A Zurich city break on about 100 EUR per person per day is realistic. The formula: sleep in Langstrasse, walk instead of riding (the center is compact enough), build days around free anchors like Grossmunster and the Karlsturm Tower / Fraumunster and the Chagall Windows, and eat where the locals do. Getting in from the airport is cheap too: 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..
Daily target
100 EUR
Sleep in
Langstrasse
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
Free sights
6+
The picks under 200 EUR that do not feel like a compromise.
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
Check prices
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
Check prices
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
These cost nothing and carry a full day each. Build around them and the paid tickets become optional extras instead of a budget drain.
Grossmunster and the Karlsturm Tower
FreeTipThe twin-towered church where Huldrych Zwingli launched the Swiss Reformation is free to enter, but pay the few francs to climb the Karlsturm tower for one of the best old-town views over the river and rooftops. It is a tight spiral of stone steps with no lift, so go when you have the legs, and check the last-entry time as the tower closes earlier than the church.
Fraumunster and the Chagall Windows
FreeTipThe plain grey exterior hides five stained-glass windows Marc Chagall designed in 1970, best seen when morning light pours through the choir. There is a small entry fee that includes an audio guide, and photography inside is not allowed, so put the camera away and just look; combine it with the Karl Alfred Meier organ and the Giacometti window in the north transept.
Bahnhofstrasse
FreeTipOne of Europe's most expensive shopping streets runs a car-free kilometre from the Hauptbahnhof to the lake, and walking it costs nothing even if the watch and jewellery windows do not. Come at dusk in December for the Lucy light installation strung overhead, and duck into Paradeplatz halfway down for the grand bank facades and the Sprungli chocolate counter.
Lindenhof Hill
FreeTipThis quiet tree-shaded terrace on the site of the old Roman fort gives a free, wide view over the Limmat, the old town roofs and the Grossmunster towers, and locals play giant chess on the paving. It is a short climb up lanes from the river, best in the late afternoon light, and a calm spot to sit with a takeaway coffee away from the shopping crowds.
Uetliberg Viewpoint
FreeTipThe S10 train climbs the city mountain from the Hauptbahnhof in about 25 minutes to Uetliberg station, and the trip is covered by a ZVV day pass rather than a separate cable-car fare. From the top it is a 10-minute walk and a short tower climb to a panorama over the city, the lake and the Alps on a clear day; go on a bright morning, as low cloud can swallow the view.
Rhine Falls, Schaffhausen
FreeTipEurope's most powerful waterfall is about 40 minutes north by train to Schloss Laufen or Neuhausen station, and the viewing paths on the castle side charge a small entry while the far bank is free. Go in late spring or early summer when snowmelt makes the falls thunder, and the little boats out to the central rock cost extra and run only in the warmer months.
Confiserie Sprungli, Paradeplatz
The flagship of Zurich's most famous confiserie sits on Paradeplatz, and the thing to buy is a box of Luxemburgerli, the featherlight macarons made fresh daily; they keep only a few days, so eat them soon. The ground-floor counter is quick and takeaway, while the upstairs cafe is a pricey sit-down; for a factory-scale chocolate experience instead, ride out to the Lindt Home of Chocolate in Kilchberg.
District 4 around the Langstrasse is Zurich's multicultural quarter, a long strip of bars, cheap eats and late clubs that keeps its edge after dark. It is the grittiest central district and by far the best value for food and drink, with kebab counters, ethnic kitchens and dive bars a few minutes from the station. Base here to stretch a budget and stay close to the nightlife.
Now put it in order: the 2-day Zurich itinerary works on this budget with the swaps above.
A Zurich city break on about 100 EUR per person per day is realistic. The formula: sleep in Langstrasse, walk instead of riding (the center is compact enough), build days around free anchors like Grossmunster and the Karlsturm Tower / Fraumunster and the Chagall Windows, and eat where the locals do. Getting in from the airport is cheap too: 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..
The strongest free sights in Zurich: Grossmunster and the Karlsturm Tower, Fraumunster and the Chagall Windows, Bahnhofstrasse, Lindenhof Hill. Several paid sights also have free or reduced windows; check the tips on each itinerary page.
Langstrasse. District 4 around the Langstrasse is Zurich's multicultural quarter, a long strip of bars, cheap eats and late clubs that keeps its edge after dark. It is the grittiest central district and by far the best value for food and drink, with kebab counters, ethnic kitchens and dive bars a few minutes from the station. Base here to stretch a budget and stay close to the nightlife.