Zurich

Switzerland·Europe

Currency

CHF

Language

German

Timezone

Zurich

Continent

Europe

Our guide

Discover Zurich

Zurich sits between a river, a lake and two hills, and the city reads from its three medieval churches. The Grossmünster, where Zwingli launched the Swiss Reformation in 1519, raises its twin towers on the right bank. Facing it, the Fraumünster holds five Chagall windows people come for on their own account. St. Peter carries the largest clock face in Europe. The Kunsthaus holds a collection running from Monet to Giacometti, and the Landesmuseum, in its neo-Gothic castle by the station, tells the whole of Switzerland. The FIFA Museum and the Pavillon Le Corbusier complete the map.

When to go

May to September: twenty-five degrees in summer, swimming in the Limmat and the lake is part of local life, and the riverside bathhouses open. December is mild in its own way, with the Christmas market in the main station. Winter is grey and damp rather than freezing, around zero. The Alps are an hour away by train, which changes the arithmetic: you can ski in the morning and dine in town.

Getting around

VBZ trams and buses run every seven minutes and the punctuality is real. A city ticket also covers the lake boats and the suburban train, which few visitors use. The centre is walked. Public bicycles are free for the first half hour. The airport is ten minutes by train from the main station.

Where to eat

Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, sliced veal in cream served with rösti, is the city's dish. Fondue and raclette belong to winter and the Swiss do not eat them in August. The Luxemburgerli, a miniature macaron, is a local speciality. The city has a strong vegetarian scene, inherited from the world's oldest vegetarian restaurant, opened here in 1898. Three halal addresses are listed, and eighteen sites and museums are free.

Good to know

The Swiss franc is the currency and euros are sometimes taken, but change comes back in francs at a poor rate. Zurich is among the most expensive cities in the world: a simple meal costs what a good dinner costs elsewhere. The water in the public fountains is drinkable and there are more than twelve hundred of them. On Sunday almost everything closes, station shops excepted. Waste sorting and quiet after ten at night are taken seriously.

Smart Planning