UltimateCity Guide Zurich
Our favourites
The Limmat flowing into the city from the Quaibrücke: the Fraumünster and St Peter on the left bank, the Grossmünster’s twin towers on the right, under a summer sky The twin towers of the Grossmünster above the Limmatquai, with a lake boat moored on the river

The city guide to Zurich, Switzerland

Best of Zurich

The Limmat and its two minsters, Chagall’s windows and the Kunsthaus, the Bahnhofstrasse and Sprüngli’s Luxemburgerli, the lake and the Uetliberg, Baur au Lac and The Dolder Grand, and the city’s MICHELIN stars: Zurich, checked place by place.

Launch edition · Autumn 2026

Where to eatWhat to see
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Your trusted, one‑stop guide to Zurich

Zurich is a city on a river and a lake: an Old Town of two minsters on the Limmat, the Bahnhofstrasse running down to the water, and the Alps on the horizon. Here are the grand hotels and the MICHELIN stars, the museums and the music, the Old Town, Seefeld, Zurich West, Enge, Kreis 4, Oerlikon and the Zürichberg, the trams, trains and boats, and day trips to Lucerne, the Rhine Falls, the Rigi and Pilatus, St. Moritz and Basel. We’ve checked every listing against the venue’s own website or an official source, and we leave out anything we can’t confirm.

Zurich, the city on the Limmat: the back story

In depth

The city on the Limmat

Zurich·In depth

The Grossmünster and the Fraumünster, the Lindenhof, the lake promenade and the Uetliberg: how to read Zurich.

Read the story

Zurich by area

From the Old Town to the Zürichberg, each quarter has its own guide: the two banks of the Limmat, the Bahnhofstrasse, the lakeside Seefeld, Zurich West, Enge, Kreis 4, Oerlikon and the green hill of the Dolder.

The colourful façades of the Limmatquai on the right bank of the Old Town, below the Predigerkirche spireArea guideAltstadt & NiederdorfThe Old TownA Zurich tram at dusk under the flags of the BahnhofstrasseArea guideBahnhofstrasse & ParadeplatzThe boulevardThe lakeside promenade on the Utoquai on a summer evening, with swans and the Alps beyondArea guideSeefeld & the lakeThe eastern shoreThe green glass Prime Tower in Zurich West, with the Alps on the horizon in evening lightArea guideZurich WestThe industrial quarter rebornThe Villa Wesendonck of the Museum Rietberg, with its pond and lawns in the RieterparkArea guideEnge & WollishofenThe western shore

By tram

Stay near a tram line: the trams reach every quarter in minutes, and the Zürich Card covers them, the S-Bahn and the lake boats.

  1. Area guideKreis 4 & LangstrasseNightlife and new cooking
  2. Area guideOerlikonThe north and the airport
  3. Area guideZürichberg & the DolderThe green hill

Plan your trip

The practical things to know before you go: entry and Swiss francs, the airport train, the trams and the Zürich Card, and itineraries for a first visit.

The great arched hall of Zürich Hauptbahnhof, the main railway stationBefore you goZurich essentialsEntry, money, the airport and the Zürich CardA blue-and-white Zurich tram on line 15 at the Helmhaus stopGetting aroundBy tram, train and boatThe ZVV, SBB and the lake shipsThe vaulted nave and organ of the Fraumünster in ZurichItineraryThree days in ZurichThe classic first visitThe turrets and timbered gables of The Dolder Grand on the Zürichberg, in summerLuxury guideLUX LivingThe finest addressesThe Storchen on the Limmat, with the riverside terrace of La Rôtisserie, beside the WeinplatzItineraryThe Gold weekendThe Storchen, IGNIV and La Rôtisserie
  1. ItineraryThe Platinum weekendThe Dolder Grand and two Two-Star tables

Our advice

Arrive by train, travel by tram

Trains run from the airport station to Zürich HB in minutes; from there the trams, S-Bahn and boats of the ZVV cover the city and the lake. Buy a Zürich Card for 24 or 72 hours. Zurich essentials

Beyond the city

Lucerne and its mountains, the Rhine Falls, St. Moritz and Basel, all within reach by train from Zürich HB.

