Things to Do in Zurich: The Essentials and a 2-Day Plan

Zurich gets written off as a banking city, which sells it short. It is a compact old town wrapped around a river, opening onto a lake, with a former industrial district that has become one of the most creative corners in Switzerland. You can walk most of it, and two unhurried days cover the essentials.

Here is what actually deserves your time, plus a route that ties it together.

The old town

The Altstadt straddles the Limmat and is best explored on foot. The east bank, around the Niederdorf, is the lively side: narrow medieval lanes, cafés, small shops. The west bank holds the guild houses and the smart Bahnhofstrasse, one of Europe’s grandest shopping streets, worth a walk even if the price tags are not for you.

Do not rush it. The pleasure here is the wandering, ducking down an alley, finding a courtyard, following the river. Save the museums for a rainy hour.

Lindenhof, the free view

If you do one thing, make it this: climb the Lindenhof, a flat, tree-shaded square crowning a small hill in the heart of the old town. There is no ticket, no queue, no opening time. The view runs across the Limmat to the Grossmünster’s twin towers, over the rooftops to the lake, and on a clear day to the Alps beyond. Locals play chess on the giant boards up here. Come in the morning for soft light and space, or at dusk when the old town glows.

Fraumünster and Grossmünster

Zurich’s two landmark churches face each other across the river. The Fraumünster holds the highlight: five stained-glass windows designed by Marc Chagall in 1970, jewel-toned and genuinely moving in the afternoon light. Photography inside is restricted, so put the phone away and just look.

Across the water, the Grossmünster is the Romanesque church tied to the Swiss Reformation. You can climb one of its towers, the Karlsturm, for a fee and a fine view over the old town, a good alternative if Lindenhof is busy.

Zürich-West, the creative quarter

This is the Zurich few day-trippers reach, and my favourite part. The old industrial district on the west bank has turned into the city’s creative heart: former factories now hold design studios, galleries and rooftop bars. Seek out the Viadukt, a market and food hall tucked into the arches of a railway viaduct, and Frau Gerolds Garten, an urban garden of shipping-container bars and street food. Half a day here shows you a completely different, younger Zurich.

The lake and river

Lake Zurich sets the city’s rhythm, especially in summer. The Badis, the lakeside and riverside bathing areas, are a local institution: some free, some a few francs. The Flussbad swims in the Limmat, where you float downstream past the old town, are a Zurich rite of passage on a hot day. A promenade along the lakefront to the Zürichhorn is free and lovely at sunset.

Up the Uetliberg

Zurich’s own mountain, the Uetliberg, is a 20-minute train ride from the main station, then a short walk to the summit at 870 metres. From the top you get a sweeping view over the city, the lake and the Alps on a clear day. It is the easiest taste of Swiss nature you will find inside a city, and often included in a transport pass.

Museums for a rainy day

Zurich weather can turn, and the city has serious museums for when it does. The Kunsthaus is the heavyweight, one of the finest art collections in Switzerland, strong on Swiss artists like Hodler and Giacometti alongside big European names, and expanded in recent years with a striking new wing. The Swiss National Museum, in a fairy-tale building right by the main station, walks you through the country’s history and is genuinely good for making sense of what you are seeing elsewhere.

If you hold a Swiss Travel Pass, remember it includes free entry to a long list of museums, so a wet afternoon indoors costs nothing extra. For something lighter, the small design and photography museums out in Zürich-West suit a shorter visit.

What to eat

The dish to try is Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, sliced veal in a creamy mushroom sauce, usually served with rösti. It is rich, and it is the local classic. For lighter or cheaper meals, the Viadukt food hall and the Zürich-West container spots serve everything from Swiss to global street food. And remember the supermarket canteens at Coop and Migros for a hot plate at half the restaurant price.

For coffee and cake, Zurich takes its Confiserie tradition seriously: the historic houses on and around the Bahnhofstrasse are an institution, pricey but worth one indulgent stop. And if you are here in the warmer months, grab a takeaway from a lakeside kiosk and eat on the grass by the water, the way locals do, rather than paying terrace prices.

Easy day trips from Zurich

Zurich’s real trump card is how quickly you can leave it. The train network puts a lot within an hour or two:

• Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen, under an hour away: the largest waterfall in Europe by volume, and you can take a boat right up to the rock in the middle.
• Lucerne, around 45 minutes: the Chapel Bridge, a lovely old town and the launch point for Mount Pilatus and Rigi.
• Rapperswil, the “town of roses” at the far end of the lake, reachable by a scenic boat ride in summer.
• Stein am Rhein, a small medieval town of painted facades on the Rhine, one of the prettiest in the country.

When to visit and where to stay

Zurich is a year-round city, but summer is when it truly shines: the lake fills with swimmers, the terraces spill onto the pavements, and the long evenings invite a lakeside walk. December brings a lovely Christmas market and lights along the Bahnhofstrasse. Spring and autumn are quieter and cheaper, and perfectly pleasant for the old town and museums.

For where to sleep, the old town and around the main station keep you central and walkable, if pricey. Zürich-West suits a younger, design-minded stay with good food and bars on the doorstep. Budget travellers do well in the hostels near the station, and, as ever in Switzerland, ask whether your booking includes a free public transport card, many Zurich hotels do, which pays for itself over a couple of days.

Zurich in 2 days

Getting around and staying connected

Zurich’s trams, buses and local trains are excellent, and many hotel bookings include a free transport pass, so ask at check-in. To reach the airport, the S-Bahn from the main station takes around 10 minutes.

To move around with live maps, tram times and last-minute bookings, you need to be online, and here is the catch: Switzerland is not in the European Union, so your usual roaming may not follow you and can bill you per megabyte. Rather than gamble on it or queue for a local prepaid SIM (around 20 CHF, with ID), activate an eSIM for Switzerland before you arrive. You land already connected, on the 4G/5G network, with the price fixed in advance.

Thanks to Orange’s negotiated roaming agreements, your phone connects across the strongest local networks, dependable right across the city and out to the Uetliberg. With Orange, the service from a provider with more than 300 million customers: 200+ destinations covered, 24/7 support, and 100% refunded if you do not use your eSIM.