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Visitor's Guide to Zürich

I've lived in Zürich for 12 years and I love it. I'm happy that so many people I work with end up visiting the city, and I want to share with you some of the things that make Zürich such a special place. To that end, this is a collection of tips and pointers aimed at people who are here mainly on business and have only a few hours here and there to see the sights and grab something to eat.

If you're not reading all that, then here's the summary:

Top 3 things to do if it's your first visit:

  1. Swim in the lake or (in winter) take a boat ride
  2. See the old town and Fraumünster
  3. Ride a funicular or train to Züriberg or Uetliberg and enjoy the views

The best places for dinner in the center:

  1. Schnupf
  2. LE
  3. Haus Hiltl

Finally: on your way out, stop by the airport Sprüngli and buy some fresh pralines.

General Tips

Things to do if you have a few hours

Summer

Zürich is a summer city and offers many water-related activities and wonderful hikes.

Lake Swimming

swim

The lake is an all-time favorite. You can jump in and swim just about anywhere along the shore, but for beginners, I'd recommend going to a badi. Three are easily accessible from public transit or by a short bike ride:

If you're up for just jumping in and don't need changing rooms and such, the best spots to do so are:

River Swimming

The river Limmat offers swimming pretty much everywhere except at the very mouth. A favorite spot is to jump in near Dynamo and get out before the bridge at Oberer Letten. The river is not wild, but it does move. You should feel confident in your swimming ability.

Some More Spots to Swim

Outdoor Cinemas

Outdoor movie theaters operate in the summer months.

Any Season

Planetenweg (~4-hour walk)

A hiking trail starts on top of Uetliberg, Zürich's preeminent "mountain". Over about 5 miles of easy terrain, you'll walk through a 1-to-billion scale model of the Solar System, starting from the Sun and ending at Pluto. At the end of the trail, you'll find a decent restaurant and a cable cart back down to civilization.

Hürlimann Spa

A large underground spa in a former brewery. Has a cool roof pool which is especially atmospheric in the winter and on rainy days.

Things to do on the weekend

Good Weather

Boat ride to rapperswill

bürkliplatz

Rapperswill is a small lakeside town south of Zürich. There is a picturesque old town with a medieval castle overlooking the lake and the mountains.

Boats leave every two hours from Bürkliplatz. Onboard, there is a decent restaurant with a bar, which is good, because the ride takes about two hours. (Returning by train is much faster.)

Wildnispark in Sihlwald

Forest safari near Zürich. Great with kids.

Bike Around Lake Zürich

TBD

Pfäffikersee

Jucker Farm for lunch.

TBD

Hike around Rigi

Mount Rigi

Incredible View of several lakes

TBD

Rhine Falls

The Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen are well-worth a visit. It's not quite Niagara level, but on the other hand, there is a cool medieval fort to watch them from. You can book a boat ride tour.

Getting there by train only takes about 40 minutes on the S9. (There is a faster train to Schaffhausen main station, but you want to go to Neuhausen Rheinfall).

Luzern Day Trip

Luzern is touristy, but still worth visiting. It's often the first weekend trip someone might on at in Switzerland, easily accessible from Zürich, and has a good variety of things to do.

Monastery at Einsiedeln

Kloster Einsiedeln is worth a visit. The little town it's in is quite picturesque, and, in winter, there are great Christmas Markets pretty much all December. Take a walk around the lake and take in the views.

Summer

Aare River Float

TBD

Hammetschwand Lift

TBD

Winter

Winter Sun in Zurich

Skiing

St. Anton by train

Rainy Day

Niederdorf

TBD

Chocolate museum

TBD

Two- or more -day Trips

Champex-Lac

TBD

Zermatt

TBD

Crans-Montana

TBD

Flims

TBD

Hallstatt

A little town in Austria.

TBD

Lac Léman: CERN and Vineyards

Bonus points if you visit during the Montreux Jazz Festival which runs for two weeks, usually in early July. Despite the name, it's a festival of all popular music, and probably one of the best experiences you can have in Switzerland. Highly recommend booking some concert tickets in advance.

Lauterbrunnen

Visiting [Lauterbrunnen] reportedly inspired Tolkien for much of Lord of the Rings. The valley is stunning, and if you visit the waterfall system inside Trümmelbach you won't be disappointed.

Food & Drink

Zurich has very good Italian, North African and Middle-Eastern restaurants, and good Ethiopian, Japanese and French restaurants. If you’re here from the West Coast, especially Italian and Middle-Eastern are likely of a much higher quality than you're used to.

