Zurich

Zurich (German: Zürich, Swiss German: Züri) is the largest city in Switzerland and an international financial centre. Zurich is close to some excellent skiing resorts and many people headed for the Swiss Alps don't spend much time in Zurich itself, but you'd be missing a lot if you don't stay in Zurich for a couple of days at least.

Understand


While Zurich is Switzerland's biggest city and a cultural centre of German-speaking Switzerland, Berne is the Swiss capital. It has a population of some 430,000 (2022) in the city, and 1.8 million (2011) in the metro area. Zurich is on Lake Zurich, where the lake meets the river Limmat, in the north of Switzerland.

Despite it not being the administrative capital of any more than its Kanton, Zurich punches well above its weight in terms of major media and business headquarters and due to it being at the heart of Switzerland's excessively punctual and meticulously maintained train network and being home to Switzerland's most important airport, it is often the first part of Switzerland that visitors get to see. While Zurich can be expensive, it is also clean, efficient and blessed with a high standard of living, which together with the high wages, explains why people bear with the high prices. Zurich has drawn people from the rest of Switzerland for centuries, but in the 20th and 21st centuries it has also begun to draw both people and companies from outside Switzerland and in some cases even outside Europe. This means that you will hear a lot more languages than just Swiss German and the overall atmosphere is a lot more cosmopolitan than you might think.

Zurich is home to ETH Zurich, one of the world's leading technical universities, which has produced a number of Nobel laureates and numerous innovations and due to Switzerland's long history of neutrality it also houses headquarters of the likes of FIFA and the International Ice Hockey Federation. Zurich is also home to a number of large banking and insurance conglomerates that grew on the fabled Swiss banking secret and still enjoy good reputations in the financial sector.

History
The city's Latin name, Turicum, was used for a Roman customs station at the Limmat, which has some remnants today. The Alemanni, a Germanic tribe, settled in the 5th century.

While the Church used to rule early Medieval Zurich, the Guilds (Zünfte) took power in 1336, establishing Zurich as an autonomous republic. The Guilds have survived until today, though their role today is mostly ceremonial. Zurich became the fifth canton of the Swiss Confederacy in 1351, and has been its capital at times. However, Switzerland's famous neutrality and stability is a modern thing, as many battles have been fought in and around Zurich. The canton lost the Old Zürich War between 1440 and 1446 against the confederacy, and was re-admitted in 1450.

Ulrich Zwingli led the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland during the early 16th century. As the Thirty Years War ended in 1648, the Holy Roman Empire lost its grip on Switzerland, which has mostly been independent since then.

The 1830s and 40s saw a series of revolts and war, including the Züriputsch, a revolt of conservative landowners of the canton, against the city of Zurich, and the 1847 Sonderbund War. In 1848 Switzerland adopted a constitution, which established the country as a federal republic. While the government settled in Bern, many federal institutions, including the new Polytechnic University (ETH) have their seat in Zurich.

The Zurich Stock Exchange was founded in 1877, and the city rose as a financial centre in the 20th century, as Switzerland remained neutral in the World Wars, and could maintain lower taxes on capital than the European great powers. Even though Switzerland has opted out of NATO and the European Union, Zurich is today one of central Europe's most cosmopolitan cities.

Climate
Zurich has a four-season climate typical of central Europe. Temperature in winter is usually around zero degrees, which means that snow can linger or melt away. Summers are warm with temperatures in the 20s (C) and occasionally in the 30s. The nearby mountains are significantly cooler than in the valley, with snow remaining well into spring.

Tourist information

 * Zurich Tourism website

By plane


is Switzerland's largest and busiest airport, handling roughly 30 million passengers a year. It is in the community of Kloten and it is 10 minutes by train from the main station. The trains depart about every 10-15 minutes, during the day, but less frequently at earlier or later hours. A single ticket to the Hauptbahnhof (Main station, a.k.a. "Zürich HB") costs Fr. 6.80. Several bus lines connect to the airport and provide access to the Winterthur region near it. There is also tram 10 from Zurich terminating at the airport, a rather slow option, but it might be faster door to door for some destinations in Zurich.

Most major airlines fly to Zurich but flag-carrier Swiss is still the biggest player at ZRH and offers the widest range of connections. Almost every large hotel in Zurich provides shuttle buses from the airport to your hotel. The stops for these buses are a short walk to the right from Terminal 1 arrivals.

Zurich Airport has high passenger costs due to several noise reduction and approach restrictions. Most no-frill airlines fly to Basel which is 1 hour away by train. EasyJet offer several flights to Germany, the UK and Southern Europe.

If you are travelling without a Schengen Visa to another destination in Europe (via Zurich airport) and if you are not a European citizen, you must not stay in Europe for longer than 90 days — even if your final destination would allow citizens of your country to stay for more than 90 days. Failure to do so will lead to very high fines (around €8100) should you try to leave Europe via Zurich airport.

Zurich Airport offers free WiFi for all guests for a maximum of two hours. A mobile phone capable of receiving texts in Switzerland is required. Travelers have to connect to the "ZurichAirport" network and register their cell phone number. The user will receive the access code via text message. After the free hour, there is a five-hour waiting period before you can access the next free hour.

By train
Regular trains to and from other Swiss and European cities leave from and arrive at Hauptbahnhof, the main train station, located in the city centre at the end of Bahnhofstrasse, with easy access to mass transit. The Zurich Hauptbahnhof (HB) is served by the local S-Bahn commuter trains, InterCity (IC and ICN) connections throughout Switzerland, Italy, Germany's IC and ICE, France's TGV Lyria and Austria's Railjet with some direct connections reaching destinations as far in Eastern Europe as Budapest. While Switzerland itself does not have many high speed lines, Zurich is connected to the high speed rail networks of neighboring countries. The once extensive sleeper train network has been cut down a lot in the 21st century, but there are still some ÖBB Nightjets connecting Austria and Germany with Zurich. Non-nightjet sleeper trains also run to Zurich from Prague and Budapest.

Domestic train tickets within Switzerland are available through the SBB Website though there are few early bird discounts. International tickets can sometimes be bought through the SBB as well, but often you can get better offers through the DB website (German) the SNCF website (France) or the websites of ÖBB and Trenitalia for Austria and Italy respectively. All adjacent railways have (sometimes significant) discounts for early booking on international trains, so if you know your plans far in advance, by all means book early.

The train station and the connecting underground mall has shops, restaurants, and a grocery store which locals use when they need to do Sunday shopping, as it is not subject to the closing hours laws otherwise in force in the city. It also hosts a Christmas market and other events in the big entrance hall.

There are some 24-hour lockers in level B1 available for Fr. 6-9 per 24 hr (maximum 3 days).

Just to the east of the train station on the Bahnhofbrücke bridge, there is a large Coop supermarket open Monday to Saturday till 22:00.

By car
The region around Zurich has probably the highest density of highways in the country, which makes it very convenient to access. A1 goes past Zurich just north of the city, with two feeders into the city centre. A3 and A4 end just south of the city. The regional highways A51, A52 and A53 all also lead to Zurich. While this makes it that there are many ways to drive into the city from every direction, it also means that there is a lot of congestion, especially during morning and evening hours. Parking is also hard to get at affordable rates, so it might therefore be faster and more convenient to travel by public transport.

By boat
It is possible to reach Zurich by boat on the lake from Rapperswil (2 hours) or Horgen (45 minutes). However, this is more of a leisure boat and only offers a couple of trips each day.

Public transport
Zurich is famous for its highly efficient, clean and safe public transport system, managed by the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV) which covers the entire canton of Zurich as well as Rapperswil-Jona in the canton of St. Gallen and Pfäffikon SZ in the canton of Schwyz. The network includes trams, buses, S-Bahn (suburban trains), cable cars and boats. The size and complexity of the network may be daunting at first, but you will soon realize that there are dozens of ways to get from one place to another and following any of them will still be efficient.

Timetable information for Switzerland is available on sbb.ch or can be obtained using the SBB Mobile (iOS, Android apps) (requires a working internet connection). Or simply use ZVV's own timetable app; its advantage is that it also informs you about local disturbances or delays! You can also purchase ticket on ZVV-Tickets app. The free Wemlin App (iOS, Android) gives you offline access to timetable information and network maps for the canton of Zurich area without internet connection and is therefore ideally for on the go usage in case you don't want to use data roaming.

