8 fantastic activities in beautiful Zurich
Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland, is a cosmopolitan metropolis full of great culture, an important art scene, first-class food and beautiful architecture. The city is super easy to explore by either strolling the hilly streets or taking the efficient trams. Three to four days are ideal for exploring Zurich extensively.
Zurich is not only surrounded by the lush green hills of the Swiss Plateau, but is also blessed with two glittering waterways, Lake Zurich and the Limmat, which give the city an additional natural beauty.
Pro tip: Swiss German, a special German dialect, is the official language of Zurich, but English is spoken in almost all shops, restaurants and hotels.
Activities on Lake Zurich
Take advantage of the vast, clear Lake Zurich, an area of 54 square miles, by participating in some of the fun activities.
swim
In the summer months, the town divides parts of the lake for swimming with bathhouses, where you can get a locker and towel for a small fee. If you brave the cold, go swimming in the winter months, where you can then warm up in a sauna in the narrow area of the lake.
Boat rental
Near the centrally located Zurich Opera House is Lago, a platform where you can rent a motorboat or pedal boat. You also have the option of hiring a skipper to pilot a private yacht.
Pro tip: You don’t need a boating license to rent a motorboat.
Stand up paddle boarding / SUP
If you’re the more adventurous type, rent a paddle board from SUPSWISS, and slide away on the lake.
Cruises
There are a variety of cruises and cruise ships that cross Lake Zurich and the Limmat. The tours last between 50 minutes and a full day. There are also specialty tours like a cheese fondue cruise, a literature cruise, a brunch cruise, and a crime thriller cruise. Lake Zurich is the main company that organizes cruises on Lake Zurich.
To go biking
Cycling around Lake Zurich is another great way to see the highlights of Zurich as well as the luxurious villas and villas on the lake and the Glarus Alps and to relax in the thermal baths at the end of your trip. There is a two-step route that is a total of 32 miles.
The old City
One of the unmissable highlights of Zurich is the old town. Put on your most comfortable and sturdy shoes or sneakers with rubber soles and explore the picturesque cobblestone streets, buildings and houses with colorful facades and towers from the 13th, as well as small boutiques and individual shops. There are four sections of the old town: Lindenhaus, Rathaus, Hochschulen and City, which encompass both sides of the Limmat.
One of the oldest parts of Zurich is the Lindenhof, which is lined with linden trees and dates back to the 1st Roman times, with Baroque and Renaissance architecture.
Take a break during your walk and treat yourself to a delicious pastry Schobert Tea salon, café, and pastry shop that has been popular with the locals since 1842. One of the specialties is the famous, sinfully rich hot chocolate with fresh whipped cream.
Chocolate, chocolate and even more chocolate
The mere mention of Switzerland immediately brings up the word chocolate. Swiss chocolate is known worldwide and there is a chocolate shop on almost every corner of Zurich waiting for you to try it.
Lindt Museum and Chocolate Factory
Even die-hard chocolate alcoholics will love a visit to the Lindt Museum and chocolate factory. The Lindt Museum opened in 2020 and is the largest museum of its kind in the world. At the heart of the huge, 65,000-square-meter complex is an amazing 10-meter-high chocolate fountain in the museum’s white marble lobby, where 1,500 liters of liquid chocolate pour from a giant golden whisk onto a truffle. A winding marble staircase takes you through the different levels of the museum, where there are interactive exhibits. You will learn more about the origins and millennial history of the cocoa bean, which was first developed in South America and the Amazon, how chocolate got to Europe, how the chocolate industry developed in Switzerland at the beginning of the 19th century, and how milk chocolate was made in Switzerland in 1879 invented. You can also see the latest technology in chocolate making and the best part about your visit is the unlimited chocolate tasting during the tour. There’s a café and restaurant with chocolate treats and hot chocolate, and a huge shop that sells every imaginable variation of Lindt chocolate.