The Chapel Bridge and its Water Tower on the Reuss in Lucerne, hung with flowersBeyond the cityLucerne, the Rigi & PilatusThe Chapel Bridge and the mountainsThe Rhine Falls in full spate below Schloss Laufen, with a train crossing the bridgeBeyond the cityThe Rhine FallsEurope’s largest waterfallLake St. Moritz reflecting the mountains of the Engadin in autumnBeyond the citySt. Moritz & the EngadinThe Alpine resort
  1. Beyond the cityBaselThe Minster on the Rhine

Our advice

Climb above the fog

In November, when fog lies on the city, the Uetliberg is often above it: take the S10 (from Selnau until 12 December 2026) for sunshine over a sea of cloud. The Uetliberg

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In depth: Zurich’s back stories

Zurich cuisine, the city on the Limmat, Dada and Chagall, eating, the grand hotels, film, the trams and trains and where to buy: the stories behind the city.

Christmas market stalls lit on a square in Zurich’s Old TownChristmas & New YearChristmas in ZurichThe markets, the Singing Christmas Tree and the fireworksZürcher Geschnetzeltes, veal in a cream sauce with mushrooms, served with golden RöstiEatZurich CuisineGeschnetzeltes, Rösti, Luxemburgerli and TirggelThe Limmat in Zurich under a clear blue sky, with the Fraumünster spire, St Peter’s clock tower and the twin towers of the GrossmünsterFeatureZurich, the classic and the newOld money, new energy, the lake and the table

In 2026–27

Several places are being renovated or moved: the Grossmünster until 2029, Honold until mid-2027, and Beyer’s museum until autumn 2027. Check before you go.

  1. FeatureZurich on filmThe Zurich Film Festival and the city’s own comedies
  2. The back storyDada, Chagall and Le CorbusierThe museums and the music

Beyond Zurich with the ULTIMATE guides

Lake Como and Milan through the Gotthard, St. Moritz on the Ski Resorts guide, and the great train journeys of the world.

ULTIMATE Lake ComoLake ComoSouth through the GotthardULTIMATE MilanMilanDirect trains from Zürich HB

The ULTIMATE City Guides around the world

See all Europe

Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.

Canal houses and bridges in Amsterdamthe NetherlandsULTIMATE AmsterdamThe canal ring, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, canal-house hotels, twenty MICHELIN-starred tables, brown cafés, and day trips to Haarlem and Keukenhof.The Alhambra in Granada in the evening lightSpainULTIMATE AndalusiaSeville, Granada and the Alhambra, Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz and Jerez, Ronda and the white villages, Doñana and Cabo de Gata.The floodlit Acropolis and Parthenon at dusk, seen from Philopappos HillGreeceULTIMATE AthensThe Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.The road winding out to the lighthouse on Cap de Formentor, Mallorca, above the open seaSpainULTIMATE Balearic IslandsMallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera side by side, and how to hop between them by ferry.The Sagrada Família lit up at nightSpainULTIMATE BarcelonaGaudí and the Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter, four Three-Star MICHELIN kitchens, the beaches and day trips to Montserrat and Girona.Belgrade's old town and the spire of the Cathedral Church of St Michael above the Sava at sunsetSerbiaULTIMATE BelgradeWhere the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.

See all 81 guides

HOT TOPICS · Have Your Say

The latest from our readers: visitors and locals talking about Zurich, its restaurants, theatres, museums and neighbourhoods.

    Have your say in HOT TOPICS

    This week's pick

    Fraumünster

    Altstadt·Church

    The Fraumünster, founded in 853, holds Marc Chagall’s five chancel windows and Augusto Giacometti’s window in the north transept. Go in the morning, when the light comes through the chancel.

