Zurich is a captivating city, full of the bright lights and glamour you’d expect of a world financial centre but it has its more refined parts too. Head to the old town, with its Roman castle and Imperial Palace, or go down to Lake Zurich for a boat trip.
There are excellent shopping opportunities in Zurich as well as internationally recognised cultural experiences. Finally drive your hire car to the central railway station before catching the train up to the summit of Uetliberg for a panoramic view of Zurich from the city’s highest point.
Zurich Mini Guide
Zurich is a stylish and attractive city set on the banks of the lake of the same name. About one million people live in Zurich and the surroundings towns and villages. Most of them speak Swiss German.
Whether you go to Switzerland in the winter or summer there are plenty of wonderful opportunities to have fun outdoors in Zurich.
In the winter, families head up into the surroundings mountains to go skiing or sledding. In this elevated mountain countryside are plenty of good restaurants where you can warm up with a delicious cheese or meat fondue and a glass of kirsch cherry liquor.
During the summer most people head to the relaxing waters of Lake Zurich to swim or go boating and the clear waters are sure to make you feel rejuvenated. Taking a walk along the Lake Promenade is one of the best ways to experience Zurich.
Zurich is also an incredibly trendy city with some excellent bars and nightclubs, though you should be careful of your belongings when you go out. Surprisingly in such a clean city with a very high standard of living, crime is quite common. The city has a red light district, the Langstrasse, which women walking on their own should avoid at night. Nevertheless, problems are very rare and should not put you off as Zurich has more night clubs per capita proportionately than anywhere else in Europe. Leave yourself some time to explore.
Walking around the town you will see some fine architecture including old churches built in a variety of styles. Meanwhile museums such as the Kunsthaus and the Landesmuseum are as good as to be expected in a top European city.
There is also the Jacob Coffee Museum which is dedicated to the creation of Europe’s most popular morning drink.
If you plan to go shopping you must take a look at the Bahnhofstrasse which is one of the best shopping streets in Europe where the shops are high end designer retailers.
You will fly into Zurich International Airport though this is actually located in the village of Kloten which is a little way out of Zurich. EasyJet is among the many airlines to use this super efficient terminal. Once you have rented your Rhino vehicle you are unlikely to get lost as long as you look at the map. Almost all the major roads go to Zurich.
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