Zürich

We’ve put together a list of the main places to see and eat if you’re ever visiting for a weekend. If you’re in Zürich longer than a couple of days then we suggest you hop on a train or rent a car and start seeing some sights around Switzerland. Check out our Switzerland Travel Guide for some epic day trips to take!

Bahnhofstrasse – the main street from the train station lined with shops and restaurants. Stroll the street or hop on a tram and stop at Paradeplatz. On the corner is Confiserie Sprüngli (our favourite cafe for a Swiss breakfast). If its a nice day you can sit outside and have a coffee and a sweet treat, or go upstairs and get a table. On your way out don’t forget to visit the shop and pick up some AMAZING chocolates, truffles and luxemburgli (small macarons). You can buy a 24 hour tram ticket for CHF 13 from any machine that works on trams, trains and buses around Zürich.

Carry on down Bahnhofstrasse or take the 2, 8 or 9 tram to Burkliplatz (top of the lake). Here you can hop on a boat and cruise down the lake. Stop to visit Rapperswill, a lovely village at the bottom of Lake Zürich. Hop back on the boat or take a train back to Zürich Main Station.

Stroll around Bellevue and the Opera house. Grab a flat white from ViCAFE (one of the only places you will find a decent coffee) and visit the Mövenpick cafe for a chocolate fondant and your choice of ice-cream.

Walk along the Limmat (river) from Bellevue back towards town or take the 4 or 15 tram for beautiful views. Get off at Rathaus and walk across the bridge up to Lindenhof (photo opportunity!) This is a great lookout point across the river to the cathedral and on a clear day you can see the Swiss Alps. All of the fountains have drinking water here.

Cross back across the bridge and stroll the beautiful old town streets of Niederdorf. There are lots of boutique shops and cafes here and we love just walking the streets without purpose. The Grossmunster is the cathedral with two towers. If you’re up for the climb you can take the stairs to the top of one of the towers for incredible views.

Take the S10 train from the main train station to Uetliberg, which is the top of Zurich (this is outside zone 110 so you will need an extra ticket for this trip). Walk 10 minutes up the hill to the lookout point. In Summer you can sit on the restaurant terrace and have a drink. In Winter you can go sledding down the mountain!

One thing that some of our guests have done is just hop on a tram and ride it until the end. You won’t have to get off, once it reaches its end point it will turn around and head back the way it came. A one way trip is around half an hour and you get beautiful views of some different areas of Zürich.

Take the 4 tram to Schiffbau or take the train to Hardbrucke. Here you will see the Prime Tower (the tallest building in Zürich). Take the lift to the top level for a drink at CLOUDS. The views are definitely worth it (and the ice coffees are delicious!)

Take the 6 tram and visit Zürich Zoo! Don’t miss the penguin march in the winter months.

Visit the Thermalbad Zürich Spa. Enjoy the spa, sauna and a massage then hop in a lift to the rooftop spa with epic views around Zürich. Tip: only go at sunset if you want to be surrounded by couples!

Take a day trip from Zürich! Check out our Switzerland Travel Guide for ideas.

There’s so many places to choose from so we’ve decided to only list our absolute favourites below:

Confiserie Sprüngli – as mentioned you can go for the Sunday buffet brunch, but beware this will set you back CHF 55 p.p. We opt for the Fitness Breakfast instead (don’t mind the name, it’s not that healthy!) Make sure you try the hot chocolate and classic bircher muesli.

The Bite – one of the best burger places in town, located off Langstrasse. There’s no one favourite to recommend – they are all great! Make sure to book a table in advance.

Brisket – from the same owners as The Bite serving Southern BBQ. Go for dinner and share a Grand Slam platter and some cocktails. You’ll be leaving in a food coma!

Bohemia – American style restaurant. Go at brunch for bagels, eggs, omelettes and juices or go at dinner for a delicious steak.

Frau Gerolds Garten – in summer visit for an outdoor style eatery with yummy lunch options and a great spot for after work drinks. In Winter they serve Fondue in a giant heated tent.

CLOUDS – Take the elevator to the top floor of the tallest building in Zürich for a drink in the bar or a meal in their restaurant. Great views!

Café Schober – Home-made chocolate & cakes in the cutest century-old cafe. Head upstairs for cosy, velvet couches and have a hot chocolate and sweet treat.

Laderach – Our favourite chocolate store! You will find these all around Switzerland. They literally have giant slabs of chocolate for you to choose your weight. Our favourites are raspberry/blackberry and hazelnut milk.

Backbar – the place to go for warm, soft, flaky croissants. There’s a reason why they have a sign outside saying “Best Gipfel in town”. We’re lucky enough to live 200m down the road…

Zeughauskeller – this was built in 1487 and was used to store weapons and ammunition. Now its a restaurant with Swiss cuisine and a great place to go for a Bratwurst (they have a whole menu of sausages), Rosti (a Swiss-style hashbrown) and beer.

Bretzelkönig – if you need a snack then make sure you try a pretzel from Bretzelkönig. Our favourite is the one with melted Raclette cheese on top.

…and last but certainly not least, if you are wandering the streets then make sure to stop at a Coop or Avec for a croissant. Particularly the Callier or Ragusa croissants where they literally melt a chocolate bar inside. Or our latest favourite is the Ovalmaltine filled croissant!