Zurich is expensive, immaculate, peaceful, and quintessentially Swiss. The city is scenic – River Limmat splitting it down the middle, lapped up by Lake Zurich and mountains providing a spectacular backdrop. Zurich is awesome in every way. The city is more cosmopolitan than Lausanne, and vibrant and younger than the two key Swiss cities of Geneva and Basel.
The city of Zurich provides amazing vistas to the visitors. The hundreds of art galleries with their fascinating masterpieces keep the tourists awestruck. The city will keep you enticed with its literature, films and classical music festivals. The city also surprises its visitors with the world’s largest techno and dance festival held here every year.
Apart from these, just sample the surprises in store for you in Zurich. The city boasts of an opera house, one zoo and 15 museums. The city is also home to many bars and restaurants. The university in Zurich is renowned world over and is among the top 10 science universities in the world.
Zurich is a perfect destination to visit round the year. You will enjoy swimming during the summer, skating during the winter season and indulge in shopping for luxurious items whenever you want to.
Whether you are visiting Zurich for business purposes or simply for leisure, the city is all set to astound you with its varied offerings. Let’s visit some of its famous attractions and know about all that you can see or do on your vacation to Zurich, which is renowned for its friendly nature and welcoming to the tourists.
Tour of Altstadt, or Old Town
The Altstadt, or Old Town is the place where the history of Zurich can be traced. It is the most vibrant part of the city and is historic heart of Zurich. The winding cobblestone lanes with its elegant 19th century buildings will fascinate you endlessly. As you stroll down the cobblestone lanes you will discover many art galleries, shops and modern cafes. If you are on a vacation to Zurich, the best way to start your sightseeing tour of the city is from Old Town, which is home to many important tourist attractions and sprawls along River Limmat’s both sides. The Gothic style Grossmuenster cathedral and the medieval Fraumuenster (Church of Our Lady) cathedral are the two important landmarks situated in the Old Town. The charming Niederdorf district near Old Town can be easily visited, where you will find many hip coffee shops and quirky boutiques. One of the glitziest shopping streets of Europe, the popular Bahnhofstrasse, is also located here. The Old Town is also home to the top museums in Zurich such as the Museum of Fine Arts and the Swiss National Museum. The Old Town is also known for its fantastic nightlife. The Limmatquai and Niederdorfstrasse areas in the Old Town have many nightclubs, restaurants and bars around them.
Coffee and Chocolates – Zuerchers chief passion
Zurich is famous for its coffee and chocolates. The chief passion of the local Zuerchers is coffee. Each of the blocks in the city has its own exclusive coffee outlet. A visit to the Schwarzenbach, a temple dedicated to coffee, tea and dried fruit, will mesmerize you endlessly. It was founded in 1864. It is presently situated close by the cathedral on Münstergasse. The Schober Café is located opposite to the Schwarzenbach. This famous French patisserie was founded in 1874 and is renowned for its handmade chocolates.
The Schober Café was frequented by prominent writers, authors, scientists and thinkers of the time. The famous book ‘Ulysses’ was written by James Joyce here. Dadaism, an art movement of the European avant-garde during early 20th century, finds its origin in the coffee houses of Zurich. A part of Das Kapital by Karl Marx was written at the Schober Café. Famous people such as Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, Trotsky, and Richard Wagner are known to have frequented the coffee houses of Zurich. The Odeon Café on Limmatquai, which still continues to flourish even after 102 years, was also visited by these radicals.
After coffee, chocolate is yet another fascination for the local Zuerchers and the Swiss people. Chocolate has become synonymous to the Swiss ever since Nestlé co-founder Daniel Peter created the first milk chocolate in 1857 and Rodolphe Lindt found out a way to create smooth melting chocolate in 1879.
Delectable chocolate brands that you can find in Zurich include Teuscher, Camille Bloch, Felchlin, Cailler, Saveurs Nobles, Max Chocolatier, Nobile, and Reichmuth von Reding.
You can also consider visiting Confiserie Sprüngli, the largest chocolate emporium in Zurich situated on River Limmat’s western shores. This family-owned chocolate emporium was founded in 1836. It is renowned for its fresh chocolate and Luxemburgli macaroons, which should be eaten within two months of their production.
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