Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich.
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. As of the end of 2025, the municipality had a population of 440,935, while the urban area was home to 1.45 million people (2020), and the Zurich metropolitan area had a total population of 2.1 million (2020). Zurich is a hub for railways, roads, and air traffic. Both Zurich Airport and Zurich's main railway station are the largest and busiest in the country.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
Most of the interesting sights are in the old town around the river and lakefront.
- 01Bahnhofstrasse
One of the busiest and best-known shopping streets in the world.
- 02Lindenhof
A beautiful view of the city and one time location of a Roman fort.
- 03Lake Promenade
Especially during summer, the lake is a beautiful place to spend the evening or the weekend.
- 04Grossmünster
Old Romanesque church, symbol of reformed Zurich, where reformer Huldrych Zwingli was appointed the people's priest in 1519.
- 05Fraumünster
Old Gothic church (former convent) with window paintings made by Marc Chagall.
- 06Schanzengraben
A small canal that used to be part of the city fortifications between Limmat and Sihl.
From Wikivoyage: Zürich, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Take the
- 01Polybahn
A 19th-century funicular, up the steep hill for a fine view.
- 02Oberer/Unterer Letten
If you go to Zurich during summer take your swimwear with you.
- 03Limmat
Offers views of the old town and Lake Zurich.
- 04Uetliberg
You can hike up, or take a train from the "SZU" part of the main station on the S10, which takes about 20 minutes from Zurich HB.
- 05Caliente Festival
Try all types of Latin American food and listen to samba, merengue & co.
- 06Zürcher Theater Spektakel
161, 165, and Theater-Spektakel-Bus: stop Landiwiese),.
From Wikivoyage: Zürich, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
The quintessential Zürich dish is Zürcher Geschnetzeltes (Swiss-German: Zürigschnätzlets), sliced veal in a cream and wine sauce. Various kinds of grilled wurst (sausages) are also popular.
- 01Rheinfelder Bierhalle
Niederdorfstrasse 76 (at the beginning of the Niederdorf, near Central),.
- 02Pizzeria Molino
Limmatquai 16,.
- 03Zurich Fried Chicken
Niederdorfstrasse 41.
- 04Baba's
- 05Sternen Grill
Zurich's most famous sausage stand near Bellevue tram stop.
From Wikivoyage: Zürich, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Zürich
- Airports
- Zürich (ZRH), 9 km · Bodensee Friedrichshafen (FDH), 80 km · EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg (BSL), 81 km
- Geneva → Zürich224 km · quickest by road, 4h 10m · CHF29–38
- Friedrichshafen → Zürich77 km · quickest by road, 2h 45m · €13–19
- Bâle / Mulhouse → Zürich100 km · quickest by road, 2h 20m · €13–18
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Zürich
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Zürich. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Go nextA bit further away, but also worth a day trip: Appenzell — As close to the stereotypical image of Switzerland with wooden farm houses and traditional clothes as it gets.
From Wikivoyage: Zurich, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01162 km
- 02372 km
- 03703 km
- 04779 km
- 05806 km
If you know how people move in Zürich – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.