22 Things To Do in Zurich

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There’s no need to take out a bank loan when visiting Zurich as some of the best things to do in Zurich Switzerland are free. With a long-established reputation for private banking, it’s no wonder Zurich is a lifestyle city.

Ranked by Mercer as the world’s fifth most expensive city, the Swiss financial centre sits at the edge of tranquil Lake Zurich with picture-postcard views of the snow-capped Alps on the horizon and soaring peaks like the Jungfrau Mountain.

Here’s the good news: spending a few days in Zurich need not cost a fortune.

Hotel rates are reasonable; there is an excellent public transport system, and many of the city’s best attractions are free.

Sure, you can just as easily drop $100,000 on a designer watch in a luxury boutique on the Bahnhofstrasse, which is possibly one of the world’s most expensive shopping streets and where public phone booths are equipped with heart defibrillators. But on the same street, you can also buy a fashionable Swatch watch for less than $100.

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Free things to do in Zurich 

Pick up a ZurichCARD at the airport or the train station and tick off these 10 free (or almost free) things to do in Zurich that won’t break the bank.

1- Roam Zurich’s Old Town

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Zurich’s Old Town is extremely picturesque.

In my opinion, Zurich’s Old Town is one of the best historic quarters I have visited in Europe.

It reminds me a bit of the Old Town in Bern (you can visit Zurich as a day trip from Bern by the way). 

Ambling past buildings that are hundreds of years old is a delightful way to spend the day.

The boutiques and galleries in the narrow pedestrian streets on both sides of the Limmat River are packed with paintings, prints, antiques and fashion.

Pop into Cafe Schober, which is housed in a 600-year-old townhouse, for hot chocolate and a pastry.

The café also serves a typical Swiss breakfast of Bircher muesli made with Alfred Bircher’s original recipe.

Don’t miss the Blüemlihalle (flower hall), which has artwork of national significance painted by Augusto Giacometti on the vaulted ceilings of Zurich’s police headquarters.

If you love Zurich’s Old Town, another city with a charming historic quarter is Lucerne. Here are some things to do in Lucerne.

2- Visit a Church

While wandering around Zurich’s Old Town, churches worth visiting include the Romanesque Grossmünster (its twin towers are a Zurich landmark), and the 13th-century Peterskirche (St Peter’s Church), which has Europe’s largest clock face.

A highlight is the Fraumünster with stained glass windows by Giacometti and Chagall.

Fraumünster was founded by Louis the German in the 9th century but a large part of the church’s architecture represents the 12th to 15th centuries.

Grossmünster is one of Zürich’s landmarks as the instantly recognisable towers are seen in photographs often. 

This Romanesque church started off as a monastic church in the 12th century and is a stunning example of medieval architecture. 

The oldest section of the church is the crypt, which has original 14th-century frescoes. 

During the 16th century, Grossmünster was the headquarters of the Reformation in Switzerland and there’s a museum at the church where you can learn all about it.

3- Cruise Lake Zurich

things to do in Zurich on the water
A cruise on Lake Zurich is one of the things to do in Zurich to enjoy the water.

A cruise on Lake Zurich is a tranquil way to spend a few hours and is one of the best things to do in Zurich.

There are a number of boat operators offering paddle steamer cruises, fondue cruises and schnitzel cruises on the 40km-long lake.

The most popular cruise is the 90-minute journey offered by Zürichsee Schifffahrtgesellschaft (Lake Zürich Navigation Company), which is free with the ZurichCARD.

Sitting in a boat and watching the world float by is peaceful but if you’re feeling adventurous, disembark at any pier and catch a later boat back.

Lakeside attractions include the islands of Ufenau and Lützelau, the Baroque church in Lachen, the Lindt & Sprüngli chocolate factory in Kilchberg and public gardens of Rapperswil with its 15,000 blooming rose bushes.

On the north side, the “golden coast”, which extends from Zollikon to Feldmeilen, is lined with magnificent mansions.

Book a city tour and a cruise here

4- Climb Uetliberg mountain

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Uetliberg Mountain is one of the places to visit in Zurich for a view.

At 871m above sea level, Uetliberg is a dwarf when compared to the soaring peaks of the Swiss Alps such as the Matterhorn (4478m) or Monte Rosa (4634m).

