Zurich is compact enough that its best walks need no tickets, only comfortable shoes. Three routes cover the old centre, the former industrial district and a quiet waterside path. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF). Old Town loop: Niederdorf to Schipfe This loop is about 3.5 km and takes two to two and a half hours. Start at the main station, cross the Bahnhofbrücke to Central, and enter the pedestrian lanes of the Niederdorf.

Most of Zurich’s headline sights sit within a short walk of the Limmat, between the lake and the main station. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF), and the Zürich Card (CHF 29 for 24 hours, CHF 56 for 72 hours) covers several of them. Grossmünster and the Karlsturm The twin-towered Grossmünster is where Huldrych Zwingli began the Swiss Reformation in 1519. The nave and crypt are free. The Karlsturm climb is 187 steps to an enclosed platform with six large panoramic windows, because the terraces are closed for safety.

Zurich suits couples who like warm water, good dinners and views over a lake and rooftops. The mood is quiet and polished rather than showy. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF). A thermal soak with a rooftop view The Hürlimannbad & Spa at Brandschenkestrasse 150 uses the vaulted stone cellars of a former brewery. Thermal pools sit under brick arches, and the heated rooftop pool looks over the city, the lake and the distant Alps.

Zurich has no organised multi-day tours of its own to speak of. What it offers is a good base: a compact city that fills two days, and a rail network that puts Lucerne, Rigi, Rhine Falls and Stein am Rhein within about an hour. This page sets out how to string those together using public transport. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF). A two to three day shape Spend the first day in the city: the Old Town, the churches, a lake cruise and one museum.

Zurich is the rail hub of Switzerland, so several excellent day trips need nothing more than a train ticket. Others look easy on a map but make for very long days. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF). Rhine Falls Direct regional trains run from Zürich HB to Neuhausen Rheinfall or Schloss Laufen, in about 50 minutes. The falls are about 23 m high and 150 m wide. At Schloss Laufen a path, a platform and a lift cost CHF 5 for adults and CHF 3 for children aged 6 to 16, with longer hours in summer (from 08:00 to 18:00 in June to August) and shorter ones in winter.

Zurich is an easy city to visit with children: the zoo is large, several museums are hands-on, and the lake has free playgrounds. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF), and the figures for the zoo and Technorama come from secondary sources, so confirm them before you go. Zoo Zürich The zoo is at Zürichbergstrasse 221, reached by tram 6 to the Zoo stop. Plan on a full day. The Masoala Rainforest hall is a heated indoor rainforest with free-roaming lemurs, chameleons and birds, the Kaeng Krachan park holds Asian elephants, and the Lewa Savanne is an open African landscape.

Zurich’s guided and ticketed sightseeing is built around water and a few short rides: electric boats on the river, steamers and motor ships on the lake, a funicular up to a university terrace, and a rack railway into the wooded hills. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF). The Limmat boat The Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (ZSG) runs low electric glass-roof boats from the landing behind the main station, past the Rathaus, Grossmünster and Fraumünster, then out onto the lake as far as Zürichhorn.

Zurich’s best activities are indoors or on the water, which suits a city that spends a long winter under grey skies. Prices below are in Swiss francs (CHF), cards and contactless payments work almost everywhere, and the transport fares rise slightly on 13 December 2026. Thermal bathing at Hürlimannbad The Hürlimannbad & Spa sits in the old vaulted beer cellars of the former Hürlimann brewery at Brandschenkestrasse 150 in Enge. Thermal water fills stone pools under brick arches, and a heated rooftop pool looks over the city and the lake.