{"id":6811,"date":"2026-08-15T09:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T07:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/things-to-do-zurich"},"modified":"2026-08-15T09:00:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T07:00:14","slug":"things-to-do-zurich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/en\/things-to-do-zurich","title":{"rendered":"Things to Do in Zurich: The Essentials and a 2-Day Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.sayna-article .quick,.sayna-article .tip{background:#f4f7fb;border-left:4px solid #467AFF;border-radius:8px;padding:14px 18px;margin:20px 0}.sayna-article .tip{background:#fff7ef;border-left-color:#ff7900}.sayna-article .h{font-weight:700;font-size:1.05em;margin-bottom:6px;color:#0a0a0b}.sayna-article table{border-collapse:collapse;width:100%;margin:18px 0}.sayna-article th{background:#eef1f7;text-align:left;padding:10px 12px;font-weight:700;border-bottom:2px solid #dfe3ec}.sayna-article td{padding:10px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid #eef1f7}.sayna-article .faq details{border-bottom:1px solid #e5e8ee;padding:4px 0}.sayna-article .faq summary{font-weight:600;cursor:pointer;padding:9px 0}.sayna-article .cta-box{background:#fff5ec;border:1px solid #ffd8b0;border-radius:12px;padding:22px;text-align:center;margin:26px 0}.sayna-article .cta-box a{display:inline-block;background:#ff7900;color:#fff;padding:12px 26px;border-radius:8px;text-decoration:none;font-weight:700;margin-top:8px}<\/style>\n<div class=\"sayna-article\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n<span class=\"tag\">Travel guide<\/span><br \/>\n<span>Updated 1 July 2026<\/span><br \/>\n<span>\u00b7<\/span><span>9 min read<\/span><br \/>\n<span>\u00b7<\/span><span style=\"color:var(--ok);font-weight:700\">\u2714 Facts checked by the team<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"quick\">\n<div class=\"h\">\u26a1 In short<\/div>\n<p>The best <strong>things to do in Zurich<\/strong>: wander the old town, climb <strong>Lindenhof<\/strong> for a free panorama, see the Chagall windows in the <strong>Fraum\u00fcnster<\/strong>, explore creative <strong>Z\u00fcrich-West<\/strong>, and in summer swim in the lake or river. Give it <strong>two days<\/strong>, add the Uetliberg for the view, and use the free public transport that comes with many hotel bookings.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tip\"><span class=\"h\">Stay connected on arrival<\/span> Set up your <a href=\"https:\/\/travel.orange.com\/en\/buy-a-sim\/offers\/switzerland\">eSIM for Switzerland<\/a> before you go: 100% online activation, no physical SIM to swap.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<nav aria-label=\"Contents\" class=\"toc\">\n<div class=\"h\">Contents<\/div>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#oldtown\">The old town<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#lindenhof\">Lindenhof, the free view<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#churches\">Fraum\u00fcnster and Grossm\u00fcnster<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#west\">Z\u00fcrich-West, the creative quarter<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#lake\">The lake and river<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#uetliberg\">Up the Uetliberg<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#museums\">Museums for a rainy day<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#eat\">What to eat<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#daytrips\">Easy day trips from Zurich<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#when\">When to visit and where to stay<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#itinerary\">Zurich in 2 days<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#connected\">Getting around and staying connected<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Here is what actually deserves your time, plus a route that ties it together.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"oldtown\">The old town<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Altstadt<\/strong> straddles the Limmat and is best explored on foot. The east bank, around the <strong>Niederdorf<\/strong>, is the lively side: narrow medieval lanes, caf\u00e9s, small shops. The west bank holds the guild houses and the smart <strong>Bahnhofstrasse<\/strong>, one of Europe&#8217;s grandest shopping streets, worth a walk even if the price tags are not for you.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"lindenhof\">Lindenhof, the free view<\/h2>\n<p>If you do one thing, make it this: climb the <strong>Lindenhof<\/strong>, 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 Grossm\u00fcnster&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"churches\">Fraum\u00fcnster and Grossm\u00fcnster<\/h2>\n<p>Zurich&#8217;s two landmark churches face each other across the river. The <strong>Fraum\u00fcnster<\/strong> holds the highlight: five stained-glass windows designed by <strong>Marc Chagall<\/strong> in 1970, jewel-toned and genuinely moving in the afternoon light. Photography inside is restricted, so put the phone away and just look.<\/p>\n<p>Across the water, the <strong>Grossm\u00fcnster<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"west\">Z\u00fcrich-West, the creative quarter<\/h2>\n<p>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&#8217;s creative heart: former factories now hold design studios, galleries and rooftop bars. Seek out the <strong>Viadukt<\/strong>, a market and food hall tucked into the arches of a railway viaduct, and <strong>Frau Gerolds Garten<\/strong>, an urban garden of shipping-container bars and street food. Half a day here shows you a completely different, younger Zurich.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tip\">\n<div class=\"h\">\ud83d\udca1 Local tips<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>Lindenhof is the best free view in the city. No ticket, no crowd, best at dawn or dusk.<\/li>\n<li>See the Chagall windows in the Fraum\u00fcnster in the afternoon, when the light comes through.<\/li>\n<li>Skip the pricey lake cruise if you are watching money: a free lakeside walk gives you the same views.<\/li>\n<li>In summer, bring swimwear. The lakeside and river Badis are where Zurich actually spends its evenings.<\/li>\n<li>Ask your hotel about a free transport pass at check-in: many bookings include one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"lake\">The lake and river<\/h2>\n<p>Lake Zurich sets the city&#8217;s rhythm, especially in summer. The <strong>Badis<\/strong>, the lakeside and riverside bathing areas, are a local institution: some free, some a few francs. The <strong>Flussbad<\/strong> 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 Z\u00fcrichhorn is free and lovely at sunset.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"uetliberg\">Up the Uetliberg<\/h2>\n<p>Zurich&#8217;s own mountain, the <strong>Uetliberg<\/strong>, 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.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"museums\">Museums for a rainy day<\/h2>\n<p>Zurich weather can turn, and the city has serious museums for when it does. The <strong>Kunsthaus<\/strong> 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 <strong>Swiss National Museum<\/strong>, in a fairy-tale building right by the main station, walks you through the country&#8217;s history and is genuinely good for making sense of what you are seeing elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>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 Z\u00fcrich-West suit a shorter visit.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"eat\">What to eat<\/h2>\n<p>The dish to try is <strong>Z\u00fcrcher Geschnetzeltes<\/strong>, sliced veal in a creamy mushroom sauce, usually served with r\u00f6sti. It is rich, and it is the local classic. For lighter or cheaper meals, the Viadukt food hall and the Z\u00fcrich-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.<\/p>\n<p>For coffee and cake, Zurich takes its <strong>Confiserie<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"daytrips\">Easy day trips from Zurich<\/h2>\n<p>Zurich&#8217;s real trump card is how quickly you can leave it. The train network puts a lot within an hour or two:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Rhine Falls<\/strong> 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.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lucerne<\/strong>, around 45 minutes: the Chapel Bridge, a lovely old town and the launch point for Mount Pilatus and Rigi.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rapperswil<\/strong>, the &#8220;town of roses&#8221; at the far end of the lake, reachable by a scenic boat ride in summer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stein am Rhein<\/strong>, a small medieval town of painted facades on the Rhine, one of the prettiest in the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"when\">When to visit and where to stay<\/h2>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>For where to sleep, the <strong>old town and around the main station<\/strong> keep you central and walkable, if pricey. <strong>Z\u00fcrich-West<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"itinerary\">Zurich in 2 days<\/h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Time<\/th>\n<th>Day 1: old town &amp; lake<\/th>\n<th>Day 2: Z\u00fcrich-West &amp; the heights<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Morning<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Niederdorf lanes, Lindenhof view<\/td>\n<td>Train up the Uetliberg for the panorama<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Midday<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Lunch by the river<\/td>\n<td>Lunch at the Viadukt food hall<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Afternoon<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Fraum\u00fcnster (Chagall), Grossm\u00fcnster tower<\/td>\n<td>Z\u00fcrich-West galleries and Frau Gerolds Garten<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Evening<\/strong><\/td>\n<td>Lakeside walk to the Z\u00fcrichhorn<\/td>\n<td>Rooftop bar and dinner in the west<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id=\"connected\">Getting around and staying connected<\/h2>\n<p>Zurich&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>To move around with live maps, tram times and last-minute bookings, you need to be online, and here is the catch: <strong>Switzerland is not in the European Union<\/strong>, 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 <a class=\"cta-inline\" href=\"https:\/\/travel.orange.com\/en\/buy-a-sim\/offers\/switzerland\">eSIM for Switzerland<\/a> before you arrive. You land already connected, on the 4G\/5G network, with the price fixed in advance.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to Orange&#8217;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 <strong>more than 300 million customers<\/strong>: <strong>200+ destinations<\/strong> covered, <strong>24\/7<\/strong> support, and <strong>100% refunded<\/strong> if you do not use your eSIM.<\/p>\n<div class=\"cta-box\">\n<p>Explore Zurich with maps, trams and bookings always to hand.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/travel.orange.com\/en\/buy-a-sim\/offers\/switzerland\">Discover the Orange Travel Switzerland eSIM<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<section aria-label=\"Frequently asked questions\" class=\"faq\">\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<details open=\"\">\n<summary>What are the best things to do in Zurich?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">Wander the old town lanes, climb Lindenhof for the free panorama, see the Chagall windows in the Fraum\u00fcnster, explore creative Z\u00fcrich-West and the Viadukt, swim in the lake or river in summer, and ride up the Uetliberg for the view.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details open=\"\">\n<summary>Is Zurich worth visiting?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">Yes. It pairs a compact medieval old town on a river and lake with a genuinely creative post-industrial district, world-class museums and easy access to the mountains. Two days cover the essentials.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details open=\"\">\n<summary>How many days do you need in Zurich?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">Two days is the sweet spot: one for the old town and lake, one for Z\u00fcrich-West and a half-day up the Uetliberg. A single day works if you focus on the old town, Lindenhof and the Fraum\u00fcnster.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details open=\"\">\n<summary>Can you swim in Zurich?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">Yes, and locals do. In summer the lakeside and riverside bathing areas, the Badis, are a highlight. Some are free, some charge a few francs, and the river Limmat swim, the Flussbad, is a Zurich institution.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details open=\"\">\n<summary>What is the best free thing to do in Zurich?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"a\">Climb the Lindenhof, a leafy square on a small hill in the old town. There is no ticket and no queue, and the view spans the Limmat, the old town spires, the lake and, on a clear day, the Alps.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":6810,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"Things to Do in Zurich: The Essentials and a 2-Day Plan | Orange Travel","_seopress_titles_desc":"Things to do in Zurich: old town, the free Lindenhof view, Chagall windows, creative Z\u00fcrich-West, lake swimming and a 2-day itinerary for a first visit.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/en\/things-to-do-zurich","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-turism","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"lang":"en","translations":{"en":6811,"fr":6809,"es":6813},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/ot-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/ot-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/ot-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/ot-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/ot-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6811"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/ot-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6815,"href":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/ot-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6811\/revisions\/6815"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/ot-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/ot-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/ot-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.travel.orange.com\/ot-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}