Looking for a destination that can soothe your wanderlust? Add Zurich to your destination consideration set! The city’s spectacular natural scenery coupled with colorful nightlife, fascinating architecture and culture serve as a feast to visitor’s wanderlust. Next time you embark on a journey to a tourist location, it must be Zurich. A sneak peek into the city’s attractions would explain why it should top your to-visit list.
Old Town
Want to live through the magnificent past of the city? Visit Old Town. The attraction offers a plethora of cultural offerings and historical sites against the medieval background that would take you down the memory lane of the history. Heading up Münstergasse, travelling down the Spiegelgasse, stepping into the Grimmenturm, and sneak peeking into the Hans zum Rech would offer fascinating insights into the city´s colorful history.
Lindenhof
This pedestrian-only green space in Old Zurich has a long history. It sits on Lindenhof hill, along the banks of the Limmat river, which give it a great view. The site has been the home of a Roman Castle, and a place of civil gathering. The outer square is flanked by beautiful old mansions and other buildings like the masonic lodge and the Lindenhof fortification. It serves a main role in the April holiday of Sechseläuten, as it becomes the main base of operations for each year’s chosen guest canton.
Uetliberg
A must-go-place in the city is the Uetliberg Mountain that offers magnificent panoramic view of the city of Zurich. The summit of the mountain can easily be accessed by train or by the numerous walking paths that lead up to the top. To quench the adventure-thirst of the sport lovers, the mountain also has a downhill mountain bike track, starting from the summit of the mountain to the Triemli railway station.
Lake Zürich and Bürkliplatz
If you’re a Thalassophile, Zurich is the best place to gratify you loves for the water bodies. The shore of the lakes is heavily loaded by the promenades and parks where you can play hide and seek with the sun, jog along with the waves of the lake, enjoy a shore picnic, and swim in the lake. As a popular place for excursions, the best way to enjoy tourism at the lake is to take a boat trip along the two historic paddle-steamers, namely the Gipfeli-Schiff and the Sonnenuntergangs-Schiff. The sun soaked arc along the lake ranging from Zollikon to Feldmeilen would treat your eyes with a panoramic view of the magnificent houses and villas stretching throughout the city. Rapperswil, located at the eastern end of the lake is famous as the “rose garden”, as the fertile land of this end is ornamented with 15,000 rose bushes of more than 600 different varieties blooming. Another major destination to visit along the Lake Zurich is Europe’s largest covered water park, the Alpamare in Pfäffikon. The shopaholics can also shop in the Bahnhofstrasse until they drop. The town square of Zurich city, the Bürkliplatz serves as an important nodal point of the city. The square allows the visitors to leisure with pleasure as it offers a worth-watching view across Lake Zurich to the Alps as well.
Swiss National Museum
The Swiss National Museum houses extensive collections that touch upon every aspect of culture and the art of living in Switzerland, from the Stone Age to the present day. The museum building was built in 1898 by Gustav Gull in the form of a French chateau. It contains a number of unique pieces like an armory tower and a large collection of religious wooden liturgy carvings, panel paintings, and altars. A historical collection of Swiss coins dating back from the middle ages, and a wonderful chivalry display and gothic art collection round out this uniquely excellent museum. After a day of browsing, the lakeside of the museum is also a stop for one of the tour boats on Lake Zurich.
Kunsthaus Zürich
For art enthusiasts, the Kunsthaus Zürich (Museum of Fine Arts) is a must-visit attraction. Being one of the top museums of European region, the Kunsthaus Zürich presents a huge collection of artwork by several artists ranging from Charles Munch to Monet and from Delacroix to Corot. The art collection reflects the heritage and legacy of the impressionists, post-impressionists, and modern schools. Attending the concerts at the multi-functional banquet hall of the museum is a once-in-lifetime opportunity for tourists and local visitors. The attraction must top your list among the city attraction if you’re a fan of art and architecture.
Langstrasse
Zurich stand among the list of cities known for their nightlife. For party lovers and clubbers, the attraction offers dance clubs, live music venues, cozy pubs, and bars. The open air cinema installed every summer during July/August and the Langstrassenfest offer unique experience to the visitors pouring into the city. However, you must take precaution while visiting the attraction as it has been alleged to be the Zürich’s red light district with high crime rate.
Bahnhofstrasse
Being among world’s most expensive and exclusive shopping avenues, Bahnhofstrasse offers famous luxury shopping options in the city. You can shop from numerous boutiques, department stores and timepiece stores everything that you wish for. Many of the world’s best known designers have stores here, along with the world headquarters of Credit Suisse, and the delicious chocolate shops and cafes of Paradeplatz square, on Lake Zurich, at the end of the street. The imposing Bahnhof itself is an attraction, its soaring hall lined with shops and cafes, with more in the giant mall underneath. Zurich’s largest Christmas market is held inside the Bahnhof.
Zurich Zoo
More than 360 different animal species live in the exotic world of the Zurich Zoo, one of the finest in Europe. Animals live as close to their own environments as possible: snow leopards amid the rocky Himalayan landscape, penguins swimming in chilly water, and you can spot flying foxes from a canopy walk amid 13,000 square meters of tropical rainforest. In the Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park, you can watch the Asian elephant family play with their baby and swim in their multi-environment outdoor complex, which was designed to resemble their natural Thai habitat. Trams and trains run to the zoo from the main train station and the Paradeplatz.
Grossmünster
This “Great Minister” church is one of Zurich’s four main churches and believed to have been founded by Charlemagne. The legend states he commissioned a church on the site where his horse fell to its knees by the tombs of Zurich’s patron saints. The twin towers of this church are often considered the most recognizable landmark in all of Zurich. The church has had many different upgrades to its original twelfth century version. Modern additions to the church include stained glass by celebrated artist Augusto Giacommetti, and Bronze sculpted doors by Otto Munch. The church continues to be home to the crypts of Felix and Regula, the patron saints of Zurich, and an honorary statue of Charlemagne as well.
Fraumünster
Often mistranslated to Church of Our Lady, the name of the protestant Fraumünster actually means Women’s Church, referring to the founding of an abbey here in 853 for aristocratic women of Europe by the Emperor Ludwig for his daughter, Hildegard. Although the church itself is worth seeing, what makes it one of Zürich’s most popular tourist attractions is the beautiful set of five stained-glass windows in the chancel created by Marc Chagallin 1970. From left to right, the vividly colored windows show Elijah’s ascent to heaven, Jacob, scenes of Christ’s life, an angel trumpeting the end of the world, and Moses. The rosette in the southern transept is also the work of Marc Chagall.
