What to Do With One Day in Zurich

With all of Switzerland’s nature, some guidebooks will suggest not even stopping in Zurich.  While we also were anxious to see Switzerland’s natural beauty, we did want to give Switzerland’s cities a chance, plus we were flying into Zurich, so we spent one entire day exploring Zurich.  While there are enough things to do in Zurich to keep one occupied for longer, we found that one day in Zurich gave us plenty of time to see the highlights. 

Stroll Through the Old Town

We started our day in Zurich with a stroll.  While we knew we would be taking a walking tour late in the afternoon, we wanted to see Zurich at our own pace, take lots of photos, and be able to go inside some of the places we passed. 

While you might think the best place in Zurich to walk is along the water, Zurich has some great old streets away from the water, including Niederdorfstrasse.  This narrow cobblestone street zig-zags parallel to the water and is lined with shops and restaurants.

Take a Boat Ride

We almost never pass up a chance to take a boat cruise when visiting a city with a river.  They are always a good way to see the city from a different angle.  The Limmat Cruise takes an hour and is covered by the ZurichCARD, though there is a CHF 5 surcharge.

Visit the Churches

There are two important churches in Zurich, Fraumünster Church and St. Peter’s Church.  While both churches are old, neither is very decorative because all adornments were removed during the Protestant reformation.  While murals and paintings were used way-back-when to teach bible stories to the illiterate masses, the Protestants believed these verged on idol worship, so what used to be colorful walls and ceilings turned into plain, whitewashed ones.

Fraumunster Church has the somewhat recent addition of color in the form of five large, brightly pigmented stained-glass windows by Chagall.  Each window has a theme color of red, green, blue, or yellow.  There are faint signs of what used to be in Mary’s Chapel, where figments of frescoes are barely visible.  It is worthwhile to use the audio-guide to learn more about the church’s history.

The oldest church in Zurich is St. Peter’s Church.  It is also plain inside, but does have sparkling crystal chandeliers.  What makes this church special, besides its age, is the huge clock faces on each side of the clock tower.  The clock face is the largest in Europe, at 8.6 meters, making it even larger than Big Ben.

For good measure, we added one more church to our list, Grossmünster.  This church has more modern stained-glass windows, but interesting just the same.  Some of the stained-glass windows look like thinly sliced geodes pieced together. Another window looked like it was made for little girls with its bright pink glass.  If you want to get some exercise and a birds-eye view of Zurich, you can climb one of the towers.

Learn About Swiss History

With only one day in Zurich, we didn’t want to spend too much time in museums, though there are plenty.  However, one museum is worth a visit, even during a short visit.  The Swiss National Museum tells the story of what made Switzerland what it is today.  Entrance to the museum is free with the ZuirchCARD.

Take a Guided Walking Tour

While we had already covered some of the same territories on our own walk through Zurich, we enjoyed joining the two-hour Stories of the Old Town walking tour of Zurich.  The Zurich walking tour starts in the train station, which is one of the busiest train stations in Europe and is guarded by the Guardian Angel statue by Niki de St Phalle which floats overhead. 

We learned about the city’s Roman past and walked along the street where Lenin once lived.  We drank in the view of Zurich from The Lindenhof, a hill upon which a Roman castle once stood.  We even stopped for a refreshment consisting of a mix of a berry syrup and water from one of Zurich’s many fountains.  Visitors receive a 50% discount with the ZurichCARD.

Wander Along the River at Night

                                                                                            

Take Advantage of Zurich’s Public Transportation