I'm looking to plan a trip to Zurich and have a few questions.

How widely is English and French spoken in Zurich? I know German is spoken extensively there, but I can't speak it.

How long is enough to spend there? ( it'll be my first time there)

Any must see/do things:
History/culture?
Food?
Nightlife/adults only ?

Thanks,

Tom

Everyone I've run into in Zürich speaks English, though I mostly use German when there.

Can't help with trip plans because I have little use for Zürich and only stomach it if I have to on my way to Africa. There are lots of others here, though, who enjoy that part of the world and who can help you with your plans.

As StCirq siad, English won't be a problem.

I'm a fan of Zurich, but don't see how I could possibly tell you what to see or how long to spend there -- that depends entirely on your interests and preferences and the rest of your itinerary. Any decent guidebook should give you the information you need to plan your visit.

For a high-end meal, consider Zunfthaus zur Waag.

Thanks, kja,
I appreciate the recommendation.
I'm thinking 7 to 10 days -- leaving to returning
I love food -- factory tours, but nothing commercialized -- I would rather have an artisan/family run experience and not a corporate experience

I'm sure you realize that Switzerland has at least 4 distinct regions, with different languages, different cuisines, different cultures, etc. -- which means that the foods and their production vary from area to area.

Again, I think you would do well to consult a good guidebook. The cost will be nugatory in comparison to your trip, and you will learn things you wouldn't otherwise even know to ask. And for that matter, you can consult guidebooks in your local library or bookstore.

Good luck!

Thanks, kja.

Yes, Zurich borders Germany, so it has their influence. Geneva is near France so they speak French, etc.

I wasn't sure if locals or travelers to Switzerland might be able to provide their experience and see if the guidebooks are on point or may have missed a few gems.....

I found guidebooks like the Michelin Green and Rough Guide very much on point.
For our personal experiences, you could read our trip reports.

I would kill myself if I were in Zürich for 7 days.

Zürich is a pleasant city, but very boring.

Two days are enough. More than enough.

Thin,aristocrat 📢

7-10 days is indeed way too long for Zürich, but Zürich is the main hub of the excelllent Swiss railway network so once you had enough of the city(after 1-2 days) it's very easy to do daytrips to other places in Switzerland. That said unless you have to stay in Zürich for some reason(free accomodation?) the entire time, it would make more sense to travel around the country and spend the nights at various places.

"I wasn't sure if locals or travelers to Switzerland might be able to provide their experience and see if the guidebooks are on point or may have missed a few gems"

Any guideboook worth its salt covers 90% of places of interest. If you want a more extensive research than that covering any possible aspect of interest I would suggest Wikipedia.

If you'd care to name your personal interests some of us may help you. For example I can suggest you some interesting stuff(which is may missed by guidebooks) in the field of transport should you be interested in that. But you have to make the first move beceuse we don't want to waste our(and your) time suggesting sights/experiences you don't care about. I mean I would be totally thrilled to see a freight train crossing the street in downtown Zürich, but I'm sure that 99% of people couldn't care less about that.


"Nightlife/adults only ?"

I'm afraid that discussing this topic is not tolerated on this forum. All I can say is that you can certainly find anything/anyone your "heart" desires in Zürich, but you can find the same experience at a lower price almost anywhere else in the world.

I think I have made my reactions to Zürich clear in past posts. I can take a few days in Switzerland, even if my pocketbook cannot, but more than a couple of days in Zürich and I"m totally bent out of shape. I loathe their cheesey cuisine and think 7-10 days there would be the European vacation from Hell.

I suppose you know that Zurich, the biggest city of Switzerland, is the main transport hub of the country and a center for all kinds of shops and services, but that Zurich is BY FAR not among the most interesting or even scenic places of Switzerland.
So, all depends on your interests.

I suspect that we each have our own unique experiences of the places we visit. I'm VERY glad that my experience of Zurich was not like StCirq's! I found Zurich to be a city of great culture, with wonderful art and history museums, and stunning art and architecture and gardens, and lovely vistas along the river and lake. In Zurich and elsewhere in Switzerland, I dined exceedingly well. And throughout my month In Switzerland, I was treated with unfailing kindness and courtesy. Personally, I wouldn't stay in Zurich for a week or more without a very specific reason, but then, I don't mind relocating with frequency. For those who want a base, one could do far worse than Zurich -- as neckervd has already noted, it's a major transportation hub.

