Zurich, Switzerland — Where to Go
Zurich Sightseeing Overview
Zurich’s origins date back as long ago as 15BC, when the Roman post of Turicum was founded as a customs station to oversee goods traveling to and from Italy. Despite the settlement being continuously inhabited, it wasn’t until the 9th century that the first mention of the Teutonic town of Zurich appeared. By the 10th century, the town had acquired the status of a city, and went on to become the center of the Swiss Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. The motto ‘pray and work' was to have a profound effect on the shaping of the city, which, by the 19th century, had grown into the commercial and financial center of Switzerland.
Today, most of Zurich's sights lie within the compact area on either side of the River Limmat, between the Hauptbahnhof and Lake Zurich. The churches and burgher houses of the Old Town are clustered here, as are the elegant shops of Bahnhofstrasse. Also within strolling distance of the river are the city’s most impressive churches - the Grossmünster and Fraumünster – as well as the city's oldest, St Peterskirche, which still boasts the largest clock face in Europe. The city also has the full gamut of museums, from art galleries and design forums to archaeology collections and ethnographic museums.
Zurich Tourist Information
Zürich Tourismus
Zurich Main Railway Station, 8021 Zurich
Tel: (044) 215 4000.
Website: www.zuerich.com
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0800-2030, Sun 0830-1830 (May-Oct); Mon-Sat 0830-1900, Sun 0900-1800 (Nov-Apr).
Zurich Sightseeing
The ZürichCARD, available for 24 or 72 hours,offers unlimited travel within the Zurich canton, free admission to over 40 museums, reduced admission to the zoo and a complimentary welcome drink at over 20 restaurants. You can buy the cards at the train stations, many hotels and some of the main VBZ ticket offices around town. There is a full downloadable guide to the ZürichCARD at www.zuerich.com
Zurich Sightseeing
The ZürichCARD, available for 24 or 72 hours,offers unlimited travel within the Zurich canton, free admission to over 40 museums, reduced admission to the zoo and a complimentary welcome drink at over 20 restaurants. You can buy the cards at the train stations, many hotels and some of the main VBZ ticket offices around town. There is a full downloadable guide to the ZürichCARD at www.zuerich.com
Key Attractions in Zurich, Switzerland
Grossmünster
The twin towers of this attractive cathedral have become something of a symbol for the city, and the building itself comprises a vast set of design influences, from an 11th century crypt to a stained glass window by avant-garde artist Sigmar Polke. The cathedral played an integral role in the Protestant Reformation, and the movement’s legacy accounts for the relatively unostentatious interior. Recent archaeological discoveries suggest the existence of a Roman cemetery underneath the church. There are also remains of a romanesque cloister, 12th-century statuary and a stained glass work in the choir by Augusto Giacometti (Alberto's cousin). The Karlsturm tower has 187 steps; there is no lift.
Grossmünsterplatz, 8001 Zurich
Tel: (044) 252 5949.
Website: www.grossmuenster.ch
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800 (Mar-Oct); daily 1000-1700 (Nov-Mar). Tower: Mon-Sat 0915-1700, Sun 1230-1700 (Mar-Oct); Mon-Fri 1000- 1630, Sun 1230-1630 (Nov-Mar).
Admission charge: N.
Disabled access: Y.
Fraumünster
Although this beautiful church dates from the ninth century (when it started life as a Benedictine abbey), it is often the five, 20th-century stained-glass windows in the choir by Marc Chagall (1970) that attract visitors – the works are best seen in the morning light. The current church dates from the 13th century, although the undercroft contains the original abbey crypt. The elegant spire dates from 1732, although he rest of the church is predominantly gothic. The site was originally endowed by Charlemagne's grandson, and later became the church of the Zurich Noblewomen's Convent. The stained-glass windows in the north transept are by Alberto Giacometti's cousin, Augusto.
Am Münsterhofplatz, 8001 Zurich
Tel: (044) 211 4100.
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-1800, Sun 1115-1800 (Apr-Oct); Mon-Sat 1000-1600, Sun 1115-1600 (Nov-Mar)..
Admission charge: N.
Disabled access: Y.
Kunsthaus Zürich (Zurich Art Gallery)
This is the city's most important art gallery, boasting a collection of paintings and sculptures by Swiss and international masters, covering most periods from medieval times but focusing largely on the 19th and 20th centuries. Two of Monet's Water Lilies paintings and the largest collection of Edvard Munch's works outside Norway can be found here, as well as expressionist pieces by Kokoschka, Beckmann and Corinth. Pieces by the Dadaists (who, of course, came into being in Zurich) and the world's most important collection of work by Alberto Giacometti are a highlight. Tours are available in English if reserved beforehand.