Even so, Uetliberg is one of the best places to visit in Zurich for its lofty vantage point.

Looking down upon Zurich, you will see panoramic views of the city, the lake and the Swiss Alps.

Getting to Uetliberg station is a pleasant ride on the S10 railway line, which is the steepest standard-gauge adhesion railway in Europe, running from Zurich’s main station.

From Uetliberg station, there is a ten-minute uphill walk to the viewing platform and the Uto Kulm restaurant, where the lunch buffet menu costs from 55CHF ($58) and has indoor and outdoor tables with splendid views.

If you’re feeling particularly energetic, you can climb the lookout tower or take the Planet Trail to Felsenegg.

The two-hour hike is a ridge walk, signposted with insights into the solar system and more views of Zurich, Lake Zurich and the Alps.

5- Visit Kunsthaus Zurich

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What to do in Zurich if you’re keen on history and culture? Spend a few days wandering the museums.

Low taxes and favourable art legislation make Zurich one of the world’s major art trading centres.

Zurich is also the birthplace of the Dada art movement that flourished during World War I.

There are 50 museums in Zurich and many have substantial art collections.

The Kunsthaus Zurich (Museum of Fine Art) has a substantial collection of modern art including paintings by Van Gogh and Picasso and the Museum Rietberg showcases works from outside Europe.

6- Visit the Swiss National Museum

Housed in a hundred-plus-year-old fairytale-like castle, the museum contains the country’s Swiss cultural history exhibits.

You could easily spend a day at this museum, which has exhibitions covering everything from the history of Switzerland to archaeology and ideas. 

One of the reasons why visiting the Swiss National Museum is a top thing to do in Zurich is the depth and breadth of displays on offer. 

7- Visit a Swiss clock or toy museum

There are smaller specialty museums such as the Beyer Clock and Watch Museum, which has 500 timepieces dating from 1400BC, and the Zurich Toy Museum with dolls, train sets, toy soldiers and other European toys from the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century.

Visiting a museum is certainly one of the best things to do in Zurich.

8- Hangout with hipsters in Zurich West

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One of the coolest things to do in Zurich is to explore Zurich West.

Another thing to see in Zurich is a world away from the Old Town’s cobblestone streets.

Zurich West is a former industrial quarter between the Limmat River and the railroad tracks.

Old buildings have been revamped and transformed into markets, restaurants, art and design shops.

An example is the red-brick Schiffbau building, a former shipbuilding factory, which is home to the fashionable La Salle where a fusion menu of Swiss, French and Italian fare is served in an airy industrial space spectacularly decorated with Venetian chandeliers.

The Swiss are proud of the Freitag flagship store, which is constructed from 17 rusted shipping containers piled 26m high beside an elevated highway and railroad tracks.

Inside are four levels of displays of Freitag messenger bags.

The messenger bag company founded in Zurich in 1993 produces a utilitarian unisex bag made from recycled truck tarpaulins, bicycle inner tubes and seat belts.

An example is showcased at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Of all the things to do in Zurich, this has got to be the hippest.

This Tuk Tuk tour of the Old Town also goes to Zurich West and is a cool way to explore. 

9- Admire the view from Lindenhof

Looking down at the city from the top of the hill, from a spot where a Roman castle once stood, Lindenhof has lovely views over the Old Town and the Limmat River. 

You’ll find remnants of Roman ruins here too but most people go for the view. 

10- Explore Zurich on a free bicycle

One of the best things to do in Zurich for free is to pick up a free bicycle and explore the city on two wheels. 

You can pick up “Gratis Velo” or a free bike at the bike station at Europaplatz (every day from 8 am to 9.30pm) throughout the year while in summer, there are more stations with bikes.

Download the free app to check for availability and if you’re looking for more than five bikes, it’s possible to reserve them in advance. A deposit of 10 CHF is required for each bike. 

Another way to explore is to join a guided cycling tour around Zurich. 

11- Walk along Bahnhofstrasse

You don’t have to spend a fortune window shopping along Bahnhofstrasse, which is packed with boutiques and shops selling expensive Swiss watches.

Although this street has a reputation for having the most expensive shops in the world, there are still a few options if you’re on a budget.

Look for department stores that sell popular chocolate brands and Swiss street brands like Swatch is a good option to buy something to take home. 

