Zurich, Switzerland
General Info
Country: Switzerland | Languages: German, French, Italian, and Romansh | Currency: Swiss Franc (CHF) | Flag: 🇨🇭 | When visited: January 2025, April 2021
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🚗 How to commute
The best and the most affordable way to reach the city centre or Central Station from the Airport is the public transport like tram (ca. 30 minutes with the tram 10) or train (ca. 15 minutes with S2, S16 or S24). Public transport in the city includes trains, buses, trams, ferries, and even funicular, and cable car, is well-developed, operates during both day and nighttime, but is pretty expensive. If you plan to move around multiple times during the day, it makes sense to buy a Zürich Card for 24 or 72 hours. It will include all public transport in Zurich City zones (110, 111, 121, 140, 150, 154, 155) including cruise by lake as well as free admission to multiple museums.
🏨 Where to stay
We've been staying in the Zurich Oerlikon district, and it's a pretty nice and calm place with affordable accommodations. First time, when we visited the city during the pandemic time, we've been staying in the cool hotel going through renovation, which is not available for stays any more. This year, we decided to stay at one of Vision Apartments buildings, and I would really not recommend this place for a stay. It's a bit cheaper than some budget chain hotels like Ibis, but as there is a full self-service and terrible service hotline (you also have to pay for roaming if you are calling!), you may just end up with a really unpleasant experience, while not being able to fix anything on the go.
🍽️ What and where to eat
Multiple food options are available to choose from: from snacks and restaurants in Coop or Migros supermarkets to traditional dishes in fancy old restaurants. The food, just like all the rest, is pretty expensive.
Both time we actually were mostly eating either in Migros or Coop restaurants, where they have a wide variety of hot food as well as snacks and bakery.
I can't share any special highlights regarding restaurants or cafés, but I totally recommend trying some fresh and tasty or unusual food in supermarkets: fish and seafood there are super fresh, there is a huge variety of cheese and chocolate, fruits and nuts are also tasty and herbal local bottled tees are just amazing!
👀 What to do and what to see
Walk around the city and check out the Old City (Disctrict 1 and Altstadt). The whole area from the central station and till the lake (Zürichsee) is super nice and there are multiple historical and old nice places and buildings to see and visit: Lindenhof Züricn, Kirche Frauenmünster, Münsterbrücke, Grossmünster, Operhaus Zürich and so on. Just take a walk from the central station towards the lake along any benches of the river.
Visit Lenin's places in the city. You can start with Lenin's house (Spiegelgasse 14), then go to the Zentralbibliothek Zürich and finish up at the exposition in the Swiss National Museum.
Take a walk or a boat trip around the lake. From Zürich Bürkliplatz ferries to various cities like Erlenbach, Thalwil and Rappeswil departs regularly. One just can take a round trip travel with any of them.
While walking around the city, have a look at various shopwindows. They are so beautiful sometimes!
Travel around.
You can go to mountain to enjoy nature almost in any directions. For example, visit Tektonikarena Sardona from Ziegelbrücke.
Travel to other countries like Lichtenstein: you can go to Sevelen with a train and enjoy Vaduz with its nice museums, wine region and so on.
or go to Kreuzlingen-Konstanz, where Switzerland has a boarder with Germany via the lake Bodensee.
💡 Some highlights
- Here one can notice huge stratification: 3-4 levels mansions with boat-houses along the lake and small flats on the other side of the city.
- This time we have noticed that everything got more expensive and prices are pretty high. And if you come from EU, you should remember that you'll have roaming prices for calls and internet here.
- Swiss people really know a thing or two about herbs and spices, be sure to try local herbal tees both fresh and bottled.
- One can buy pre-rolls tabak hanf in kiosks.
- It's a transportation and commodity trading/storage hub, so many products like nuts, spices, octopus, seafood like scallop etc. are available, they are fresh and tasty.
- You can buy Bitcoin and Ethereum “Cryptonow” top-up cards at the post offices.
