B & B's near Zurich airport

Elodie , Inexpensive and Switzerland` in the same breath is an oxymoron . Perhaps someone can suggest something that I am not aware of . The only suggestion I can make is the Zurich Novotel Airport Messe at Lindbergh - Platz . We also had a very early flight out and the location was perfect . Zurich has a very extensive tram network and the #10 tram stops right in front of the hotel . Fifteen minutes from downtown and Five minutes to the airport . I f you are there on a weekend , you are likely to get a better room rate as this is a business class hotel and weekends are usually slow . The hotel is very convenient and very nice . We spent two nights there before flying out to the states quite early . Go to Accor Hotels to book . Good luck!

Last April we stayed at the Ibis near Zurich airport. Ibis provided shuttle pick-up up to and from the airport. As usual with Ibis, good value for money. 10 min walk to nearby tram from hotel to take you into the city centre.

I stayed in Waldshut Germany in a private B&B once for around 25€ single. It took a lengthy morning walk and about 1 hour by train to reach ZRH for my flight out. Hostess was friendly, place was nothing special. This is the place. Haven't tried this place in Winterthur, but I wouldn't be afraid to.

Staying at a faceless conference hotel near the airport seems like throwing away the last night of your vacation. I suggest staying right in downtown Zurich, close to the train station (which in zurich is not a bad or seedy part of town). You can reach the airport in 12 minutes by train. In the evening you have the opporutnity to explore Zurich on foot, strolling through the Altstadt or along the river down to the lake. The 2-star Hotel Marta (martahaus.ch) costs about 20 CHF more for a double room than the Ibis for the date I checked, but I would consider that money well spent.

@ Lola , I couldn't agree with you more about your remarks about the last evening of a trip . On our last evening we pretty much did exactly what you advise . It was only once we were ready to hit the hay that we hopped on the tram back to the hotel .Whether we did that short trip the night before or the morning of the flight seemed immaterial . The hotel ,as you say , wasn't much on distinctive character but I didn't notice that once I was sawing logs . From the perspective of the hotel's quality , that was very good ( clean , comfortable and cheery ) . One other aspect informed my choice . Since this was a weekend ,the rate of $125 USD per night was easily half ( $250 and up ) of the prices in downtown . But as I said initially , I certainly agree with your point of view . I only wanted to clarify my thinking , Many thanks , Steve

Thank you for your thoughtful comments, Steven. I probably sound like a fanatic, but I just hate to see people get stuck in the suburbs instead of enjoying Zurich on their last night in Europe. If one is careful to choose a place with good transport connections to the city, as you did, then that is a different thing. But often newbies do not realize how close downtown Zurich is to the Irport, and how easy and fast it is to get there from a hotel near the station. Or they go for a deal and get stuck someplace without the transport connections, and find the hotel shuttle isn't workable for getting into town. I will admit we stayed at the airport once, at the Radisson Blu which is IN the airport terminal. We did so because (1) I got an amazing deal on the rooms, 150 CHF for a double, and (2) it was the weekend of Zurich Fest, when the city is packed and no one sleeps. Plus it was very quick to get downtown on the train, which departed from the same terminal building as the hotel. We checked in and then headed into town to enjoy the festivities, but we were glad we had a quiet place to return to at 10 pm. Zurich Fest, BTW, is an amazing party they only throw once every three years. This (2013) is the year. Itis a lot of fun and I highly recommend it. July 5 to 7 are the dates.

Last month we stayed at the WElcome Inn by the Airport. It was a free shuttle to the airport. We arrived in Zurich by train, and put our bags in a locker at the train station, then explored Zurich for the day. When we were ready to go to the hotel, we took the train from the main station to the airport and caught the free shuttle to the Welcome Inn, which was only 5 minutes away. It's simple, but clean and comfortable. We did a lot of research on accomodations before picking this hotel. We were very pleased. Our flight was a 7 am the next morning, so we were glad to be close by. We caught the 5 am shuttle (they run often!) and had more than enough time for our flight. We paid the week after Christmas $158 CHF - could be less on a non holiday week.

elodie, I agree with Lola. Unless you have a really early flight, staying in the city is the best idea. What time is your flight? I stayed at the Walhalla Hotel in September, which is right next to the main Zürich Hbf. I had NO trouble getting to the airport - the ride is only about 10 minutes. Happy travels!

Thank you everyone! I, too, do not want to waste our last night in Switzerland without leaving me great memories so we'll probably splurge a bit and stay somewhere near the main Hbf. We haven't booked a flight yet but it will need to be a morning one.
So now that is decided, what should we do on our last night in Zurich?

Number One on my list would be the Chagall windows at Fraumünster cathedral. They close for visitors at 6 pm in the summer (4 pm in winter) so be sure to take that into account. After that stroll through the pedestrian zone of the Altstadt, then walk down the Limmat River to the lake. You can returning the other side of the river if you want to window-shop along Bahnhof strasse with the pricy shops. There is a nice park above there for views. Or if you are a James Joyce fan you could track down where he lived with his wife Nora. There was a small Joyce museum we found but it was not open when we were lat there. There are some nice little restaurants with sidewalk tables or private patios in the Altstadt area. We like Mère Catherine, which has modern Mediterranean food. Mthe patio is very pleasant on a nice evening.

Absolutely see the Fraumunster as Lola suggests . While you are in that part of town poke your head into the Cabaret Voltaire on the Niederdorferstrasse . This is the place where the DADA art movement arose around 1916 . It was a springboard for artists like Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky . For dinner , we found The Zeughauskeller at 28A Bahnhofstrasse quite enjoyable . The food and ambience were great with very professional and prompt service . The place can be fairly busy , but the quality of the food draws crowds . A bit pricey , but it is Switzerland and prices do tend to run high . Another possibility, depending on your time and the weather , is to take the little S10 train from the Hauptbahnhof up to Uetliberg . This a charming park that overlooks the lake and River Limmat and the city . If you go , be sure to look at the fanciful street lights and benches up at the viewpoint.

There are relative few accommodations in the airport area. Check out Hotel Allegra for about $135. Hamelirainstrasse 3 8302 Kloten, Schweiz 044 804 44 44
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