Yes, well, isn't it true that everyone has their own personal reaction to places they visit? I hated Budapest after spending 8 downcast post-Communist dispirited glum days there dealing with sour people who seemed like they needed something more than a goulash to make them smile. People get all yippee about visiting Hungary, but it's a fairly unpleasant place these days.

Zurich just grates on me. I don't find the people nice, I hate the prices, I don't like the food, and I'm not at all fond of people who are zenophobic.

Well, I enjoyed Zurich: https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...ecting-zurich/ (I enjoyed Budapest so much I've been several times, so definitely YMMV.)

However, I would not spend a week there, never mind ten days. I can't imagine spending that long in Switzerland without visiting the mountains (I would stay in Murren) and taking one of the classic railway routes (note that regular trains run the same routes as the expensive tourist trains).

BTW, there are cultures, notably America, where people smile at strangers on the street. There are cultures, notably Russia, where they do not. That has nothing whatever to do with how people behave in private, nor whether they are xenophobic. It is one of those cultural differences I thought we were supposed to celebrate.

I am with kja and thursdaysd on this re: Zürich. I love the city. Three or four days in a row are perfect, then I'd move on to the mountains.

English is widely spoken all over Switzerland, particularly so in the German speaking part of our country. And even more so by anyone who works in anything to do with travel. English is less spoken - but you will certainly find plenty who do speak it - in the Suisse Romande aside from Geneva.

You will not recognise the dialekt of German that is spoken in Zürich (and the many other ones in other parts of Switzerland). It is German. But it is Swiss German and varies from place to place. Just speak English!

Zürich is a lovely city with a lot on offer. Check its Tourist Office site out for walking tours. They have some very creative ones - www.zuerich.com But move on from there after a night or two. See other parts of the country - the mountains, the lakes etc. The National Tourist office has a good website that has some draft itineraries - www.myswitzerland.com

For travel here use www.sbb.ch/en You could consider getting a Swiss Travel Pass which gives unlimited travel to all inhabited places and discounted travel above those plus free entrance to some 500 museums OR a half Fare card - 50% off all train, bus, cable car (in almost all cases) tickets. Or that combined with Saver Day passes. Information about all these is on the SBB site.

You might enjoy these impressions of Zurich, but please note the date; details of prices and restaurants will not be accurate.

Zurich "Who goes there?"

Who said "Zurich borders Germany?' FIRST mistake.

Zurich gets panned a lot because: (1) it's expensive; (2) it's not in a scenic part of one of the most scenic countries in Europe; (3) if you like art and cultural, you can find more of both in other European cities, so if art and culture is your priority, Zurich is usually way down the list of European cities to visit; and (4), it is FREAKIN' EXPENSIVE (yes, I said that twice, which corresponds to the rate you will pay for just about everything in Zurich as compared to other European cities).

There's noting wrong with spending part of a Swiss trip in Zurich, but to spend your entire 7-10 days in Zurich (or using that as your base) doesn't make sense to most folks. Go look at some of the trip reports posted by folks who have responded to see how other folks like to divide their time in Switzerland.

Actually Zürich doesn't need to be expensive if you know where to stay and where to eat. (Of course it is easy to spend 100frs/person for a lunch anywhere here in Switzerland or to spend over 1000frs/night on accommodation but you do not have to!) Add maybe "how to eat" as well because many restaurants have daily (M-F) lunch specials - Tagesteller - offering sometimes 2 or 3 courses for 20-25frs and that, as all restaurant prices here, includes the service and tax. Can be even cheaper if you eat in one of the Manora self service restaurants where food is freshly prepared, there is a great salad bar etc.

Most of us Swiss eat our main meal at lunchtime. Follow our example and then have a light supper. You will save money! For inexpensive accommodation see www.youthhostels.ch and www.bnb.ch Also search on www.zuerich.com

For me the big negative about Zürich is its location IF you wish to travel in central Switzerland or in the Alps. It is relatively far north. But for exploring northern and north eastern Switzerland it works well.
Zürich has wonderful museums and galleries - but not nearly as many as Basel. The Altstadt or Old town area in Zürich is very elegant and is on both sides of the Limmat river.