We will finish a trip to Provence and then the Alps by having one night and day to spend in Zurich. I hadn't planned on visiting that city but since we will be there, is there anything we should definitely see or do? Or should we take that day and go somewhere nearby for the day? (This will follow a week of biking in Provence followed by a week of hiking in the Alps but doesn't have to be athletic although something outdoors would be nice!)
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Head to Lucerne...about 50 away from Zurich via train. Beautiful old city. Rhine falls is very close to Zurich and worth a daytrip.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8126 posts
Zurich is a large business town, and somewhat conservative and boring. I'd head out for a day trip elsewhere in the countryside.
Posted by
OP
West Linn, OR, USA
157 posts
Thanks. Will look into Lucern and Rhine Falls. Another thought I had would be to just head up to Frankfurt and spend the day there. That is where our flights leave from. Would that be a more interesting city?
Posted by
Los Angeles
4385 posts
Look at Rick's recommended walk for Zurich and see if it sounds interesting enough (down one side of the river to the lake, up the other). I did it and it's a pleasant introduction to Switzerland. But if it just doesn't work for you, day trip to Lucerne.
Posted by
Atlanta, Ga, USA
2023 posts
We enjoyed a day trip to Stein-am-Rhine. It is a cute/quaint town on the Rhine on the Swiss/German border. The train ride takes less than two hours. There is an old farm house now a museum that is in the center of the town and is well worth seeing.
Posted by
Alabama, USA
271 posts
Zurich is a big city. For a 'big city' it can be beautiful. AS a 'big city' it can be...a big city.
Go to Luzern. Short trip to the south, on a beautiful lake with many ship-board outings, surrounded by mountain peaks, cable cars, and cog-wheel trains. Easily accessed via car or train (huge train station in the middle of the city).
We go back to Luzern again and again.
We go through Zurich, too. They are just very different places.
Posted by
OP
West Linn, OR, USA
157 posts
Perfect! We are staying very close to the train station so will either do the walk as phred suggested or see if we can do a day in Lucern via the train. Getting more excited!
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5372 posts
Frankfurt? That's 4.5 hours away!
Posted by
Kansas City USA/Birmenstorf, Switzerland
453 posts
I used to work in Zurich and I can say without a doubt to head to Luzern. Its about a 45 minute train ride away from Zurich HB and its a world away. (and a zillion times more scenic). Some ideas: steamship on Vierwaldstaettersee, Rigi, Altstadt, Pilatus...I could go on and on. Zurich just has banks and expensive restaurants. Stein am Rhein or the Rheinfaelle are OK, but Luzern has many more possibilities!
Posted by
Los Angeles
4385 posts
here's how one couple used Rick's book to spend a day in Zurich