Just like in other mid-size cities, the quality of the average restaurant is OK, not great, but if you play to Zurich’s strengths, there’s some excellent food here.

This list is biased towards the center of Zürich with only a few callouts for interesting places farther out.

la stanza

A note on buffet style food in Zurich

Buffet style / self-service style restaurants are very popular. Unlike the US, this does not imply lower quality or cheaper food. Places like Hiltl, Tibits and Yalda are very chic and frequented by young professionals for a quick bite and cocktails.

Restaurants

❤️ Le Cèdre (Lebanese)

Central ◦ Sharing Plates ◦ $$ ◦ Walk-ins sometimes ◦ Small to large groups

555+ (Thai)

Central ◦ Individual Plates ◦ $$ ◦ Walk-ins sometimes ◦ Small to large groups

Good modern thai food & cocktails. Attracts hipsters.

❤️ JIAOZI By LÈ (Chinese)

Near Main Station ◦ Sharing Plates ◦ $$ ◦ Walk-ins sometimes ◦ Small groups

The place only seats 8 people and has a simple menu of various types of dumplings and vegetable sides. Probably the best option for chinese food in Zürich.

❤️ Schnupf (French/Swiss)

Near Main Station ◦ Individual plates ◦ $$$ ◦ Walk-ins OK ◦ Small to mid groups

The menu changes often, but I’ve never had a less than great meal here. Swiss cuisine tending toward French influences.

Kronnenhalle (Swiss)

Near the lake ◦ Individual Plates ◦ $$$ ◦ Walk-ins sometimes ◦ Small to large groups

Fancy Swiss restaurant. The local specialty is Zürcher Geschnetzeltes: Rösti with beef in a cream-mushroom sauce. On the walls hang original paintings by Picasso and other masters who hid away in Switzerland during the world wars and sometimes paid their tabs with art.

Hiltl (Oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world)

Near Main Station ◦ Individual Plates ◦ $$ ◦ Walk-ins OK ◦ Small to large groups

Hiltl is an institution. There are many locations, but the main one is Haus Hiltl, which is the only one that also does ala-carte service. The cuisine is a mix of Swiss, Indian and Thai.

Ooki (Japanese comfort food)

Central Location ◦ Individual Plates ◦ $$ ◦ Walk-ins at the bar ◦ Small groups or individuals

Ooki is awesome for a quick dinner of japanese comfort food, like udon or curry. They have seating for singles at the bar.

Gaijin Izakaya (Izakaya)

Central Location ◦ Sharing Plates ◦ $$$ ◦ Sometimes takes walk-ins ◦ Small to mid groups

Fun for a team dinner, but a little pricey.

Sala of Tokyo (Sushi, Japanese multi-course cuisine)

Central Location ◦ Individual Plates ◦ $$$ ◦ Usually takes walk-ins ◦ Any size groups

Keeping in mind you’re in a landlocked country, if you must have sushi, this is by far the best place in Zurich.

Tokyo Express (Japanese Curry)

Near Main Station ◦ Individuals ◦ $$ ◦ Food court

Probably the best japanese curry in Zurich, never mind the setting.

La Brea SoCal Tacos

Near Main Station ◦ Sharing Plates ◦ $$ ◦ Takes walk-ins ◦ Small to mid groups

There is no good Mexican food in Zurich, but if you absolutely crave it, this is the place to go. It’s ok enough that it’d probably stay in business in California.

♥️ The Lemon Grass on Universitätstrasse

Near ETH ◦ Take away ◦ $

There are good Thai restaurants in Zurich - this is not one of them. It’s just two Thai ladies selling Thai lunch menus out of a literal hole in the wall, and it tastes awesome. You get a discount if you bring your own tupperware.

Sham

Near Main Station ◦ Individual Plates ◦ $$ ◦ Walk-ins rarely ◦ Small to mid groups

Good quality Syrian food. Sham is no sham.

♥️ Les Halles

Zurich West ◦ Tapas, normal plates ◦ $$ ◦ Walk-ins OK ◦ Small to mid groups

This is a french brasserie style food hall, wine bar and bistro. Very casual atmosphere. The moule-frites here is very good.

La Pasta

Near Main Station ◦ Individual plates ◦ $$ ◦ Walk-ins OK ◦ Small to mid groups

Good pasta near the main station.

Più

Near Main Station ◦ Individual plates ◦ $$ ◦ Walk-ins OK ◦ Small to mid groups

Full-spectrum Italian restaurant and bar. Never had a bad meal here, and it’s reliably better than any Italian restaurant on the West Coast.