The system is divided into numerous fare zones, with the city centre and innermost suburbs being in zone 110 and the outer suburbs located in other zones (Winterthur is in zone 120, for example), and the more zones you pass through, the more you'll have to pay for your journey. There are single tickets, day cards, monthly cards and annual cards. The monthly and annual cards are collectively referred to as ZVV NetzPass.

Tickets must be purchased from a ticket vending machine before boarding or from one of the ticket selling kiosks. The ticket vending machines are in German, English, French and Italian and offer almost all regular tickets available (not personal tickets though). You select the zones you wish to pass through upon buying the ticket, with a zone map on every machine as well as clear instructions coming to your aid, so feel free to choose! Once you've got your ticket it gives you access to all modes of transport.

If you're staying for a longer period, consider a monthly ZVV NetzPass, because even though there are no regular tickets valid for something between 1 day and a month, it takes only 10 "zone 110" day cards for a "zone 110" monthly card to be cheaper. When travelling in all zones, it takes only 8 day cards for the monthly card to be cheaper. A 24-hour ticket for zone 110 costs just the same as two single rides.

If you don't mind starting your travels after 09:00, the "ZVV-9-UhrPass" is the best option. It is available as daily, monthly and annual cards, and will save you a lot of money compared to regular similarities, especially given that the 09:00 rule does not apply on weekends.

There are also so-called Z-passes, which can be used not only in Zurich, but also in one of the neighbouring cantons (Aargau, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Zug, St. Gallen or Thurgau); however, only one additional canton is possible, so if you're not going to one neighbouring canton more often than the others you are probably better off with just a normal all zones Zurich monthly card and buying single ticket from the last valid station to your final destination. The Z-pass system also has its zones, even in the neighbouring cantons. It is only available as monthly and annual cards and can not be bought from ticket vending machines.

For all details regarding fares, see the ZVV home page linked to above.

The Swiss Travel Pass (not to be confused with the SwissPass) is valid on all public transport in Zurich and, if you are a tourist visiting most of Switzerland, this may be your best way to saving money and time spent trying to figure out zones, routes, and fare options. Eurail passes are valid only on the S-Bahn and boats. Interrail passes are valid on the S-Bahn (although the ZVV website claims a "reduction" for other routes for Interrail holders). Nevertheless, you may find you don't need the trams and buses if you don't mind walking around a little.

By tram and bus


Several tram lines, trolleybuses and buses cover the city at street level. Like all other public transport in Zurich, you must purchase and validate tickets before boarding, or risk a fine if they decide to spot check. You can find a timetable at every stop which is usually accurate to the minute, however delays do occur due to heavy traffic, rerouting, or other factors.

By rail
The 'S-Bahn' is Zurich's convenient and fast suburban rail system which covers nearly all suburbs of Zurich and beyond. Zurich's S-Bahn system provides convenient and fast service throughout the region. All lines except the rural ones pass through the Hauptbahnhof. The ZVV offers directions for a series of excursions on the S-Bahn.

You must have a validated ticket before you board. If you do not have a ticket you will be liable for an on-the-spot fine of Fr. 100.

By boat
There are two types of boat-based public transport operated in Zurich: river buses and lake boats. The river boats operate in the summer months only and the lake boats operate on a much reduced schedule during the winter.

The river buses operate between the Landesmuseum (near the Hauptbahnhof) along the river Limmat and out in the Zürichsee (Lake Zürich) to Tiefenbrunnen. There are several stops along the Limmat.

The Zürichsee Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (ZSG) operates lake boats (including two historic restored steam ships) which leave from Burkliplatz (at the end of Bahnhofstrasse). The ZSG's website provides information on destinations and ships. The ZSG offers a variety of tourist-oriented trips (including Jazz Brunch), and a popular trip is to Rapperswil at the south end of the Zürichsee. The town has a beautiful castle overlooking the lake surrounded by a medieval town.

On foot
The main train station, old town and the lake promenade and all nearby tourist attractions are easily walkable. You may find that you don't need transport for most of your tourist needs once you get into the city.

