Anybody who has read my post about a day trip to Liechtenstein will know that Zurich was a somewhat accidental trip, booked in a hurry after our original planned holiday in Krakow was thwarted thanks to flight cancellations. I’m a great believer in the saying “every cloud has a silver lining”, and whilst we still plan to go to Krakow (or possibly a different Polish city) in the future, our alternative turned out to be a great choice.
Getting to the city centre from the airport was easy. There are two main options by public transport – a train or a tram. As we arrived late in the evening we decided that the train was a better option as it was quicker, then took the more interesting tram route on the way back. Our hotel was just around the corner from the main railway station, and in fact we quite often opt for accommodation near the main transport hubs as it’s so convenient. We were also right next to Bahnhofstrasse, the main shopping street, a fantastic tree lined boulevard perfect for a stroll, albeit full of mainly designer stores that are rather out of our price range, although I did treat myself to a Swatch watch.
On our first day of exploration we took the Polybahn up to the university. The Polybahn originally opened in 1889 and is a funicular railway with a very frequent, and cheap, service up the hill, once at the top there are wonderful views across the city from the university terrace. It’s only a short ride but we always enjoy funicular railways.
After descending we had a walk around Niederdorf, which is the old town district of narrow streets and has a good selection of eateries, popular at nighttime as well as during the day. We then crossed the river and went up to Lindenhof, a public square which is another great viewpoint.
In the afternoon we walked along Bahnhofstrasse right to the end where Lake Zurich begins, it was a hot day (mid 30’s) and the bathing area in a lakeside park was unsurprisingly packed with people cooling off. Very different to our previous visit to Switzerland which was to Basel one February, where the temperature hovered around zero and we struggled to keep warm on a riverside walk. The lakeside seemed like a part of the city that would be very enjoyable at any time of the year, with lovely views and plenty of activity on the water.
We then visited the nearby FIFA Museum, which had nicely presented exhibits including lots of football memorabilia and a variety of video games to play.
The neighbouring Enge railway station is worth a quick look as it’s quite an interesting building.
Eating out can be quite expensive in Switzerland and so I did a bit of research before going, to see if I could find some restaurants that were slightly more reasonable. The selection that I found included an Asian fusion restaurant, a very good Italian and a Chinese. Whilst the prices at these were definitely more than we’d pay back home, we noticed that restaurants have got so much more expensive now in the UK that the difference isn’t as much as it used to be. I tried Rivella which I’d never seen before but is apparently the quintessential Swiss fizzy drink. I’m not too sure how to describe it but probably the closest comparison I can make is to Irn-Bru.
On the subject of drinks, I liked the fact that there are lots of fountains throughout the city that aren’t just ornamental, but can also be used for drinking. We saw quite a few people filling up their bottles, especially welcome in the hot weather.
The following day we went on a day trip to Liechtenstein. I’ve already written a blog post about this so won’t go into much detail here, but it was an easy journey involving a train to Sargans followed by a bus to the capital, Vaduz. It’s a very scenic journey and one that I’d highly recommend.
I’ve already mentioned Lake Zurich, and on our final full day we walked along a different part of it, ending up at a pleasant park which included the Le Corbusier Pavilion and the China Garden. We didn’t go inside the Le Corbusier house, actually the last ever constructed by the renowned architect, but there is plenty to appreciate from the exterior. The China Garden is a beautiful area of ornate landscaping and buildings which is free to enter.
On our walk by the lake we had spotted some divers, and on the way back it became clear what they had been diving for. There was a collection of items that had been retrieved from the lake, I don’t know all the details but presume this is something that happens periodically, it was quite poignant to see these everyday objects that had been rescued from the depths and would make a good art installation in a gallery.
Which brings me nicely to the final place we visited in Zurich, the Museum für Gestaltung or Design Museum. This had a variety of exhibits encompassing fashion, furniture, posters etc, and was a nice place to spend an hour or so out of the rain (the heatwave was rapidly on its way out by this point). You could even sit on a lot of the furniture and browse through a selection of books on art and design.
On our return to the airport we had plenty of time to spare and so took the tram, which gradually trundles up through mainly residential areas and is a good way to see a bit more of the city. The centre of Zurich is pleasantly walkable and so we didn’t need to use it at any other point, and the process of buying tickets for either the tram or train from the ticket machine was very simple.
Zurich makes a perfect destination for a short break, and a great base for train travel further out into Switzerland and particularly up into the mountains, which is something we would like to do more of in the future.
rhtravels 
Thanks for sharing, your trips looks lovely, you did a lot which seems to be great , I might add this to my itinerary for a interrailing trip 🙂
It’s a lovely city and definitely worth a visit, especially as it’s so well connected by train.