♥️ O'Callaghan's Shamrock Irish Pub

South Zurich, near the lake ◦ Individual plates ◦ $$ ◦ Walk-ins OK ◦ Small to mid groups

Authentic Irish pub. Shows rugby matches, does community events for Irish holidays and serves a good bangers and mash.

James Joyce

Central location ◦ Individual plates ◦ $$$ ◦ Walk-ins OK ◦ Small to mid groups

This pub started out in Dublin, but went out of business. When it closed, an Irish-born director at UBS bought it and had it moved to Zurich, including all of the interior fittings and furniture. At the moment, it's a fancy Irish restaurant where you can get a good glass of Guiness.

Ziegelhütte

North Zurich ◦ Individual Plates ◦ $$ ◦ Walk-ins ok ◦ Small to large groups

A Swiss gastropub on the far side of Züriberg. A welcome sight if you’ve just walked there through the forest. Everything on the menu is an incomprehensible Swiss German word.

Raclette-Stube

Near Main Station ◦ Fondue (sharing) ◦ $$$ ◦ Walk-ins sometimes ◦ Small to mid groups

Probably the best place for fondue (winter) and raclette (shoulder seasons). The same family owns two other locations, including Fribourger Fonduestübli, but I like this one the best.

Bürgli

Near the Meta office ◦ Individual plates) ◦ $$$ ◦ Walk-ins sometimes ◦ Small to large groups

A good Swiss restaurant near where some of the offices are. Surrounded by old town Wollishofen. Go here if you want an authentic Swiss experience but are too chicken to do Aelpli Bar.

Wesley’s Kitchen

Near Main Station ◦ Cantonese style tapas ◦ $$ ◦ Walk-ins sometimes ◦ Small to mid groups

Under new management, but still quite good. The mix of cantonese and portuguese cuisine is interesting and the sharing plates are reliably good.

Bars

♥️ Old Crow

Cozy bar with great cocktails in the old town.

Tales

This place is great when Old Crow won’t seat your party.

Barfussbar

Open sometimes - a chic bar inside a river lido, sometimes with live music.

Jules Verne

Bar atop an old observatory tower. Offers 360 views of Zurich, the mountains and the lake.

Ojo De Aqua

Argentinian wine bar, serving antipasti and cold meats. Very good for discussing the draft of your novel with your editor.

Vineria Centrale

Combination wine bar and Italian restaurant. Not fancy.

The Alehouse (seasonal, rebrands as Haile House)

Couple of months each year, The Alehouse does a kitchen takeover by two Ethiopian chefs. Check their website for when it happens! It’s worth it.

For the rest of the year, they have 5-20 rotating beer taps and function as a townie pub for the ETH. Very popular with the board game crowd.

Bierwerk

The beer garden next to the Google campus. They brew their own beer (good) and serve a sourdough foccacia (also good).

International Beer Bar

Usually a good mix interesting beers, but no food.

Aelpli Bar

The written word cannot explain Aelpli Bar to you. Nominally, it’s a pub with live music, but in truth it is much more: a spiritual grotto, a place where Ley lines are visible, a time machine to ca. 1975. Legend has it that Miley Cyrus once carved her name into one of the tables with a Swiss army knife. Not recommended for beginners.

Samigo Amusement

The food is nothing to write home about, but the lakeside views are great. Only opens in the summer.

Seebad Enge

A ponton deck on the lake for swimming or having a bite or a drink with friends. On warm days, people come here to work. Only open in the summer.

Cafes

♥️ La Stanza

Fundamentalist Italian coffee.

la stanza

MAME

Hipster cafe, but unlike most, these hipsters actually make good coffee.

H. Schwarzenbach Kolonialwaren

A cafe attached to an old-style grocery, selling spices, dried fruits, nuts, preserves and pickles of various kinds.

Teehüsli Hohenstein

A sometimes-open bakery in the middle of the forest on Uetliberg. Check the opening times on their website.

♥️ Miyoko

Miyoko is a Japanese-Swiss-English fusion teahouse. They don’t normally serve meals, but you can preorder a full Afternoon Tea on their website, which is a cool experience. (And they will do it for brunch, if you ask.)

Poushe Strudelhaus

All I’m saying is, you wouldn’t open a restaurant dedicated to strudel unless you were pretty good at making strudel. In addition to the classic, they do savory strudels for lunch, which are better than you think.