Take a look at the top 20 best things to do in Zürich
While it might not be the capital of Switzerland, Zürich is the largest city in the country. By global standards, it isn’t anything spectacular, but in truth it, dispite its relatively small population, it’s a leading global city and among the world’s largest financial centres, and has a large number of financial institutions and banking giants. It’s famous for its high quality of life and its wealth among the European cities, and often visited by tourists for its beautiful location and its attractions. The foundation of the city dates back to the Romans, but there are signs of much older settlements in the area. Considering these, Zürich would be a great place for travelers, and for that, we have collected the top 20 best things to do in Zürich.
- Lake Zürich
Arguably one of its most beautiful parts, Lake Zürich is a gem of the city. Zürich was built on the shores of this wonderful lake, which is obviously popular among both tourists and citizens. Many come here for recreation purposes, since taking a break, having a picnic, taking a stroll or doing some sports like jogging and cycling are all possible here. We suggest also taking a boat ride here, so that you can get an even more spectacular view of both the city and the Alps.
2. Altstadt
Like many cities in the Germanic regions, Zürich also has its own Altstadt, or in other words, its Old Town district. The Altstadt of Zürich encompasses many attractions, but even the regular streets and buildings themselves provide a great experience, due to their beautiful designs. The cobbled alleys and the fountains are surely worth a visit.
3. Mühlesteg
The Mühlesteg is a pedestrian bridge located in the Altstadt. It’s not only famous for being a humble but beautiful little footbridge, but also well known as being one of those popular bridges where lovers like to put their “love locks”, the padlocks that symbolize their love. These locks give a very romantic feeling to the bridge, not to mention the view of the old town around it.
4. Bahnhofstrasse
The Bahnhofstrasse is the main downtown street of Zürich, and it goes through the Altstadt as far as Lake Zürich. Many high-end shops fill the place, including Louis Vuitton and Gucci. Real estate here is one of the most expensive in all of Europe, but of course that’s not why you would come here. Even if you don’t want to go shopping, it’s a beautiful street filled with life both day and night, and just taking a stroll here can be quite relaxing. The street is a must-see among the things to do in Zürich for everyone visiting.
5. Fraumünster
The Fraumünster is a minster in Zürich which is quite popular thanks to its wonderful design both inside and outside. The stained glass windows and the amazing greenish spire that tops the skyline of Zürich is well worth a visit.
6. Swiss National Museum
The Swiss National Museum is located in a castle-like building, which itself is quite spectacular, not to mention all the different kinds of exhibitions inside the building. The museum contains works of art, scriptures, artifacts, furnitures and all kinds of things related to the history of Switzerland and the surrounding region. If you want to know more about the history of country, this is the place to go to.
7. Zürich Hauptbahnhof
Located near the Swiss National Museum is the Zürich Hauptbahnhof, the largest railway station in Zürich and Switzerland. It’s the central hub of many railways going to the surrounding countries, and it’s also famous as a tourist attraction thanks to its beautiful design. The station is on several levels, with platforms both at ground and below ground level, and tied together by underground passages, and even the river Sihl goes through between them in a tunnel. A shopping mall can also be found here for those interested.
8. Kunsthaus Zürich
The Kunsthaus Zürich is an important and large gallery for Swiss and other European works of art. It houses several famous paintings from artists like Pablo Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky, Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh, along with many other Swiss works as well. This place is a must see among the things to do in Zürich if you love art.
9. Lindenhof
If you get tired of all the sightseeing, then be sure to go to the Lindenhof, once the location of a fourth century fort, but now an elevated park with Linden trees, benches and giant chess sets. A small uphill climb is required, but visitors will surely appreciate the vistas and relaxing experience this park can provide.
10. Grossmünster
The Grossmünster is a church in Zürich, and it’s famous for being the starting place of the Protestant Reformation in the city. According to a local legend, this magnificent church has been founded by Charlemagne, and is said to be sitting atop the graves of the city’s patron saints of Felix and Regula. Nevertheless, the church is worth visiting for its beauty, and should also be climbed, as the view from atop the towers is quite beautiful.
11. Zürich Zoologischer Garten
The Zürich Zoologischer Garten is the zoo of Zürich. It gives home to more than 2000 animals from 300 species. One of its popular events is the penguin parade, but even more popular is the elephant park inside a dome-like structure, as it’s considered to be one of the best elephant exhibits in the world. Other features include a petting zoo and a miniature rain forest.
12. Üetliberg
The Üetliberg is a high mountain near Zürich, which offers excellent views of the city and the surrounding Alps. It has multiple trails for hiking, biking and sledding, and paragliding is also offered at the mountain’s peak. One its most popular features is a hiking path called the Path of the Planets, which is designed to mimic the sizes of and distances between the solar system’s planets. It’s an interesting and fun way to mix education and hiking.
13. Cabaret Voltaire
The Cabaret Voltaire was a nightclub in Zürich, which was important as the birthplace of the Dada anarchic art movement. The building today is once again used as a cabaret with many kinds of programs, out of which a lot are related to the Dada movement.
14. Zürichhorn Park
Zürichhorn Park is located on the shores of Lake Zürich. It’s a beautiful park which was built for the National Exhibition in 1939. Many statues and other objects fill the park, but it’s just as famous for its relaxing atmosphere.
15. Heureka Useless Machine
The Heureka Useless Machine found in Zürichhorn Park was made by Jean Tinguely, a Swiss sculptor famous for his no-purpose kinetic artworks. Heureka is one such useless machine. It’s made out of everyday objects like scrap metal and junk, contains various tubes, wheels, iron bars, metal pipes, and electric motors. It, however, servers no purpose, but that is its aim.
16. Chinese Garden
The Chinese Garden is located in the Zürichhorn Park, and it was a gift from the city’s Chinese partner town of Kunming for the technical and scientific support provided by the city with urban drainage and expanding drinking water supplies in Kunming. At the center of the garden is a pond with a small island, with pavilions and even a small palace on the banks around it. It’s one of the most wonderful Chinese gardens outside of China.
17. MFO-Park
The MFO-Park is a very unusual park in Zürich. The steel-framed structure was originally used for the construction of electric locomotives, but today only the frames were left there. Vines and other climbing plants were brought there to let them climb up the structure, giving it a very unique design, as nature sort of reclaims the steel frames.
18. Pegasus Small World Toy Museum
While it’s not directly in Zürich, the Pegasus Small World Toy Museum is located close to the city in a smaller town. It’s worth seeing as it is one of a kind. It’s full of full of strange and bizarre toys, and has a shop with hard-to-find toy parts, antiques, and model cars, as well as a specialist for any toy repairs or refurbishments.
19. Confiserie Sprüngli
The Confiserie Sprüngli is a Swiss luxury confectionery manufacturer with expensive but very tasty sweets, like truffles, bonbons, cakes, and its internationally known signature macarons called “Luxemburgerli”. The place serves both as a shop and a café, which is a popular meeting place for those of the upper class.
20. Limmatquai
The Limmatquai is another popular street in Zürich, and it’s surrounded by many important buildings and attractions, including old guild houses, the Zürich Town Hall and the Bellevueplatz square. Five bridges cross the river from the Limmatquai, and they called Quaibrücke, Münsterbrücke, Rathausbrücke, Rudolf-Brun-Brücke and Mühlesteg. Seeing everything here might take a while, but it is well worth it, and if you happen to get tired, just try one of the great local restaurants here.
