BACKGROUND

My wife and I have a layover in ZRH Airport early October this year via Swiss Air landing at 6:10am with a Swiss Air flight to FCO at 5:45pm. This leaves us with about 11h layover and about 8.5h in the city by my estimates.

CURRENT PLAN

6:10-6:45am deplane / pray bags are checked through / get ZurichCard

6:45am Train to City Centre

7am Breakfast - where?

8am In no particular order - Market / Banhofstrasse / Cruise? Lunch? / Other activities?

3:15pm Train back to ZRH

3:45pm-5:45pm Hang at ZRH till flight

QUESTIONS

- Does timing look about right?

- With the ZurichCard - I understand it covers the train, but does that mean that’s all I need or do I need to purchase something using the ZuirchCard to do the round trip?

- Breakfast recommendations at 7am?

- The day in the city

- Any recommendations on order of activities, how much time we spend in different places and additional sites?

- I keep reading about different boats/cruises, but I can’t tell which one is best and available during that time of the year and if they are covered by ZurichCard, how long they are, and if they return to the original location

- Recommendations on experiencing the Tram?

- We’re foodies, recommendations on lunch spots? Snack locations?

- Would a SIM card for such a short trip be recommended?

Open to any other suggestions or tips or things we should be aware of doing a layover trip through ZRH would be great. Thanks!

For lunch, you might consider the Zunfthaus our Waag. Reservations recommended (and perhaps essential).

I love Zurich for a quick trip!
Main train station is Zurich Hauptbahnhof. Airport is Flughafen. Train station is across the street from Airport luggage claim.
HB is at the northern end of Lake Zurich.
If you choose to exit there, follow Bahnhofstrasse, or the river, to the southern end. No shops will be open that early besides cafes and bakeries.
I like Cafe Felix, at the southern end for breakfast or lunch splurge.

IF you choose to go there, do not exit the train at Hauptbahnhof, but stay on a stop (or 2?) longer to Buerkiplatz. This would save you the walk.
Boats also board at Buerkliplatz area.
Check www.zsg.ch for boat schedules.
Summer schedule runs from April through October 20.
I highly recommend a trip to the town of Rapperswil. Boats depart 9:30, 10:30 and 11:15 am, fitting your schedule, arriving 11:20, 12:25 or 13:15.
I would probably not take the boat back (too long).
Rather, after checking out the castle views from above town (interior now houses a polish museum-underwhelming IMHO), the deer park, Capuchin monastery with Rose Garden, and maybe grabbing a bite to eat, train back directly to the airport (?30 minutes or so).

Correction to some bad info I gave...
The stop for Teuschers Feliz Cafe is STADELHOFEN.
All trains from the airport require a change at Hauptbahnhof (main station, in the city) for Stadelhofen.
Other excellent breakfast cafes include Schobers and Spruengli.
If you prefer to stay in Zurich, click on my name to read a trip report of things I did/saw (2010) in Zurich and Rapperswil.
Of course, you already know that train schedules can be accessed at rail.ch/English.
Gave a great trip!

I found more than enough to keep me happily busy in Zurich itself for several days.

Hi lon247,

I also recommend the lake cruise to Rapperswil, an absolutely lovely little town. I would have a meal at one of the cafes that hug the little harbor.

Have fun as you plan!

s

As I recall all of those lake boats have schedules coordinated with train arrivals and departures. Last year we took one of the boat trips and returned to Zurich by train and it was easily done. As to "praying" that "our luggage is checked through" there is no need to pray...ask the check-in counter agent to verify it before you give any luggage up.