Ahhh Zurich. If you're flying into Switzerland, this will probably be the city you'll touch down in. Slightly pricey, but oh so worth it. I would definitely suggest staying more than one day in Zurich, but here are some of the highlights of this beautiful city in Switzerland. All these highlights are based on my personal experience of my time here, so they're Shelby approved.
Where to stay the night: Hotel Limmatblick - This hotel is wonderful. It is in the perfect location, right on the river in the midst of downtown. The breakfast is delicious, the staff is helpful (and spoke English), and the vibe/decorations were so cool.
Where to eat dinner: Zeughauskeller - So this is a Swiss-German restaurant, set in a building that was originally an armory built back in 1487. It uses the German style "shared table" seating, so you may be sitting with other people and sells classic Swiss-German food like sausages, potatoes, and beer. The decor features old guns, cannons, and other weapons that would have previously resided in the building when it was an armory. The food is amazing- be sure to try the classic Swiss dish rosti (a potato pancake like thing) and Oberlanderbrau Amber (a local beer)!
Where to get a drink: Newsbar - If you're just looking to relax for the night, grab a couple drinks, and people watch, this is the place to do it. Very chill, and the best Bellini I've ever had in my life.
What to do:
- Viadukt - For the love of God, if you're in Zurich, you have to go here. They took an old industrial viaduct and turned it into a bunch of stores, restaurants, cafes, and farmer's market. Perfect place for lunch (we grabbed some pot pies from The Pie Shop) and if you need to buy souvenirs for the fam back home, this is a great place. I bought a bunch of chocolate at St. Jakob (delicious).
- Grossmuenster Cathedral - You can go all the way up to the top and see all of Zurich. As I've mentioned before, I have a weird obsessions with views/skylines.
- St. Peter's Church - Europe's largest church clock tower.
- Fraumuenster Church - Another cool church, with a big old green copper top. Very pretty.
- Cloister - A little park type thing with neat sculptures and garden.
- National Museum of Switzerland - Great way to spend a rainy afternoon. It's sort of a high tech museum, and you can learn a lot about the history of Switzerland.
- Bahnhofstrasse - This is the Rodeo Drive of Zurich. If you're rich and like to shop, this is the place to go. I am not rich, so I couldn't afford anything here, but it was awesome to just walk down the street and appreciate the view.
Zurich is a gorgeous city that has a lot more to offer than what I've listed here. I only spent a day and half here, but I would go back in a heartbeat. I did do everything on this list in just a day and half though, because I am an awesome vacation planner.
Sidenotes: Zurich's airport is gorgeous, and probably the cheapest city in Switzerland to fly into (from the US). Zurich is pretty expensive (I'd compare it to NYC). They use Swiss Francs (CHF). That Bellini I talked about earlier? 17 CHF. Worth it though. When you're in Switzerland, you have to try their chocolate and cheese (do I even need to say this?). The Switzerland public transportation system is absolutely amazing, don't even worry about how you're going to get from point A to point B, it's so easy. Want to save some money by buying snacks? Go to Coop. Great little grocery store. And in case you were wondering, the majority of the people I came across in Zurich spoke English.