Zurich sighseeing in one day
 

Hello,
I am landing in Zurich in the morning at around 8ish and will be going to Chur that evening to catch the Glacier Express the next morning. I will not be returning to Zurich and wanted to get some suggestion on sighseeing in Zurich? I was considering taking a guided walking tour of Zurich. Is that good enough or are there any suggestions?

Thanks

Several years ago we had an overnight in Zurich en route to Rome and the hotel arranged a city tour for us. I've checked my album for that trip and it was made through Zurich Excursions; www.zurich-excursions.ch; [email protected]

I found their brochure and they offer "A walk through the old town." We did a bus tour which we were very satisfied with. The highlight for us was the visit to Fraumunster Church, where we saw the Chagall windows.

As I said, this was some years ago, but hopefully this information is still valid.

You can have a very nice inexpensive guided walking tour of Zurich by taking the one from the train station TI--it will show you the basic highlights.

You can have a very nice inexpensive guided old town walking tour of Zurich by taking the one from the train station TI--it will show you the basic highlights. You can walk back to the train station at the end of the tour down the Bahnhofstrasse-- a very pleasant walk with nice shops and restaurants.

You can store your bags for the day at the main train station (Hautbanhof) either in coin-operated lockers on the lower level, or in the attended baggage room on the main level. For the latter, look for a sign with a suitcase, the baggage room is at the end of the main hall on the left (with the tracks behind you).

A walking tour is an excellent idea, as much of the old town is pedestrian-only, so you would miss a lot on a bus tour. Not sure which tour you have looked at, the tourist office in the main train station (Hautbanhof) has English language guided walking tours on Saturdays at 11 am & 3 pm. They cost about US$15 and last about 2 hours. You don’t need a reservation, just show up at the tourist service office in the hautbanhof a few minutes before the tour. For information, e-mail the tourist service at [email protected], or go to http://www.zuerich.com/sightseeing.

If you want to do your own walk, take a look at the suggested itinerary for Zurich put together by Fodors on this site, click on "Destinations" above and scroll down to Zurich. Both sides of the river are lovely cobblestone-street areas with restaurants, shops and architecture ranging from Medeavl to Renaissance to modern. (Remember to look up from time to time or you will miss the oriel windows, window boxes and roof terraces.) My favourite walk would be to go down the Banhofstrasse from the main train station, take a left onto Renweg (a charming street) and head up to the Lindenhof (take the first left off Renweg, then look for signs) to see this pretty shaded square with a fine view over the river. Then walk over to St Peter's church, which I think is on the prettiest square in Zurich. From St Peters head down hill to the river (look for Thermgasse which has some small remains of Roman baths) and onto the Fraumunster (Chagal windows) and Grossmunster. Climb the tower of the Grossmunster for excellent views of the city, lake and Alsp on a cleaer day. From the Grossmunster you can find some of the most charming small streets in the Neiderdorf/Oberdorf area. You can also walk along Limmatquai river down to the lake, and take a tram either from Bellevue or Bukliplatz back up to the main train station or walk, its about a mile.

The Neiderdorf/Oberdorf area behind the Grossmunster has more trendy shops, restaurants and antique shops, including many bookshops. Worth a stroll as well if you have time.

If you are in town on a Tuesday or Friday morning before about 11, there is a farmer and flower market in Burliplatz on the lake. Just walk straight down the Banhofstrasse from the main train station (or take a tram) basically until you hit the lake, you will see the stalls on your left as you approach Burliplatz. There are several bakers selling here as well, you can have a breakfast of fresh bread or chocolate croissants.

On Saturdays from May until the end of October there is a flea market from about 8-4 pm at Burliplatz. Lots of fun, junk and good stuff. There is a small stand here selling bratwurst and sandwiches.

A good map of Zurich would help make your trip a bit easier, if you don't have one there is a tourist office in the main train station that has good maps.

IMO, the Fraumunster is best seen before Noon, as most of the windows get the morning sun, and on a sunny morning they are quite spectacular. It is closed on Sundays, although you can attend a service if you want (in Swiss German).

Shops close at 4 pm on Saturdays, and generally around 6 pm on weekdays. If you are in town on a Sunday, all shops will be closed, except for some in the train station.

You can take a ferry ride down the lake and back, either a circuit without getting off, or you can take a ferry to a town like Thalwil, Horgen or Kustnacht, walk around a bit, and then take a ferry back. Horgen is probably the most accessible in terms of restaurants and a bit of an old town right on the lake. The train station is also near the pier, so you could take a train back rather than a ferry.

You can walk or bike a fair distance either along the lake, or along the Limmat river away from the lake and into the countryside. Quite pretty, and there are cafes along the way to stop and rest. You should be able to rent bikes for free or a small fee at the main train station.

If the weather is bad (and this is Switzerland, where the amount of rain we get is our dirty little secret along with those numbered bank accounts. . . .) head to one or more of the museums. Museums are open all days (e.g. Sunday) except for the occasional holiday closure. Many have restaurants in them as well. Some to consider:

Landesmuseum/National Museum of Swiss History. Take a look at http://www.musee-suisse.ch. This is behind the main train station and would be a good start. You might skip the early part of the collection which is about pre-historic Switzerland, and to go Roman and medieval parts of the collection.

E. G. Bührle Collection - great collection of 18th and 19th century art, including many impressionist paintings. Take a look at http://www.buehrle.ch. This has somewhat limited opening hours. This is a bit out of the main town area, but it is a nice tram ride through a residential part of the city.

Reitberg - great collection of Asian and other non-European art. Take a look at reitberg.ch

Zunfthaus Zur Meisen - porcelain museum. In a lovely baroque building next door to the Fraumunster church. Their huge ceramic stoves are worth a short visit. http://www.musee-suisse.com/

I would normally recco the Kunsthaus, but virtually the entire museum is shut down until 2006 as they are doing major renovations. Take a look at http://www.kunsthaus.ch.

For a list of all the museums in Zurich, go to http://www.zuerich.com, and click on “Museums & Art” from the left hand menu.

FYI, it is possible to take an early morning train from Zurich in time to catch the Bernina Express, not sure if you ruled this out. Chur does have a nice old town, but IMO Zurich’s old town is nicer and it as the river and lakefront areas as well.