Pro tip: The Lindt Museum is about 20 minutes by bus from the center of Zurich. Take bus 165 from the Bürkliplatz stop to the Lindt & Sprüngli stop. The buses run approximately every 30 minutes.
Sprüngli
Sprüngli is one of the top chocolate and confectionery brands in Zurich, the flagship store on Paradeplatz also includes a café and a restaurant. Browse through the dozen of showcases with chocolate pralines, truffles, and milk, white and dark chocolate bars with varying amounts of cocoa. A chocolate-free specialty from Sprüngli is the Luxemburgerli, a bite-sized macaron in over a dozen different flavors.
Max Chocolatier
Located in a small street in the old town, Max Chocolatier produces high-quality, handmade chocolates in small batches.
Museums
Kunsthaus Zurich
The largest and most important art museum in Switzerland, Kunsthaus Zurich houses centuries of art from the Middle Ages to contemporary works of the 21st century. In 2021 the Kunsthaus Zürich will be expanded to include a new wing with works from the 1960s and will also house the Emil Bührle Collection, one of the most valuable and important art collections in Switzerland. Together, the two buildings now form the largest art museum in Switzerland.
Le Corbusier house
The Le Corbusier pavilion is the last building designed by the pioneering architect Le Corbusier. In 1960 Heidi Weber, a Swiss interior designer, art patron and gallery owner, commissioned Le Corbusier to build a museum in Zurich and financed the construction with her own money. Opened in 1967, Weber managed the museum for the next 50 years and financed its maintenance and exhibitions. The impressive building made of steel and glass with colorful panels sits on a grassy hill, surrounded by tall trees.
Pro tip: Stroll the streets near the Le Corbusier house and discover beautiful Art Nouveau villas and houses from the late 20th century.
Restaurants and cafes
There is a varied selection of dishes in Zurich’s restaurants and cafés, including traditional Swiss, French, Thai, Japanese and German.
Restaurant Zum Kropf
A 15th century house with rich wood paneling and hand-painted ceilings and murals sets the backdrop for Restaurant Zum Kropf, that serves traditional Swiss dishes like liver dumpling soup (Liver dumpling soup), bratwurst, boiled beef, Wiener Schnitzel, apple strudel and an extensive beer menu.
Raid
A big movie theater from 1920 has been converted into a super cool modern restaurant. Raid serves a stylish menu of Asian fusion with Thai accents. Guests can look into the open kitchen and enjoy a cocktail or a glass of wine in the chic bar and lounge.
Odeon Café
Odeon is a legendary Art Nouveau coffee house from 1911 and known for its elite intellectual clientele of artists, writers, musicians and poets, including Somerset Maugham, Erich Maria Remarque, Toscanini and Albert Einstein.
Hotels
Ameron Bellerive Au Lac
The ideal location of Hotel Ameron Bellerive au Lac, with a view of Lake Zurich, near the opera and the city center and within walking distance of the old town. The rooms and public areas are a pleasant combination of Art Deco and contemporary design. Room amenities include a king-size bed, free mineral water, underfloor heating in the bathroom, safe, Nespresso machine and air conditioning.
La Reserve Eden du Lac
In the super luxury five-star hotel category La Reserve Eden du Lac
is at the top. The world-famous architect and designer Philippe Starck has transformed a 100-year-old hotel directly on Lake Zurich into a stylish replica of an exclusive yacht club. La Reserve Eden Du Lachas has only 40 rooms, most with lake views, and amenities include a separate dressing room, Nespresso machine, safe, and luxury toiletries. The Eden Suite is spacious, 850 square meters and has a king-size bed, a living room and four balconies with lake views. The restaurant La Muna on the sixth floor with wooden floors, beams and walls has the feeling of an intimate chalet and offers a 360-degree view of Lake Zurich and the city. In warmer weather, the restaurant extends outside with a tree-lined terrace.
Pro tip: The current exchange rate of the Swiss franc to the US dollar is USD 1.10, which makes Zurich an expensive site. So be careful when planning your trip.
Check out these other destinations in Switzerland for a different experience: