Two days in Zurich

Steer clear of Zurich, you're better off spending that time in the Alps. Especially the Berner Oberland: Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Murren. From Interlaken you're only two hours away from Basel via direct trains. Rick's Switzerland guidebook has all the details. http://youtu.be/eJsl0GvLJEk http://youtu.be/95ru9JguLrY http://youtu.be/8xbYCZNmY5k

Kay, not sure what is taking you to Basel. Maybe work? Like the previous poster said, after landing, maybe take the train to the Berner Oberland. If you don't want to travel that far, go to Lucerne instead. I'm sure others will respond with some hotel recommendations for Zurich.

Berner Oberland or (my suggestion) Lucerne- less than an hour from Zurich by train. Zurich downtown (old town) is business oriented, interesting enough for a morning walk to shake off jet lag, but other places have so much more to offer

Zurich is a wonderful, clean, bustling, cosmopolitan city! I would suggest staying in the city center area in front of the train station as most of the sites are walkable. Bahnhofstrasse is the main street with shops, restaurants, etc and a little tram that runs from the train station to the lake. Boat rides are offered on the lake. Old town is quaint and a great area to walk around. The park up at the top of the hill overlooks Limmat River. Check-out Sprungli for pastry and chocolates!

Kay, listen to the first 3 posters, you can come back and visit Zurich when you have a long layover of 4 to 6 hours. You can connect trains at airport train terminal, very convenient. 2 days spent in Luzern and surrounding area will make you want to come back to Switzerland. Go to a half price book store and get an old Rick Steve's Switzerland book and read up on Lucerne and Murren, Interlaken area.

Kay, don't ever let a Swiss national know you consider them to being part of the EU ;-) I think Zurich isn't that exciting and you've seen most of the downtown in a few hours. If you're into stunning Alpine panorama take a train to Zug from where you have probably the nicest view of Mt. Rigi. It's less than an hour from Zurich...

Zurich is ok, but REALLY expensive, especially right now. They're working to devalue the Swiss Franc, but it's extremely high. I concur, Lucerne is very nice. You can spend half a day going up Mt. Pilatus alone. I had 2 days staying near the airport in Zurich at the end of my trip last month and it was the perfect end: we just walked around mostly. I think the riverfront and lakefront in Zurich are very pretty to just amble by, especially in the evening.

Hi Everyone, Thank you so much for the tips and great suggestions! I really appreciate it! Cheers,
Kay