We thoroughly enjoyed our last, but short, visit to Zurich in June 2022. We'll be returning next year in early May, and have more time to explore. Wondering what might be some good suggestions for return travelers, now that we know the lay of the land a bit better. On the last trip we visited the Swiss National Museum, stopped by Cabaret Voltaire to appreciate the birth of Dadaism, and watched a football (soccer) game at Kennedy's Irish Pub. The only things I have noted for this time around is Museum für Gestaltung and possibly a boat ride on Lake Zurich. Any thoughts on either of those, or other ideas?
Posted by
Chicago
2675 posts
How about a walk down bahnhofstrasse to sprungli for lunch.
https://www.spruengli.ch/en/locations/zurich-paradeplatz-headquarters.html
Posted by
Bern, Switzerland
977 posts
Either walk or take the local train up the Uetliberg.
Posted by
Switzerland
383 posts
A boat ride on the lake is nice (assuming the weather is good of course). You can do a roundtrip or use it in combination with a day trip. I think I suggested the Enea tree museum last time (near Rapperswil) - definitely a unique place off the beaten path, reachable by boat/train and bus if you are up for a little adventure.
Go up the Uetliberg for a nice view over Zurich and a walk.
In Zurich, if you like historic cafes, check out Cafe Bar Odeon or Cafe Conditorei 1842. A nice area to walk without too many tourists is the area above Niederdorf (for example Frankengasse up the hill to Villa Tobler, obere Zäune to Spiegelgasse, untere Zäune, Neumarkt, Predigergasse to Zähringer Platz) - lots of unique shops and quaint streets. For other interesting shopping and a market hall, Im Viadukt https://www.im-viadukt.ch/en/home/ could be of interest if you're on that side of town.
If you're planning to go to the Museum für Gestaltung, definitely visit the Poster collection, a highlight. If you're into modern design/architecture, you may also want to visit the Le Corbusier pavilion run by the museum.
You might also consider a day trip to Winterthur (20mins by train, suburb of Zurich but also Switzerland's 6th largest city) - they have a very good photography museum among other things. Many other options depending on your interests - there are lots of castles within 30 minutes of Zurich or smaller towns off the tourist trail that are worth visiting if you have more time.
Posted by
Los Angeles
4412 posts
I'm hesitant to recommend this, but I did a daytrip from Zurich to the Schilthorn. So it's doable, but obviously a Lucerne or Bern daytrip makes more sense.
Posted by
Kansas City
266 posts
We enjoyed seeing the Chagall windows at the Fraumünster. There is a nice walking tour of Zürich in the RS Switzerland guide.
Posted by
Paris
6901 posts
The spa town of Baden is cute and the thermal baths are really nice if you feel like a spa day. Or, armed with a towel and a bathing suit, you could use the public, free outdoor baths right by the river - a very unusual experience in urban surroundings.
Posted by
Baltimore, MD, USA
33 posts
How about the wax museum of skin diseases? We loved it!!