By bike
Zurich is generally easy to get around by bicycle. There are bike lanes marked out in most parts of the city and if you don't mind the hills, a bike might be a fast and cheap alternative to public transport. The city has an online map service, which can calculate routes for biking and also shows locations of bike parking and pumps. Many of the major intersections don't have bike lanes due to space constraints, but it is generally possible to avoid those. Note that cycling on the pavement is not allowed. Cyclist are commonly fined for cycling against the traffic or ignoring traffic lights.

Züri rollt offers free bike "rental" around the city. To get a free bike, you have to register with your I.D. or passport and pay a refundable deposit of Fr. 20. There are seven stations. Two of them are located at the main station ( and ) and are operated year round. The rest are operated only from April to October. Two of them are near the old town at and at. The opening hours vary by station, but most of them are operated daily from 09:00-21:30.

O-Bike is a Chinese start-up bike sharing service that is new in town. It's a free floating system with its bikes parked randomly all over the city. To unlock you need their app and a deposit of Fr. 130. After it lets you rent bikes for Fr. 1.50 per half hour.

By car
Driving in Zurich is possible but it is painful as the city centre is not easy to navigate by car. It's cheaper and more convenient to park outside the city and take a train.

By taxi
The taxis in Zurich are very expensive compared to New York, London and other major cities. Most of the taxi drivers are unfriendly and uncommunicative. Better travel by tram, bus or S-bahn. Uber have stopped their UberX service and now offer only the regular and UberBlack service.

Talk
For formal speech and writing, German-speaking Swiss use Swiss Standard German (Schweizer Hochdeutsch), which is very similar to standard German. The Zurich dialect (Züritüütsch) is dominant among the Swiss German (Schweizerdeutsch) dialects, and is difficult to understand for non-Swiss.

English is widely spoken, at least among the young and businesspeople.

See
Most of the interesting sights are in the old town around the river and lakefront.





Do

 * Take the
 * Go skiing by train &mdash; Buy a snow'n'rail ticket (train & skipass) at the Hauptbahnhof during winter months, train out in morning, back in evening. Flumserberg is the closest large ski-resort, popular with people from Zurich, with a good range of runs for beginners and intermediates. Retreat to the right side of the resort if the rest gets busy.
 * Take a
 * Rent a small rowboat or pedalo.
 * Take a
 * Go up
 * Football: the city has two teams playing soccer in Super League, the Swiss top tier. Both FC Zürich and Grasshoppers play at Letzigrund, capacity 26,000, at 500 Badenerstrasse, 1 km west of the main railway station. In 2025 it hosts matches in the UEFA Women's Euro Finals.
 * Go club-hopping &mdash; Zurich has proportionately the largest number of clubs per capita in Europe.
 * The Grossmünster sometimes has organ concerts in the evenings. Check the front door for notices.
 * The Grossmünster sometimes has organ concerts in the evenings. Check the front door for notices.

Events



 * UCI World Cycling Championships are next hosted by Zurich 21-29 Sept 2024.
 * UCI World Cycling Championships are next hosted by Zurich 21-29 Sept 2024.
 * UCI World Cycling Championships are next hosted by Zurich 21-29 Sept 2024.

Shows and theaters




Buy

 * Currency: Switzerland is a land of banks and financial institutions, so getting local cash from ATMs at banks, railway stations and within shopping malls should pose no problem. Euros are accepted at many larger stores and places that cater to international visitors. Eighth-series Swiss banknotes were withdrawn in April 2021 (10 Fr Le Corbusier, 20 Fr Honegger, 50 Fr Taeuber-Arp) but can be exchanged without time limit at any Swiss National Bank. You want the ninth series, see Switzerland.

Shopping districts


For shopping in Zurich there are three different areas in the centre:

Swiss clocks and watches
You may be disappointed to know that most of the cheap watches and clocks in Switzerland are imported from China and Japan for their cheap quartz movements (including most of the wall clocks and alarm clocks sold at department stores, for example). Don't purchase a "Migros Budget" clock for Fr. 8 thinking it is a Swiss clock! Nevertheless, real Swiss-made clocks are still well known for their quality and reliability, and intricate mechanics. The following are true Swiss-made watches:
 * Swatch, possibly your best bet for a "cheap" Swiss watch (Fr. 40-100) and perhaps better suited for the younger generation. Available in their stores on Bahnhofstrasse and various other locations, or in department stores.
 * M-Watch, based on both Mondaine and Migros and available in Migros Electronics stores such as the one on the 2nd floor of the Lowenplatz location. Also relatively inexpensive (Fr. 40-100). Do not confuse this with "M-Budget" which is an imported cheap watch.
 * Mondaine is known for their use of the famous SBB railway clock face. You can buy a replica of the SBB clock as a watch or a wall clock in most major railway stations, among other locations. However, most of them do not replicate the hallmark smooth movement of the second hand for 58.5 seconds followed by the 1.5-second pause that is characteristic of real SBB railway clocks, but they do replicate the clock face. They are quartz, and the price may seem a little inflated to you (Fr. 130-180). The vast majority of SBB railway clocks are produced by Mobatime (Moser-Baer AG), not Mondaine, even though Mondaine's name appears on some of the larger clocks such as the Treffpunkt in Zurich HB. Mondaine's wall and desk clocks, however, are only of "Swiss design" and are manufactured in China and Taiwan.
 * Mid-range brands (Fr. 100-500) can be found at clock and watch stores throughout the city. Just walk in and have a look if you're interested.
 * Upper-end watches and clocks, such as Rolex, are also sold, but you should probably do more research into them than you can find here. If you just want to stare at some of the most expensive watches for sale, take a look at the Bucherer store window at Bahnhofstrasse and see what a Fr. 25,000 watch looks like.

Brands

 * Frey is not as well known abroad as other Swiss brands, but with a market share of roughly 35%, it is the most popular brand in Switzerland. It mostly produces for the Migros supermarket chain and is known as good quality chocolate at a cheap price. A big share of the production is also exported, mostly however under store brand labels for chains such as Marks & Spencer, Loblaw, Tesco, Coles. The factory is in Aarau (about 1 hour by train and bus), where there is also a visitor centre.
 * Lindt is available at the Coop and other supermarkets besides Migros for Fr. 2-2.50, but Lindt chocolates are also sold at the Lindt & Sprungli Chocolate Factory Shop, which is accessible by taking the S-Bahn S8 to Kilchberg (12 min) and then bus 165 to the stop "Lindt & Sprüngli" (2-3 min). Hours are limited (M-F 09:00–17:00). The factory store prices are somewhat lower than supermarket prices (on the order of 10-20%), but there are some sale items, including factory rejects (for underweight chocolates, improper packaging, or filling showing through) that are sold for roughly half-price. The Lindt factory used to offer tours and free samples, but this is no longer the case.
 * Chocolats Halba belongs to Coop Coop Coop  and produces all own-brand chocolates for the retailer (e.g. Naturaplan, Qualité & Prix, Prix Garantie, Karma). Chocolats Halba also produces for customers abroad - including in Germany, France, the USA, Canada, New Zealand and China. Chocolats Halba specialises in sustainable chocolate. Overproductions are sold in the outlet shop, the Schoggihüsli, located in Hinwil (Zürichstrasse 55, 8340 Hinwil). The offer is seasonally adapted and low-priced. It includes, for example, broken chocolate in a 1 kilo bag for 5-8 francs. In addition, there are also export articles that cannot be bought anywhere else in Switzerland.
 * Läderach produces their signature "fresh chocolate" as well as confectioneries. They sell their products in a chain of stores in Switzerland.  Multiple stores are located at the Zurich main station, and another one is located right at the entrance of Bahnhofstrasse.

The larger Coop supermarkets carry many brands, including Lindt, Camille Bloch, Goldkenn, and others, including all sorts of alcohol-filled chocolates.

Confectioneries

 * Sprüngli &mdash; A Zurich institution that offers a variety of sweet and savory goodies including a wide variety of chocolates, from handmade truffles to special chocolate bars. There are locations throughout the city, including Bahnhofstrasse and inside Zurich HB. Some specialities include the Luxemburgerli, a sort of soft macaroon resembling a hamburger in looks but is actually completely pastry and cream, and comes in a variety of flavors; the Truffe du Jour, a chocolate truffle that is made daily from raw cream and is meant to be consumed immediately; and the extraordinary Grand Cru Sauvage truffle, made from wild cacao beans from Bolivia. Most items are rather pricey but worth it. The flagship store on the Paradeplatz is a very popular spot for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. Try their berry-filled muesli, it's like no other muesli you've ever had. There are two handy stores at the Kloten airport for last-minute gifts to bring home.

