We spent a week driving across Switzerland, from the French border to the Italian border, and back. The trip was primarily to drop our daughter and some equipment at a laboratory near Zurich, but we did plenty of sightseeing along the way, including a visit to Zurich, with an add on trip to Uetliberg, the mountain which overlooks the city.
How to get to Zurich
Zurich is well connected by air, road and rail. The airport is located 6 miles north of the city, with a regular direct train service between the two. Accommodation in Zurich is expensive. We opted to stay nearby in Horgen and take the train in to Zurich. The city has an extensive, clean and efficient train service. Tickets are, however, a bit pricey.
Getting around Zurich
The old town and surrounding attractions can easily be explored on foot. My itinerary covers a two mile loop starting/finishing at the station. From here, we took the 20 minute train journey to Uetliberg in the mountains.
Where to stay in Zurich
As mentioned above, accommodation in Zurich is expensive. We opted to stay in Horgen, a lakeside town 9 miles south of Zurich. Although I would recommend Horgen as a good option location wise, the apartment we stayed at is no longer taking bookings – which is probably just as well…
Zurich in 1 Day Itinerary
| Day 1 | Zurich Train to Zurich Zurich Hauptbahnhof Altstadt Fraumünster Grossmünster Kunsthaus Picnic by the River Limmat Lake Zurich Uetliberg Observation Tower Planet Trail |
Zurich Day 1
Today, we’re going to visit Zurich, which is 9 miles to the north of our accommodation in Horgen, with a regular direct train service between the two.
Train to Zurich
I purchase 3 return tickets, which are so expensive I wonder briefly if I’ve accidentally bought the train. The nice lady in the ticket office explains that she’s giving us tickets to Uetliberg, because they’re the same price as Zurich and Uetliberg is a nice place to visit in the mountains.
Zurich Hauptbahnhof
We arrive at Zurich Hauptbahnhof (Central Station). Dating back to 1871, the station serves up to 2,915 trains per day, making it one of the busiest stations in the world. The historic building also has some more recent additions of modern art.
Altstadt
We spend the morning in Zurich, exploring the Altstadt (Old Town) with its cobbled streets lined with old buildings.
Fraumünster
The 13th Century Fraumünster is renowned for its stunning stained glass windows designed by artist Marc Chagall.
Grossmünster
Then we cross the Münsterbrücke bridge to the Grossmünster. Founded by Charlemagne in the 9th Century, the twin towered cathedral is a landmark of the city. It sits directly opposite the Fraumünster.
Kunsthaus
Next, we visit the Kunsthaus. The Kunsthaus is an excellent art gallery with lots of works by artists even the old man has heard of. My favourite is a painting of the Kunsthaus, so I am looking at a picture of people looking at the pictures I’m looking at…
The Kunsthaus is open daily except Monday, from 10 am until 6 pm (8 pm on Thursday). Adult entry costs CHF 24 (around £23). There is an additional charge to see special exhibitions.
Picnic by the River Limmat
Daughter no 2 wants to go to a restaurant for lunch. The old man moans about the price and insists on going to a supermarket and having a picnic by the River Limmat, which runs through the city. Daughter no 2 says she wishes we were a normal family. She has a point – the old man buys chicken noodles which he proceeds to eat with his fingers, before washing his hands and face in a fountain.
Lake Zurich
At the southern end of the city, the River Limmat runs into Lake Zurich. The large glacial extends two miles south east of Zurich. It dominates the city; you can walk along its shores, take a boat ride on it or go swimming at one of the Seebads lining its shoreline.
Uetliberg
We decide to take the nice lady’s advice and catch the train to Uetliberg; a mountain which rises 500m above Zurich. From the summit, you get a great view of the city, Lake Zurich, and the mountains beyond.
Observation Tower
A 10 minute walk up the hill from the station brings you to an Observation Tower, which you can climb for an even better view.
The tower forms part of the Uto Kulm restaurant complex. It costs 5 CHF to climb (around £5).
Planet Trail
After refreshments, we decide to follow the Planet Trail, which runs up the hill from the station. It’s a walk through the solar system at a scale of a 1:1,000,000,000. This means that we are walking at twice the speed of light and the sun is the size of a spacehopper. We set off from the sun (which is just a 4 minute walk from the station) past Mercury, Venus and Earth, which are the size of pinheads. If you want to get all the way to Neptune, it’s a 3 mile walk, so allow a couple of hours to get there and back.
We make it as far as Saturn, before catching the train back to Zurich to spend the rest of the beautiful sunny relaxing on the shore and swimming in Lake Zurich.
- Trip taken: June 2019
- Updated: November 2025
I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.
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