Day Trips out of Zurich

We took a train to Stein am Rhine which is north of Zurich and is located on the Rhine but still in Switzerland. It is a charming village with a monastery and a museum which is an old farmhouse and is furnished. We loved it and there are cafes and a few shops.

I would recommend day trips to Lucerne, Mount Titlis, Engelberg, and Bern from Zurich. Each has their own uniqueness.

I used to travel to Zurich frequently for business and know the area well. Zurich itself is a very interesting place with a number of good places to go. Take a walk down the Bahnhof Strasse (Main Train Station St) and admire the large displays of Swiss watches and jewelry. Better than 5th ave in NY City. There is a very nice lake side area to walk around at the end of Bahnhof Strasse. There are a couple of very old churches you will run into walking towards the water.

You can take a short train ride to Lucern (approx 1 hour). From there you can take an old time paddle boat ride on the lake that goes to many of the small villages and also passes the area where William Tell was supposed to have had the apple shot and this is also the meeting place where Switzerland established it's democratic confederacy about 1295ad. The paddle boat will take you to the town were you can take the historic cog rain trip up the Rigi that many people have been doing back as far as Mark Twain. The walk from the Kaltbad rail stop around the side of the mountain is one of the World's most scenic easy walks. You can also walk from there up to Rigi Kulm (the top) and take the cog rail back down. Fairly easy walk if you have any kind of fitness.

Just to the south of Lucern there is a 110 year old cog railway that takes you to the top of Mt Pilatus. I think this is the steepest cog rail in the World. The site at the top is spectacular. You can drive or take the train to the cog railway.

There is quite a nice museum in the station where you take the paddle wheeler from.

If you have a car and all day drive down towards Interlacken and stop at the small town of Brienz the home of woodcarving in this area. Then go over to Grimmelwald and sip a coffee on an outdoor terrace while looking at a huge mountain area that is right in front of you. Includes the Eiger Mt.

Great place to visit.

I would heartily second Susan’s recommendation of Stein am Rhine. The sights are really great. The half timbered buildings are really nice and some of the buildings have just incred frescoes on them. And if you should be there when dinner time arrives, the farmer’s rosti at the Restaurant Closterstubli near the bridge is a great example of rural Swiss cooking.