The section of the street near the main station is where you’ll find street brands, so unless you’re planning on splashing some cash stay away from the luxury shops near the lake and Bürkliplatz.

12- Soak in a thermal bath

As Zurich sits on top of mineral springs, which has historically been a drawcard to “take the waters”, soaking in a thermal bath is one of the things to do in Zurich to tick off your list. 

Options range from a treatment in a stylish contemporary Hamman at Stadtbad to bathing in the cellar of a 100-year-old brewery with vaulted stone walls. 

Hürlimann brewery also offers lovely views of the Zurich skyline from the thermal pool on the rooftop. 

13- Go to the Opera

The Zurich Opera House is located on the shore of the left bank and is one of the best opera houses in the world.

The programme is fabulous all year round and it’s quite a treat to watch an opera performed by one of the best opera companies in the world. 

In 2014, it won Best Opera Company of the Year.

If you’re visiting during the end of September, an event to mark on your calendar is the Zurich Opera House Season Opening Party where you can take a guided tour, get behind the scenes and watch a performance all day long. 

14- Eat fondue 

Even though fondue may the kind of food you’d normally eat at home, tasting fondue in the country where it was invented is a special treat.

Did you know that the Swiss created this dish in order to use up stale bread and old cheese in winter when fresh produce was difficult to come by?

These days, fondue is a famous Swiss dish that is eaten all over the world.

While in Zurich, there’s no shortage of places to eat fondue, and you can even go on a cheese fondue cruise on Lake Zurich. 

Here’s a fun Swiss cheese and fondue tour to book

15- Go on a Swiss Banking Tour

Discover why Switzerland is the banking centre of the world on an insider’s walking tour of the city.

The best way to learn about Zurich’s rise is to chat with a local who can recount stories about how banking evolved.

Exploring Bahnhofstrasse, Bürkiplatz and Paradeplatz to discover the secret spots where Swiss Bankers drink, dine and deal. 

Book this Swiss banking tour in Zurich

Looking for more things to do in Europe? Try these cities:

More Things to do In Zurich

By Sarah Holmes

16- Visit The Old Botanical Gardens

A serene oasis in the heart of Zurich since 1837 is the Old Botanical Garden.

This garden was once a private herbarium, however as the city grew around it and shade increased, the gardens were relocated in 1976 to a sunnier and more spacious part of the city.

The Old Botanical Gardens, however, remained behind and is now a recreation ground and arboretum.

Within the grounds are a medieval herb garden, planted with medicinal herbs that would have been used in cures during the 16th century.

The garden is filled with a variety of species of trees, some dating back over 200 years.

The small greenhouse in the gardens is closed to the public, however, its myriad of tropical plants are visible through the glass for you to admire.

The palm house, a spectacular structure of wood and glass built in 1851, is a protected building today and is frequently used as a concert venue and to house art exhibitions. Entry to the Old Botanical Garden is free.

17- Zurich Food Tour

The Zurich food tour is a weekly guided tour through some of the cities best food and drinks locations.

Departing each Friday, and running from 4 pm to 7 pm, this is a perfect way to sample the best cuisine Zurich has to offer.

The tour mainly focuses on the west of the city, which was a former industrial district.

The tour offers visitors small tasters and drinks from the diverse food and drink scene and includes Zurich-made beer.

Facts, figures, anecdotes and stories are shared by your guide as you meander the streets of this up and coming foodie location.

18- Museum für Gestaltung Zürich

The Museum für Gestaltung Zürich is the leading Swiss museum for design and visual communication.

The museum itself sits across two sites, one at Ausstellungsstrasse, and the other at the Toni-Areal.

The museum has collected items of design from posters, graphic design, objects and decorative arts since 1875.

Internationally acclaimed, this design museum houses over half a million objects from the history of design.

Within the museum are the Four Collections; Design, Graphics, Decorative Arts, and Poster.

Each area makes up a part of over 500,000 objects ranging from modern design to historical designs and information on technical developments.

The Four Collections are currently housed at Toni-Areal.

Further collections at the museum include storage furniture, packaging and advertising to name a few.

Set aside a couple of hours to explore this incredible collection, and perhaps even gain some creative inspiration.