    Find out more

    Every list in the guide

    Plan your day

    Café tables under the stone arches of Im Viadukt in Zurich WestItineraryZurich West and the new cityOne dayA blue Rigi railway train climbing through snow above Lake Lucerne, with Pilatus beyondItineraryBy rail: Lucerne and a mountainOne day, by trainLa Réserve Eden au Lac on the Utoquai, its domed belle-époque façade seen from the lakeItineraryA property viewing day: the Zürichberg, Seefeld and EngeOne day

    Know your neighbourhoods

    Our favourites right now

    Restaurants

    1. 1Eating in Zurich: the back storyZurich · In depth
    2. 2Zurich CuisineZurich · In depth: food
    3. 3The RestaurantZürichberg · Restaurant
    See all 54

    Cafés

    1. 1Confiserie Sprüngli, ParadeplatzBahnhofstrasse & Paradeplatz · Confiserie and café
    2. 2Confiserie HonoldBahnhofstrasse & Paradeplatz · Confiserie
    3. 3Café & Conditorei 1842Altstadt · Café and patisserie
    See all 7

    Bars

    1. 1Widder BarAltstadt · Hotel bar
    2. 2Kronenhalle BarAltstadt · Classic bar
    3. 3CloudsZurich West · Bar and restaurant
    See all 8

    Hotels

    1. 1The grand hotels of Zurich: the back storyZurich · In depth
    2. 2Baur au LacBahnhofstrasse & Paradeplatz · Grand hotel
    3. 3The Dolder GrandZürichberg · Grand hotel and spa
    See all 17

    Sights

    1. 1Zurich, the city on the Limmat: the back storyZurich · In depth
    2. 2GrossmünsterAltstadt · Church
    3. 3FraumünsterAltstadt · Church
    See all 13

    Arts & Culture

    1. 1Zurich, the city of Dada, Chagall and Le Corbusier: the back storyZurich · In depth
    2. 2Kunsthaus ZürichAltstadt · Art museum
    3. 3Museum RietbergEnge & Wollishofen · Art museum
    See all 20

    Parks

    1. 1The Chinese GardenSeefeld · Garden
    2. 2Botanical Garden of the University of ZurichSeefeld · Botanical garden
    3. 3The Old Botanical GardenBahnhofstrasse & Paradeplatz · Historic garden
    See all 7

    Walks

    1. 1The Planet Trail: Uetliberg to FelseneggUetliberg · Walk
    2. 2The Old Town, both banksAltstadt · Walk
    3. 3The Bahnhofstrasse to the lakeBahnhofstrasse & Paradeplatz · Walk
    See all 6

    Shopping

    1. 1BahnhofstrasseBahnhofstrasse & Paradeplatz · Shopping street
    2. 2Globus BahnhofstrasseBahnhofstrasse & Paradeplatz · Department store
    3. 3Beyer Watches & JewelleryBahnhofstrasse & Paradeplatz · Watches and jewellery
    See all 9

    Health

    1. 1Emergency numbers: 144, 117, 118, 112Zurich · Emergency numbers
    2. 2University Hospital Zurich (USZ)Altstadt · Hospital
    3. 3Stadtspital Zürich TriemliEnge & Wollishofen · Hospital
    See all 11

    Property

    1. 1Buying in Zurich: the back storyZurich · In depth
    2. 2Notariate im Kanton ZürichZurich · Official step
    3. 3Lex Koller: buying as a person abroadZurich · Official rule
    See all 6

    Developments

    1. 1Kunsthaus Zürich extensionAltstadt · Development
    2. 2EuropaalleeKreis 4 & Langstrasse · Development
    3. 3The Circle at Zurich AirportKloten · Development
    See all 7

    Cars

    1. 1Mobility car sharingZurich · Car sharing
    2. 2Taxi 444Zurich · Taxi
    3. 37x7 FahrdiensteZurich · Taxi and limousine service
    See all 6

    Getting Around

    1. 1Zurich by tram, train and boat: the back storyZurich · In depth
    2. 2ZVV: Zurich transport networkZurich · Public transport
    3. 3Zürich CardZurich · City pass
    See all 9