Heimplatz 1, 8001 Zurich
Tel: (044) 253 8484.
Website: www.kunsthaus.ch
Opening hours: Tues, Sat-Sun 1000-1800, Wed-Fri 1000-2000.
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y
Schweizerisches Landesmuseum (Swiss National Museum)
The Swiss National Museum lies on a landscaped triangle of parkland between the Hauptbahnhof and the Limmat and Sihl rivers, and has fulfilled the role of the nation's attic for over a century. The complex actually comprises three separate museums – the National Museum Zurich, the Castle of Pragins and the Forum of Swiss History Schwyz. Exhibits in this labyrinthine museum therefore cover a solid range of different subjects, with special exhibitions supplementing the permanent display of items related to Switzerland and Swiss culture. These include not only paintings and sculpture but also weapons, flags, watches, clocks, tools, toys and prehistoric objects.
Museumstrasse 2, 8021 Zurich
Tel: (044) 218 6511.
Website: www.musee-suisse.ch
Opening hours: Tues-Wed and Fri-Sun 1100-1700, Thurs 1100-1900.
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
Museum Rietberg
The collection of the Rietberg Museum of Non-European Art is fully dedicated to non-European cultures and stands as one of the city’s most absorbing attractions. The museum is housed within two buildings dating from the 1850s, both of which are set within the centrally located Rieterpark. The Villa Wesendonck has special exhibitions in addition to its collection of Indian, Chinese and African art (the core of which is the sculpture collection donated by Baron Eduard von der Heydt), while the Park-Villa Rieter has a diverse display of paintings from China, Japan and India. The latter also holds occasional world music concerts.
Gablerstrasse 15, 8002 Zurich
Tel: (044) 206 3131
Website: www.rietberg.ch
Opening hours: Fri-Tues 1000-1700, Wed-Thurs 1000-2000.
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
Zoo Zürich
The open, park-like enclosures of Zurich Zoo house some 1,500 animals in areas that replicate the animals' natural environments. Some of the zoo's most popular residents – particularly apes, seals and penguins – draw crowds during feeding times (hours for which are on the website) and there’s even a chance to witness the early-morning elephant wash. A complex duplicates Madagascar's Masoala rainforest. The zoo prides itself on its breeding program, and at any one time there are pups and young animals to observe, varying from anteaters to orang-utans. There are also several restaurants at the zoo.
Zürichbergstrasse 221, 8044 Zurich
Tel: (044) 254 2505 or 0848 966 983.
Website: www.zoo.ch
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800 (Mar-Oct); daily 0900-1700 (Nov-Feb).
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst (Museum of Contemporary Art)
Devoted to collecting and exhibiting contemporary art, especially from the 1990s, the Museum of Contemporary Art features a core collection of works of the Migros Co-operative Society in the open-concept exhibition space. These stand alongside spaces dedicated to rotating exhibitions and special installations. There are both solo and group exhibitions, and the museum grants free admission on Thursday evenings from 1700 onwards.
Limmatstrasse 270, PO Box 1766, 8005 Zurich
Tel: (044) 277 2050.
Website: www.migrosmuseum.ch
Opening hours: Tues, Wed, Fri 1200-1800, Thurs 1200-2000, Sat and Sun 1100-1700.
Admission charge: Y.
Disabled access: Y.
Further Distractions
Botanischer Garten (Botanical Gardens)
Zurich University's Botanical Gardens – notable for their large, igloo-like biodomes – make for a wonderful place to get away from it all. Inside are over a million plants that comprise the university's botanical collection, representing a number of different ecosystems from tropical rainforests to alpine meadow flowers. Most of the plants cultivated are wild species, which sets it apart from the standard traditions of central European botany. The gardens were founded in 1976.
Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008 Zurich
Tel: (044) 634 8461.
Website: www.unizh.ch/bguz
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0700-1900, Sat and Sun 0800-1800 (Mar-Sep); Mon-Fri 0800-1800, Sat and Sun 0800-1700 (Oct-Feb).
Admission charge: N.
Disabled access: Y.
Zürcher Spielzeugmuseum (Zurich Toy Museum)
This quirky little museum houses a colorful assortment of toys from the 18th to 20th centuries, but should be seen as far more than just a collection of playthings. The exhibits – ranging from railway sets and dolls to tin figurines and board games – give valuable insight into the periods during which they were created, and the venue’s location in the heart of the Old Town gives it a suitably historical feel.
Fortunagasse 15, 8001 Zürich
Tel: (044) 211 9305.
Website: üwww.zürcher-spielzeugmuseum.ch
Admission charge: N.
Disabled access: Y.
