Luxury hotels in Zurich

Zurich guide

Zurich: the old town, the lake and Bahnhofstrasse

Chagall windows, a lake cruise, the Kunsthaus and the Alps on a clear day from the Uetliberg.

Zurich's old town on both banks of the Limmat river is its most cited area, with the Grossmünster's twin towers and the Fraumünster's stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall. Bahnhofstrasse, one of the world's most exclusive shopping streets, runs from the station to the lake.

A boat on Lake Zurich, the Kunsthaus art museum and the Uetliberg, the city's mountain, with views of the Alps on clear days, complete the visit. Zurich is the hub of the Swiss rail network, with Lucerne under an hour and the mountains close by.

The Rhine Falls

The Rhine Falls, near Schaffhausen about forty minutes from Zurich, are the most powerful waterfall in Europe and the most cited day trip from the city; boats take visitors to the rock in the middle of the falls, and Laufen Castle has viewing platforms right beside the water.

Nearby, the town of Stein am Rhein has some of the best-preserved painted façades in Switzerland. The falls are at their fullest in early summer, when snowmelt swells the river.

The Kunsthaus and Zurich's art scene

The Kunsthaus Zürich, with its extension by David Chipperfield, is the largest art museum in Switzerland and one of the city's most cited sights, with Giacometti, Munch, Monet and an outstanding modern collection. The Cabaret Voltaire, where the Dada movement was born in 1916, still hosts events.

The Löwenbräu art complex in Zurich West gathers galleries and the Kunsthalle, and the Rietberg Museum, in a park villa, shows non-European art. Art Basel, in June, is about an hour away.