Swiss army knives

 * Coop City in Bahnhofstrasse sells the Victorinox line at uninflated prices, although you won't get additional bells and whistles like customized faceplates or engraving. Many other department stores also carry them.
 * Any cutlery shop will probably carry both Victorinox and Wenger lines of products. However, do make sure they are not inflating the price. For example, a SwissChamp (possibly the most popular model) should be retailed around Fr. 78.

Other

 * There is an English language bookstore at the intersection of Bahnhofstrasse and Rennweg.

Eat


The quintessential Zürich dish is Zürcher Geschnetzeltes (Swiss-German: Zürigschnätzlets), sliced veal in a cream and wine sauce. Various kinds of grilled wurst (sausages) are also popular. These are most often accompanied by boiled potatoes, rösti, a Swiss potato pancake (grated potato, formed into a pancake then pan fried until crisp in butter or oil similar to hash browns) or chnöpfli, in German sometimes called Spätzle (small noodle dumplings).

Veal is still very popular, though the use of turkey and other meats as a substitute is growing.

While fondue (melted cheese in a central pot, dip bread into it) and Raclette (cheese melted in small portions, served with potatoes and pickles) are not really local to Zürich (they come from Western Switzerland) they are commonly available at restaurants aimed at tourists. Swiss people usually eat those dishes at home and only during winter.

The bread available in Zürich is generally delicious. There are many varieties, and your best bet is to go to a bakery or a supermarket in the morning or just after work hours, when most people are doing their shopping and bread is coming out fresh.

Try grilled bratwurst from street stands, served with a large crusty roll of sourdough bread and mustard, or sandwiches made with fresh baked bretzeln (large, soft pretzels). A typically Swiss bread is the zopf, a braided soft bread that is commonly served on Sundays (the other name for it is Sonntagszopf).

For breakfast, try a bowl of müesli, which was invented as a health food in Switzerland. The Sprüngli confectionery store tea rooms serve a deluxe version of this fiber-filled cereal with whole milk, crushed berries and cream.

There are a huge variety of cheeses available at the supermarkets, specialty stores and markets, as well as all kinds of hams and dried sausages. Dairy products are generally delicious, especially the butter. Do not miss the supermarkets! You should take a thorough look through Migros or Coop and maybe even assemble your own lunch or dinner some time. Even the cheap, budget prepackaged desserts in the supermarket exceed the quality of what you may be used to.

For those with a sweet tooth, there's a huge variety of chocolates to enjoy, from the cheapest chocolate bar to individually handmade truffles. (See the Shopping section above). The chocolate bar displays at the supermarkets will overwhelm you! Also enjoy pastries and cakes from the various Konditorei scattered around town. In pastry shops, you can also find special pastry from Zurich: The most famous of them is probably Tirggel, a rather hard pastry made of flour and honey. Although traditionally made and eaten during the Winter holidays, many pastry shops (including larger supermarkets) sell them throughout the year. Often, they've got sights of Zurich printed on the top, can be stored for months and thus make up a pretty good and cheap souvenir. Another famous type of pastry are Luxemburgerli exclusively sold by the confectionery chain of Sprüngli (part of the famous chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli). A typical cake is the Mandelfisch, an almond cake shaped like a fish.

Like most European cities, Zürich abounds with cafés where you can enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee, glass of wine or other beverage, and watch the world go by.

There are many international dining options available too. The current hot trend seems to be pan-Asian noodle, rice, and sushi places. However, due to the long distance from the sea and the lack of original, well-trained Chinese and Japanese cooks, the quality cannot live up to that of the original countries. Instead, the Italian cuisine holds the highest popularity among the foreign restaurants. They can be found throughout the city and are relatively cheap. Turkish fast food restaurants are also a delicious, cheap option.

Vegetarian food is easy to find throughout the city. Vegans may have a little trouble because cheese is used generously in most food, but should be fine living off supermarkets at the very least. Hiltl, the first vegetarian-only restaurant in Europe, is also worth a visit. You choose from the buffet, where your meal is priced by weight or from a variety of à la carte menus, which are a bit more pricey, but include vegetarian/vegan versions of popular Swiss meals like Züri-Gschnätzlets or Beef Stroganoff amongst Indian food and classic vegetarian plates. Another vegan friendly restaurant is "Bona Dea", which is located directly at Zurich Mainstation.

Food courts

 * The Migros and Coop supermarkets (several branches all over the city) are good places to assemble an inexpensive and delicious picnic lunch consisting of freshly baked bread, cheese or ham and fresh fruit. Larger branches also feature a takeaway counter, for example the Migros City branch at Löwenstrasse or the Coop Bahnhofbrücke branch near the main station. The Migros branch in the main station is open on Sundays when most other stores are closed, and also until 21:00 on weekdays, whereas the Coop Bahnhofbrücke is open M-Sa 07:00 to 22:00.
 * Coop St. Annahof and Manor department store restaurant for a cheap buffet lunch, good salad and vegetable stands. All located at Bahnhofstrasse and open during the day

Splurge


The restaurants at the top of the Uetliberg are great to combine a nice view of town (a hike in the summer) and some great food. It also has a cheaper self-service area.

Drink
Zurich has a lot of places to go out. There are a lot of clubs, restaurants, cafés, bars but also many museums and theatres. The most common drinks in Zurich include: Beer, Swiss white wine (e.g. Fendant), Swiss red wine (is delicious), and Spanish red wine (is generally good value here). At apéro time (after work), you will find many people drinking a Cüpli (glass of sparkling wine).

Clubs
Zurich has proportionally more clubs than any other city in Europe. You will find anything from very "fancy" clubs to places you can just chill. If you want, you can go to a club every night. There is always a Club that has a party going and Zurich's young make sure to splash all their income on going out. Most of the clubs are located around the Langstrasse and Hardbrücke. The uncommercial platform denkmal.org aggregates published events from all clubs and bars in Zurich and is a good place to look up what's up. Unsere Beweggründe is mostly focused on the club scene. Usgang.ch used to be pretty big but features mostly big commercial parties.


 * Kaufleuten, Mascotte and Plaza are the fancier clubs in Zurich where you get champagne, lounges and all that jazz.
 * Kaufleuten, Mascotte and Plaza are the fancier clubs in Zurich where you get champagne, lounges and all that jazz.
 * Kaufleuten, Mascotte and Plaza are the fancier clubs in Zurich where you get champagne, lounges and all that jazz.
 * Kaufleuten, Mascotte and Plaza are the fancier clubs in Zurich where you get champagne, lounges and all that jazz.
 * Kaufleuten, Mascotte and Plaza are the fancier clubs in Zurich where you get champagne, lounges and all that jazz.
 * Kaufleuten, Mascotte and Plaza are the fancier clubs in Zurich where you get champagne, lounges and all that jazz.
 * Kaufleuten, Mascotte and Plaza are the fancier clubs in Zurich where you get champagne, lounges and all that jazz.
 * Kaufleuten, Mascotte and Plaza are the fancier clubs in Zurich where you get champagne, lounges and all that jazz.
 * Kaufleuten, Mascotte and Plaza are the fancier clubs in Zurich where you get champagne, lounges and all that jazz.
 * Kaufleuten, Mascotte and Plaza are the fancier clubs in Zurich where you get champagne, lounges and all that jazz.
 * Kaufleuten, Mascotte and Plaza are the fancier clubs in Zurich where you get champagne, lounges and all that jazz.

Sleep
Zurich is the financial centre of Switzerland and most travellers come with an expense account. The hospitality sector focuses therefore mostly on the 4- and 5-star sector. Zurich is known for its superb hotels, but these won't come cheap. Best is to go on a company rate, because rack rates are sometimes ridiculous.

Stay safe
Zürich, like all cities in Switzerland, is relatively safe. Nevertheless, be on guard for thieves and pickpockets. Carry your wallet or purse in a secure way, not in your hip pocket or a backpack outer pocket. In particular, thieves are known to operate around the Zurich main train station. Do not let your bags out of sight for even a moment.

Certain areas along the lakefront are frequented by young people who sometimes try to pick a fight when they are drunk. Do not let them provoke you, as they are likely to be there in numbers and will use any excuse to go at you. You may also notice many of said young people smoking something that isn't a cigarette. Switzerland is surprisingly lenient about such things but it is hardly a cause for alarm.

Public transport is very safe. You can use it without any special precautions.

If you decide to bicycle in the city, understand that Zurich is a city of public transport. Beware of tram tracks which can get your wheel stuck and send you flying into traffic, of the trams themselves which travel these tracks frequently (and may scare you into getting stuck into the track), and the buses, which make frequent stops in the rightmost lane. In short, bicycling downtown should be only done by those experienced with cycling with such traffic.

Gay and lesbian travellers
Being Switzerland's most liberal city (the socialist and green parties now fare extremely well here), Zurich is the favourite place to live for Switzerland's (German-speaking) gays and lesbians. The Canton of Zurich was the second canton, after Geneva, to allow registered partnerships for same-sex partners for example. The city of Zurich is probably the place in Switzerland that offers the most open environment for gays and lesbians. Gays and lesbians need not take special precaution for their safety on the streets. It is always possible for random homophobic behaviour to happen, though.

Connect
As of Sept 2021, the city has 5G from all Swiss carriers. WiFi is widely available in public places.

Cope
Permanence Hauptbahnhof at the main train station provides urgent out-patient care for tourists without prior appointments. There is also a dentist downstairs at the station. For serious emergencies rush to the university hospital which has a 24/7 emergency ward. Tram stop "ETH/Universitätsspital" (look out for the inexplicable golden boy statue in front of the building, then follow the red "Notfall" signs). They will not send away people with serious, urgent health problems. Ambulance phone number is 144 but the European 112 emergency number works as well.

If you're on a budget, don't stay out too late — the "N" night buses only run on weekends and only once per hour. On work nights, there is no public transport at all after about 00:30 (although expensive taxis still exist in case you're stuck).

Stores are generally closed on Sundays including all supermarkets in the city, except those in the main train station, some suburban stations, and at the airport which remain open.

Zurich has two police departments, the Stadtpolizei Zurich which is responsible for the city area and the Kantonspolizei Zürich which is responsible for the whole region. With approximately 1,800 and 3,000 officers, these corps are the biggest in Switzerland. While police officers in Zurich will happily help you out if you are in trouble or need directions, they are also known for approaching "suspicious" persons in order to check their papers. This procedure is annoying but legal as you will probably have a hard time proving you were not acting suspicious. Carry a photocopy of your passport and your onward ticket with you, stay calm and polite and you're unlikely to have any trouble.

Go next
Some interesting destinations nearby:


 * Baden — This town is known for its castle ruin and the thermal baths. It takes 15 minutes by train to get there from Zurich.
 * Greifensee — A lake and village next to the nearby town of Uster. The village of Greifensee is within a conservation area and very untouched.
 * Lucerne — Probably Switzerland's most popular destination. Go there to see the famous chapel bridge or the impressive transport museum.
 * Rapperswil — Located at the opposite end of lake Zurich. A small, picturesque town, good for a stroll. It is possible to go there by boat from Zurich.
 * The Rhine falls — Europe's largest waterfall. It is located near Schaffhausen, which has a nice old town in the Renaissance style.
 * Winterthur — Around 25 minutes from Zurich, this city is worth a visit on a rainy day to visit some of its many museums. Technorama is the most popular one, an interactive science centre.

A bit further away, but also worth a day trip:


 * Appenzell — As close to the stereotypical image of Switzerland with wooden farm houses and traditional clothes as it gets. An interesting visit is the cheese factory, where the Appenzell cheese is made.
 * Augusta Raurica — Close to Basel, this is one of the best preserved Roman sites north of the Alps.
 * Bellinzona — Since the opening of the new Gotthard tunnel in 2016, the Italian speaking part of Switzerland is less than two hours away by train. Go to Bellinzona to see its three castle, which are inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
 * Biel — Traditional watch making town. Visit the Omega factory to learn more about the watch industry.
 * Chur — Not only a nice city, but a good hub for hiking or skiing in the mountainous Graubünden region.
 * Fribourg — Home town to the famous Swiss fondue. A good choice if you want to make a short trip into the French part of Switzerland.
 * Solothurn — A small city on the river Aare noted for the giant cathedral and baroque old town.