A polished banking city on a clean lake, with a medieval old town and the Alps within easy reach, beautiful and famously expensive.
Zurich works best as a 2-day city break. Zurich packs a compact, walkable old town along the Limmat, where the twin-towered Grossmunster faces the Fraumunster and its glowing Chagall windows across the river. The lake is clean enough to swim in and boats cross it toward the Alps, while the Bahnhofstrasse and world-class museums give the centre its polish. It is honestly one of the most expensive cities anywhere, so budget hard, self-cater where you can and lean on the free viewpoints and lakeside walks. It also makes an easy base for Lucerne, the Rhine Falls and the Uetliberg city mountain, which this guide folds into two or three days.
Ideal stay
2 days
Best months
May · Jun · Jul
Mid budget
200 EUR/day
Airport
Zurich Airport sits about 10km north of the centre and the train is the obvious way in. Frequent services run from the airport station straight to the Hauptbahnhof in the heart of town in about 10 to 15 minutes for roughly 7 CHF
Four picks that cover the realistic range, from splurge to budget. Prices are low-season starting points; check live rates for your dates.
Special occasions€€€Lakeside grand hotel · City and Bahnhofstrasse
Zurich's legendary grand hotel, family-run since 1844, set in its own private park where the lake meets the Bahnhofstrasse. It has hosted royalty and heads of state for generations, and the price matches the address.
from ~600 EUR/night
Check prices
First visit€€Playful design hotel · Zurich West
A colourful, playful design hotel in the converted-industrial Zurich West district, near the Viadukt arches and the city's best nightlife. A tram runs to the old town in about ten minutes, and it is better value than the lakeside grande dames.
from ~180 EUR/night
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Couples€€Lakeside Seefeld · Seefeld
A calm, Mediterranean-styled hotel in the leafy Seefeld district a couple of minutes from the lake promenade and the opera. It is a pleasant tram ride or 20-minute walk from the old town, away from the centre's bustle.
from ~190 EUR/night
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Budget€Big HI hostel · Langstrasse
A large, well-run HI hostel in Wollishofen by the lake, with dorms and simple private rooms and a tram straight to the centre in about fifteen minutes. It is one of the very few genuinely cheap beds in one of the world's priciest cities.
from ~45 EUR/night
Check pricesReal hotel photos · prices are indicative from-rates, not live quotes · booking links support the site at no extra cost
A little history
Zurich began as the Roman customs post of Turicum on the Limmat, grew rich in the Middle Ages on silk and trade, and in 1519 became the cradle of the Swiss Reformation when Huldrych Zwingli started preaching at the Grossmunster and had the churches stripped bare. It joined the Swiss Confederation in 1351 and turned its Protestant thrift into a genius for banking, which is why a mid-sized city runs a chunk of the world's money from the Bahnhofstrasse and Paradeplatz. In 1916 the Cabaret Voltaire in the old town gave birth to Dada, the anti-art movement, while Lenin plotted revolution a few streets away. Today Zurich tops the world's quality-of-life and cost-of-living rankings at the same time: spotless, lake-clean and beautiful, and eye-wateringly expensive.
Zurich is known for
Pick the itinerary that matches your trip. Each one is a full day-by-day plan, not a list of 30 things to squeeze in.
2
days
Two days is a comfortable amount for Zurich, because the old town is compact and you can cover its core in a single day on foot. That leaves the second day for the lake, the museums and a trip up Uetliberg, the things that turn a stopover into a proper city break.
See the itinerary →
3
days
Three days is the relaxed amount for Zurich, and the extra day is best spent out of the city rather than padding the old town, which two days already covers well. With the compact centre, the lake and Uetliberg behind you, day three buys a proper trip to Lucerne under an hour away or the thundering Rhine Falls about 40 minutes north, both easy returns by direct train.
See the itinerary →
Zurich has a walkable center, so the neighborhood you pick sets the tone of the whole trip.
Altstadt and Niederdorf
First visit
The medieval old town on the east bank of the Limmat is where Zurich began, a knot of cobbled lanes climbing from the river to the Grossmunster.
City and Bahnhofstrasse
First visit
The west-bank centre runs from the Hauptbahnhof down the Bahnhofstrasse to the lake, taking in the Fraumunster, Paradeplatz and the main department stores.
Zurich West
Nightlife
The former industrial district north-west of the centre has turned its factories and railway viaduct into the city's creative and nightlife hub.
Colored months are the sweet spot. Struck-through months come with a warning. Each page covers weather, crowds, prices and what to pack.
Tight budget?
Zurich on a budget: same trip, around 100 EUR a day
Read the budget guide →
Pairs well with
2 days is the sweet spot for Zurich. That leaves the second day for the lake, the museums and a trip up Uetliberg, the things that turn a stopover into a proper city break
The best months are May, June, July, September.
Zurich sits above the European average. Plan roughly 100 EUR per day on a tight budget, 200 EUR for a comfortable mid-range trip, and 400 EUR and up if you want top hotels and restaurants.
Altstadt and Niederdorf is the safest first-visit base. The medieval old town on the east bank of the Limmat is where Zurich began, a knot of cobbled lanes climbing from the river to the Grossmunster. The pedestrian Niederdorf strip runs through it with cafes, wine bars and small shops, quiet by day and lively at night. It is central and atmospheric, and puts most of the headline sights within a few minutes on foot.
Yes. Zurich has a walkable center, so most of a short trip is done on foot. Zurich Airport sits about 10km north of the centre and the train is the obvious way in. Frequent services run from the airport station straight to the Hauptbahnhof in the heart of town in about 10 to 15 minutes for roughly 7 CHF, with several an hour. A taxi covers the same trip for around 50 to 60 CHF and is rarely faster in traffic. If you plan to move around on arrival day, the ZVV day pass covers the trains, trams and even the short lake boats within the city zones on one ticket.
Zurich Airport sits about 10km north of the centre and the train is the obvious way in. Frequent services run from the airport station straight to the Hauptbahnhof in the heart of town in about 10 to 15 minutes for roughly 7 CHF, with several an hour. A taxi covers the same trip for around 50 to 60 CHF and is rarely faster in traffic. If you plan to move around on arrival day, the ZVV day pass covers the trains, trams and even the short lake boats within the city zones on one ticket. It is the cheapest and usually the fastest option.
Zurich is best known for Lake Zurich, The Grossmunster, The Bahnhofstrasse, Swiss banking, Chagall windows, Very high prices. Zurich began as the Roman customs post of Turicum on the Limmat, grew rich in the Middle Ages on silk and trade, and in 1519 became the cradle of the Swiss Reformation when Huldrych Zwingli started preaching at the Grossmunster and had the churches stripped bare.