By air
Zurich (ZRH), ~12 km
Europe · Switzerland
Zurich, Switzerland
A lakeside city of old lanes and art
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to September — summer
Don't miss
The Grossmünster
The Bahnhofstrasse
Lake Zurich
The Swiss National Museum
Things to do
The old town
Swimming in the Limmat
The Kunsthaus
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Ikiwaner · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
The Lindenhof's view over the old town
Questions travellers ask
What is there to see in Zurich?
The Grossmünster, the Bahnhofstrasse, Lake Zurich and the Swiss National Museum, plus the old town and the Kunsthaus.
Can you swim in Zurich?
Yes — in the Limmat. Plan it for the summer months, May to September.
Where can I get a view over Zurich's old town?
From the Lindenhof.
What dish is Zurich known for?
Zürcher Geschnetzeltes — order it at least once.
About Zurich
- Lakeside
Where it is
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich, in the north-central part of the country at the north-western tip of Lake Zurich, where the Limmat river flows out, with the Uetliberg hill to the west.
History
Roman Turicum was a customs post on the Limmat, and in 1351 Zurich became the fifth member of the Swiss Confederacy. Huldrych Zwingli began the Swiss Reformation from the Grossmünster in 1519, and in the 19th century trade, industry and the founding of the federal polytechnic, ETH Zurich, set the city on its way to becoming a leading financial centre.
People
Zurichers speak Zurich German, a Swiss German dialect. The city's guilds parade at the Sechseläuten spring festival, which ends with the burning of the Böögg, a snowman effigy, and summer brings swimming in the river and lake baths and the Street Parade, a huge techno festival.
Known for
- The Grossmünster and the Fraumünster's Chagall windows
- The Bahnhofstrasse
- Lake Zurich and swimming in the Limmat
- The Kunsthaus art museum
- Zürcher Geschnetzeltes with rösti
Did you know?
The Dada art movement began in Zurich in 1916 at the Cabaret Voltaire, a club in the old town where artists who had come to neutral Switzerland during the First World War staged their performances.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.