We spent a week driving across Switzerland, from the French border to the Italian border, and back. This included a visit to Zurich, with an add on trip to Uetliberg, the mountain which overlooks the city. Here is my pick of the top 10 things to do on a visit to Zurich.
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: Top 10 Things to do
| 1 | See the Hauptbahnhof |
| 2 | Wander round the Altstadt |
| 3 | Admire the imposing Fraumünster |
| 4 | Admire the equally imposing Grossmünster |
| 5 | Enjoy the art at the Kunsthaus |
| 6 | Picnic by the River Limmat |
| 7 | Stroll round/swim in Lake Zurich |
| 8 | Take a train to Uetliberg |
| 9 | Climb the Observation Tower |
| 10 | Follow the Planet Trail |
No 1 – See the Hauptbahnhof
Many visitors to Zurich arrive at the 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 and is worth a peek, even if you don’t travel by train.
No 2 – Wander round the Altstadt
Spend some time exploring the Altstadt (Old Town) with its cobbled streets lined with old buildings.
No 3 – Admire the imposing Fraumünster
The 13th Century Fraumünster is renowned for its stunning stained glass windows designed by artist Marc Chagall.
No 4 – Admire the equally imposing Grossmünster
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.
No 5 – Enjoy the art at 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). A regular adult entry costs CHF 24 (around £23). There is an additional charge to see special exhibitions.
No 6 – Picnic by the River Limmat
The River Limmat runs through the city into Lake Zurich. There are plenty of benches along the tree lined bank, where you can enjoy a picnic as you watch the world go by.
No 7 – Stroll round/swim in 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.
We opted for Sportbad Käpfnach; a 50 metre open air pool with adjacent lake swimming area. You can relax on the grassy bank and swim in the pool or the lake, which also offers a raft and trampoline. Other facilities include a playground, volleyball, table tennis and a restaurant.
The Sportbad is open between May and September, with an adult day ticket costing 5 CHF (around £5).
No 8 – Take a train to Uetliberg
When we purchased our return tickets to Zurich, the nice lady in the ticket office explained that she’d given us tickets to Uetliberg, because they’re the same price as Zurich and Uetliberg is a nice place to visit in the mountains. We decided to take the nice lady’s advice and caught the train to Uetliberg; a mountain which rises 500 metres above Zurich. From the summit, you get a great view of the city, Lake Zurich, and the mountains beyond.
No 9 – Climb the 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).
No 10 – Follow the Planet Trail
The Planet Trail 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 you are walking at twice the speed of light and the sun is the size of a space hopper. 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.
I hope you found the above information useful. For more top picks from other destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full Top 10 Things To Do list here.
- Trip taken: June 2019
- Updated: November 2025
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