We were last in Zürich 10 years ago so we decided on a longer 4 day visit this time round on the way to Valencia, Spain.
We booked our stay at the EMA House Hotel Suites – a 15-minute walk from the main train station. It wasn’t the ideal location though as the main shopping area and the Old Town was on the other side of the train station – so a good 30-minute walk to the main sights. However, it was a fully-equipped apartment in a quiet location and we were upgraded to a bedroom so there was oodles of space.
Zürich is the largest city in Switzerland but rather surprisingly is not the capital which is Bern. It is the major transport hub, a major banking, finance, industrial and cultural centre.q
As usual we spend some time exploring the picturesque Old Town and walking along the waterfront promenades along the Limmat River (running from the bottom of Lake Zürich). Walking through Old Towns are our favourite activity in Europe, and they are always interesting and full of unexpected delights. We walked up Lindenhof hill – an area with prehistoric, Roman, and medieval remains. There are great views of the Old Town, Grossmünster Church, City Hall, the Limmat river, the university and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Lindenhof was also the scene of numerous historical events.
For example, we came across some fabulous street art murals which Zürich is renowned for. Another discovery – after riding the Polybahn (funicular railway) we wandered through the University of Zürich (ETH Zürich) we came across Albert Einstein locker’s which has been arranged into a little museum.
We crossed back across the Limmat River to the main shopping district and decided to lunch at Manor department store food court. The has a reputation for good cheap eating. Well – cheap by Switzerland standards anyway …
Geoffrey had a visit to the Rhine Falls on his list of places to see. The falls are the most powerful in Europe and it’s only a scenic 1-hour train trip from the main Zürich HB train station. The train ride started off pleasantly but we started to grow a little concerned when we entered an area of fog. Very unfortunately the fog didn’t clear but became even thicker so by the time we arrived we weren’t able to see anything. Oh well, perhaps on our next visit to Zürich in 10 years …
Please contact me if you are interested in knowing more about this destination.
Albert Einstein’s locker at University of Zürich