19- Lindt Home of Chocolate

Scheduled to open in September 2020, Lindt Home of Chocolate is Switzerland’s new chocolate museum.

On the outskirts of Zurich, this chocolate haven houses the worlds largest Lindt chocolate shop, and a Lindt chocolate fountain standing at over 9 meters tall.

The museum takes visitors through the origins of chocolate and how cocoa came to Europe.

It also explores the cultural significance behind the origins of chocolate in Central America, and how Spanish explorers brought it to European royal courts as a drink.

There is a particular focus on the Swiss chocolate pioneers and their methods of making chocolate into the sweet treat we know and love today.

The Home of Chocolate also houses the pilot plant, where secrets of Lindt chocolate are revealed, and visitors are shown how their world-famous chocolates are created.

You may even get a glimpse of new products as they are created.

Visitors are able to taste unlimited chocolate throughout the museum and tour.

20- Chinese Garden

Another of Zurich’s spectacular green spaces is the Chinese Garden.

The Chinese Garden is by lake Zurichhorn and was given to the city as a gift from the city’s Chinese partner town Kunming in 1994.

The gift is a symbol of thanks for the role that Zurich played in improving and restoring water facilities in Kunming.

The garden features carefully manicured lawns, well-tended shrubbery and in its centre, a pond adorned with small islands, pavilions and a small palace.

The garden follows a theme of Three Friends of Winter and is planted with pine trees, bamboo and plum trees to reflect this.

The garden is classified as a temple garden, and its structures feature red pillars, their tops adorned with decorated lintels, golden tiled roofs and green fencing.

Its careful and well-considered design has gained it recognition as one of the finest gardens outside of China.

21- Pavilion Le Corbusier

Pavilion Le Corbusier is the last work by Le Corbusier, an architect, and stands on the shore of Lake Zurich.

The pavilion is considered an architectural masterpiece, and is often referred to as ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’, or ‘total work of art’.

Le Corbusier was a Swiss-French architect, designer and artist.

The pavilion is one of the only buildings designed by him to be made entirely from steel and glass, which was considered unusual as Le Corbusier often favoured concrete in many of his structures.

The building is brightly coloured, bringing together his passions for art, architecture and life.

Designed in a modular system devised by the architect himself, the building focuses on the anthropometric scale of proportions based on the human body and the golden ratio.

Work began in 1964 and was completed two years after Le Corbusier’s death in 1967.

The building was designed for Heidi Weber, a gallery owner and interior designer, and now houses other famous works of art.

22- Haus Hiltl

Haus Hiltl, founded in 1898, is the worlds oldest vegetarian restaurant according to the Guinness World Records.

The restaurant’s heritage spans four generations of the same family.

Hiltl was founded by Ambrosius Hiltl, who was encouraged to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle by his doctor after filing ill with rheumatism.

Hiltl realised that many vegetarian dishes were often lacking in flavour, and as a diet was not particularly popular at the time.

The restaurant is now one of Zurich’s most trendy restaurants and has often been at the forefront of creative vegetarian dining.

The restaurant prides itself in its wide range of menu items of both vegetarian and vegan cuisine.

They also focus on using regional and local produce and even serve vegan wine.

Hiltl also provides diners with the opportunity to recreate its dishes at home, either through purchasing produce at its shop next door to the restaurant or by taking part in one of their cooking courses.

For more amazing European Landmarks, read:

Zurich travel tips

Save money with a 24 or 72-hour ZürichCARD

The card offers free admission to museums in Zurich along with transport on trams, buses, trains, boats and cableways.  A 24-hour card costs 20CHF ($21); a 72-hour card costs 40CHF ($42).

Use free Wifi

Free Wi-Fi is available right through the city and the Old Town, so sign up for the Wi-Fi and use Skype to call home. 

Things to do in Zurich Switzerland

Things to do in Zurich Switzerland 2

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Christina Pfeiffer
Christina Pfeiffer is a writer, photographer and video blogger based in Queensland, Australia. She has lived in three continents and her career as a travel journalist has taken her to all seven continents. Since 2003, she has contributed travel stories and photographs to mainstream media in Australia and around the world such as the Sydney Morning Herald, CNN Traveller, The Australian and the South China Morning Post. She has won many travel writing awards and is a full member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers.