zurich

Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich is a cosmopolitan city nestled on Lake Zurich with distinct neighborhoods to explore

Zurich Tips: 

  • Switzerland is very expensive. I am a hustler and usually am able to do trips pretty cheaply (even in Australia), but Switzerland was shockingly expensive, so be prepared

  • A lot of places have limited hours in Zurich. Sundays are extremely quiet in the city and a lot of places are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays as well

  • If you are flying in or out of Zurich it is a very easy train ride to/from the airport that takes 10 minutes and costs ~$7

    • Trainline is my favorite website to book European train tickets through. They also have an app so you can quickly and easily buy tickets while on the go abroad

  • Zurich is quite small. There are some distinct neighborhoods to check out but overall a day or two is sufficient time to see it all

  • Personally I did not love Zurich as much as some other European cities. It lacked character to me and felt a little blah overall—if you’re only making one stop in Switzerland I would recommend Lucerne! Check out my Lucerne recommendations here!

Adventures & Ales Top Zurich Recommendations: ​

  • The International Beer Bar: A very fun spot with 8 taps and a plethora of bottles. The beer selection is fantastic, the staff is super nice, and they have a little outside patio as well. My favorite spot in Zurich!

  • Frau Gerolds Garden: A fun beer garden in a shipping container development. As a heads up the beer garden closes based on weather

  • Eldorado Craft Beer Bar: A chill spot with 101 beers, four of which are on tap. Occasionally they have live music as well

  • Vineria Centrale: A cozy Italian bar with tasty food and a lively atmosphere

  • Wander Zurich-West: An industrial neighborhood with lots of cool bars and restaurants to pop into

Zurich, Switzerland

Top Touristy Spots in Zurich Actually Worth Visiting: ​

  • Wander District 1, the center part of Zurich with winding cobblestone streets

    • Across the river the Niederdorf area has more bars and restaurants than District 1

  • Lindenhof Hill: A nice spot for views of the city

  • Zurich has lots of nice clock towers. The Church of Saint Peter and Fraumünster Church both have nice ones to see!

  • Hang out at Lake Zurich. Get out on the water or sit along the banks

  • Grossmünster Church: Pay 5 Euros or Swiss Francs (cash only) to go up the tower. It is quite a lot of steps to get to the top but provides the best views of the city and lake

    • Be sure to check out the colorful status men out front at the church as well

  • Swiss National Museum: It has high reviews but was closed while I was in town

The International Beer Bar

Other Things to do in Zurich: ​​

  • Spend a morning at Rhinefall: A waterfall about an hour north of the city. There are two sides to the falls, Neuhausen and Schloss Laufen, I chose to visit the Neuhausen side, but you can do either and there is also a long bridge connecting the two sides that you can cross to visit both if you want. The falls are pretty but it was touristy overall

    • There is a castle on the Schloss Laufen side so I chose Neuhausen so I could see the castle alongside the falls. There are also lots of benches, a restaurant at the falls, and boat tours on the Neuhausen side. The town of Neuhausen itself is slightly larger as well.

    • A round trip train ticket from Zurich is ~$50. It is about a 15 minute walk to the falls from Neuhausen station with clear signs to guide you

      • While here you can hop on a quick bus to the neighboring town of Schaffhausen, ten minutes away. It is a little bit bigger and has some spots for lunch, but it’s nothing too special

  • Ambrosi: A slightly more affordable Italian restaurant with tasty food

  • Andorra: Another beer bar with a solid selection

  • Sasu Juice Bar: A good spot for a healthy lunch or smoothie

  • Brauerei Steinfels: A very swanky brewery with six house beers and a list of Brlo beers from neighboring Germany. They have a food menu, but as a heads up the kitchen has limited hours. There are fun neon lights all around the space and the beers were solid, but the service I received was sub-par

  • Bauschanzli Beer Garden: It looks like a cool spot on the water but it was closed while they were setting up for Oktoberfest while I was visiting unfortunately