pride festival in June, listed among the summer events worth timing a trip around.
- Zürcher Theater Spektakel August
Lakeside theatre festival in August.
- Caliente festival July
Latin festival listed among Zurich's summer fixtures.
- Swiss National Day 1 August
Fireworks over the lake for Swiss National Day.
- Sechseläuten April
Guilds parade and the Böögg snowman effigy is burned on Sechseläutenplatz to predict summer, the most Zurich event of the year.
- Food Zurich May
City food festival in May.
- Zurich Film Festival late Sep to early Oct
Major film festival spanning late September into early October.
- Expovina late Oct to Nov
Wine ships moored at Bürkliplatz in late autumn.
- Christmas markets from 19 Nov 2026
Markets at Bellevue, in Hauptbahnhof and in Niederdorf, plus the Singing Christmas Tree at Werdmühleplatz.
Best things to do in Zurich
Lindenhof
Roman era viewpoint over the rooftops and Grossmunster, and the starting point for wandering the old town lanes on both banks.
Grossmünster
Twin towered church defining the skyline, with the Karlsturm climb for an old town panorama for a small fee.
Fraumünster
The church opposite Grossmunster, visited for its celebrated stained glass windows in the centre of the old town.
Kunsthaus Zürich
Switzerland's major art collection, medieval to contemporary, and the rainy day fixture even non museum people rate.
Swiss National Museum
Swiss history from prehistory to now in a fairy tale castle like building behind the main station.
Lindt Home of Chocolate
Huge chocolate museum with a giant fountain and tastings throughout, genuinely fun rather than a factory tour.
Lake Zurich
Walk the east shore promenade for free or take the short round trip cruise for skyline, Alps and lakeside villas.
Frau Gerolds Garten
Container beer garden in the former industrial quarter that becomes a fondue filled winter garden in season.
Where to stay in Zurich
Altstadt / Niederdorf (Kreis 1, east bank)
best overall base, first trip
Churches, restaurants, bars and the lake all walkable, with the main station 10 minutes on foot.
City / Bahnhofstrasse-Paradeplatz (Kreis 1, west bank)
luxury and business
Grand hotels, Sprüngli, the station and the trams, with a calmer and more formal feel after dark.
Seefeld (Kreis 8)
lake life
East shore promenade, badis, Kunsthaus and the Opera on your doorstep, a tram ride to the centre.
Enge (Kreis 2)
quiet upscale alternative
West shore parks, the FIFA Museum and Rieter Park, polished and local, a short tram from everything.
Zürich West / Kreis 5
value, design and nightlife
Galleries, Viadukt food and clubs around Hardbrücke, usually the best value for design in the city.
Think twice about
- Langstrasse / Kreis 4
Red light and club strip with sex work, dealers, noise and street grit until dawn. Visit for nightlife, do not base there on a first trip or with kids.
- Immediately around Hauptbahnhof / Sihlquai at night
Fine and busy by day, but late at night expect loitering and drug dealing at the edges. Walk through, do not linger or book the cheapest room facing it.
Best restaurants in Zurich
Kronenhalle
Zurich's institution for Zürcher Geschnetzeltes and rösti, served in rooms hung with original art.
Pavillon
Starred modern French fine dining in a garden pavilion inside the Baur au Lac, the special occasion booking.
Fribourger Fondue Stübli
Tiny wood panelled fondue specialists since the 1970s, named first by locals for moitié moitié fondue.
Zeughauskeller
Vast 1487 former armoury beer hall for sausages, schnitzel and big local beers at shared tables.
Hiltl
The world's oldest vegetarian restaurant since 1898, with a huge inventive buffet by weight plus à la carte.
Restaurant Kindli
Traditional Swiss cooking in a historic old town house, quieter and more local feeling than the big beer halls.
Sternen Grill
Zurich's most famous sausage stand for a St Galler Bratwurst with crusty bread and fiery mustard, eaten standing.
Rheinfelder Bierhalle
Huge no frills hall famous for an enormous cordon bleu and cheap beer, where portions are the point.
Outdoor things to do in Zurich
Flussbad Oberer Letten
Free city river bath with a 400 metre swimming channel in the clear Limmat, sun decks and diving.
Uetliberg
Zurich's own mountain by S10 train, with a lookout tower over city, lake and the Alpine chain on clear days.
Rhine Falls
Europe's largest waterfall with viewing platforms, paired with the frescoed medieval old town of Stein am Rhein.
Mount Pilatus
Classic big day trip from Lucerne up by steep cogwheel railway or gondola, best done DIY with a rail pass.
Mount Titlis
Glacier at over 3,000 metres with a rotating cable car, glacier cave, cliff walk and snow tubing even in summer.
Rapperswil
Long lake boat to the rose town with a castle and wooden footbridge, or cycle back along the shore.
Dolder Golfclub
Private feeling 9 hole course in the forest above the Dolder Grand, the only round actually in the city.
Golf & Country Club Zürich
18 hole par 72 parkland championship course, Switzerland's prestige city course, with restricted visitor play.
Best hotels in Zurich
Baur au Lac
Grande dame hotel in its own park with lake and Alps views, minutes from Paradeplatz.
Widder Hotel
Nine medieval houses stitched into one small luxury hotel off Bahnhofstrasse, the old town luxury pick.
The Dolder Grand
Hilltop resort in the city with vast spa and funicular access, chosen for the hotel itself rather than walkability.
Storchen Zürich
A 660 year old inn turned polished boutique hotel on the Limmat, with river views and everything walkable.
25hours Hotel Zürich West
Playful design hotel with a NENI restaurant, the best value for character in Zürich West.
25hours Hotel Langstrasse
Same playful brand in a livelier setting by the station and Langstrasse, unusual value for Zurich.
Zurich Youth Hostel
The city's official hostel, clean and lake adjacent, with private rooms as well as dorms and a tram into town.
ibis Budget Zürich City West
Basic, clean and efficient chain budget hotel by Hardbrücke, a tram ride to the main station.
Is Zurich expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CHF 190 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CHF 385 a person |
| Splurge | CHF 850 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Lindt Home of Chocolate: weeks ahead
- Thermalbad & Spa Zürich: a few days ahead
- Mount Titlis: a few days ahead
- Dolder Golfclub: a few days ahead
- Golf & Country Club Zürich: weeks ahead
- Interlaken: a few days ahead
- Kronenhalle: a few days ahead
- Pavillon: a few days ahead
- Lindt Home of Chocolate sells out weeks ahead and same day tickets are usually gone.
- Reserve Kronenhalle, Pavillon and Fribourger Fondue Stübli days ahead, especially Thursday to Saturday, and book Thermalbad on weekends.
- Check the mountain webcam and forecast that morning for Titlis and Pilatus, as a cloudy summit day is money burned.
Is Zurich safe?
- Zurich is exceptionally safe, including walking at night in the old town, with standard care around the station and Langstrasse late.
- The real hazards are the Limmat current at the badis, bikes and trams when crossing streets, and sun at altitude on mountain days.
- Switzerland uses CHF, not euros, and shops shut on Sundays except at the station and airport.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Zurich travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Bahnhofstrasse shopping is global chains at Swiss prices, so walk it rather than shop it.
- FIFA Museum at full price for non fans, and tourist fondue menus in Niederdorf when a real stübli does it better.
- Guided day trip coaches that simply replicate a train ride you can do yourself, and paid viewpoints when Lindenhof and Uetliberg are free or better.
Getting around Zurich: public transport and more
- Do not rent a car. Airport to Hauptbahnhof is about 10 minutes by train, the centre is walkable and trams cover the rest.
- Get the Zürich Card for museums plus a lake boat, or compare Swiss Travel Pass, Saver Day Pass and Half Fare Card maths for mountain day trips.
- Tap water is excellent and the city's roughly 1,200 fountains are drinkable, so carry a bottle.
Who Zurich suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Zurich your trip
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