It's kind of interesting that this street was once named after a ditch of frogs (Fröschengraben)…read more Well, actually the frogs lived in a moat along the defensive wall that surrounded Old Town Zurich prior to 1864. That moat would eventually become a major street connecting the train station to Lake Zurich. Currently, it is considered to be one of the most exclusive & expensive shopping boulevards in the world. It's Switzerland's Fifth Avenue or Champs-Élysées. Honestly, I had no idea until our tour brought us here. All I can say is that this is a designer shopper's paradise. We walked along this ritzy street to get to the Bürkliplatz for a beautiful view of Lake Zurich. It was just nice to see the architecture and history here. There were many public art sculptures and cafés. We were there during the autumn season. I've read that this area is best seen during the winter months when they string up the "Lucy" lights all along the area. They are named after the "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" song from the Beatles. It looks amazing in pictures. So, is it as beautiful as the Champs-Élysées? No, but it has its own charm. I'm sure it looks very magical at night. Maybe it's the view of the tram cables over the street that makes it feel like a busy railway. Although, I didn't see any traffic. Then again, the street is aptly named "Bahnhofstrasse" for a reason.

The Zurich Bahnhofstrasse has maybe a less catchy name than others but still represents the most…read morebeautiful shopping boulevard in the world and easily beats Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles or the Champs Élysées in Paris. There is nothing that can compete with the wide open space, the relaxing atmosphere in combination with the ultimate concentration of luxury stores.

This hill is located in the the oldest part of Zurich (near Schipfe). It was once a Celtic…read moresettlement and then it became a Roman fort. The stone wall of the fort is what you see today. There's more history there that is still being uncovered. Some items found around the Lindenhof date back to the 1st century BC. Today, it's a large park with incredible views of Zurich and the Limmat River. We saw groups of people playing boules in the grassy area on a Sunday, as well as people playing chess. There's a fountain in the middle of the square that pays homage to Hedwig's women who wore battle gear to defend the city during the seige of Zurich in 1292. It's worth seeking out as it can be quite peaceful up there even though it's a tourist hot spot. The walk up the somewhat steep pathway and steps to get there from the city center is worth it. I've read that there is an elevator for those with mobility issues, but I didn't see one. There are benches as well as places to sit along the wall. It's shady and breezy up there. A great place to relax and enjoy the view.

This was a part of a self guided walking tour recommended by our hotel; we only had one night in…read moreZurich and wanted to see what we could without overdoing it. We stayed at a hotel on the other side of the river and walked across a lovely bridge to get here. You start at the bottom of the hill where there is a one lane road. While there are cars (or were, when we visited), mostly there are pedestrians and bicyclists. The lane is full of little shops and restaurants all vying for your attention and money. Eventually you come to a wide and tall (long) staircase going up. At the top is what is considered Lindenhof Hill, a quaint park with gorgeous views across the river and towards Lake Zurich. There is a fountain and old pumping station, as well as some Roman artifacts. It's a nice park to just sit and take in the views, or play a game of giant chess/checkers. The streets are all narrow in this area, but once you leave the hill, you need to find Thermengasse. It is a covered pedestrian walkway with grating for a walkway. Underneath the grating is an exposed archeological dig of a Roman heating system. There is signage throughout the passageway telling you all about it. As night began to fall, we made our way around the area, just taking everything all in. We ended up by the Fraumuenster church and walked across the Muenster bridge towards the Niederdorf area. If we had had more time, we would have explored the area more, but we were happy with the highlights we did see. It was a nice little introduction to the city. 78/2025

Can't miss this church walking along the river. Inside is the usual high high ceilings, reliefs,…read moreand some stellar stained glass. It's about 3 meters to the top- (about $3) tickets available on site - no rez required. Stairs! First level a killer, you & your backpack will have a hard time navigating the tiny twisty stairs. Thankfully, there's a couple rest stops, one even has chairs by the windows, bring a book- or rest- pretending to be looking for something in your bag. There are eight windows on top with stunning views. Minus one star because they closed off the balconies, making it impossible to see past the 4' + decorative concrete barrier, except for snippets through the medallions. All in all, a worthwhile stop, but photographers will have to look for another vantage point.

The Grossmünster is a show stopper! We were walking along the river and I had to find a way to walk…read moreover there! Inside is gorgeous! They offer a tour inside, and walk-ins are welcome. You can walk inside and look (free of charge) at the first level of the church.

It was amazing! Had lots a fun. Definitely a great experience. Also walking distance from another…read moreChristmas market.

Zurich's Christmas market is located in the main concourse of the Main Train Station. It is known…read moreto be one of the largest indoor Christmas markets in Europe. My husband and I stopped by this past Monday to check out Zurich's indoor Christmas market. Due to covid, staff will request to see your Swiss pass showing that you're fully vaccinated and will ask you for a form of ID like your passport. Be mindful that you must bring them before heading to this Christmas market because I have seen people get turned away not having the proper documentation. Once we walked in, the very first thing we saw was the impressive 32-ft-tall Christmas tree. It was decorated with thousands of sparkling Swarovski crystals. The stalls, all decked out in Christmas decorations, enticed us with their festive temptations. There were several local vendors including food dipped in fondue, local handmade chocolate, and artisan bakeries. The only disappointment was that there were some but not many vendors selling any holiday crafts, ornaments, toys, etc. This Christmas market seemed to be more focused on food and drinks. Nonetheless, it was still fun roaming each row to see what every vendor had to offer. It was also a nice way to stay indoors for a bit when it began to snow outside.

We had been told by our guide the Fraumünster was free, which was inaccurate - it's $5 for adults…read moreand ended up dropping in before we left Zurich. Is the space pretty? Yes. Is it worth a special trip? No. There are about 4-5 different stained glass windows and while it's very relaxing and unique to a degree, there just isn't much to see and the air quality really isn't great. All in all, if you're in the area, have 10 minutes to spare, and don't mind the fee I'd say go for it, but otherwise (especially if you have allergies) you're not missing much by skipping it.

Another instance of stark, gorgeous architecture; this time made more impressive with the inclusion…read moreof the famous Chagall stained glass windows that serve as the claim to fame here. The area surrounding the munster is also quite lovely and it is conveniently located in the heart of the classic/old town area with lots of other sights to take in. Certainly a must-visit when in Zurich!

It's the square or promenade in front of Lake Zurich near the dock. This is where you can take a…read morescenic boat tour of the lake. It's also a great place to walk and soak in the views of it. My favorite part of the experience was watching the swans and ducks on what looks like an old boat ramp. They look so majestic while sunbathing after a swim. There's a sculpture on the terrace of Ganymede in a scene described as "The Abduction to Olympus" in Greek mythology. It was sculpted by Hermann Hubacher in 1952. The eagle in the sculpture represents Zeus. I thought it looked more elegant when viewing it from below the terrace. This is also where you can find the farmers market on Tuesday & Friday as well as a flea market on Saturday. Although, I believe they may have recently moved to the Münsterhof (Oct 2025) due to construction in the area. Check the website just to be sure. We walked down Bahnhofstrasse to get here. You can also take Fraumünsterstrasse to get here as well depending on where you are in the city. Take that short or long boat excursion if you have the time so that you can see all the sights on Lake Zurich. It's all worth it.

We had amazing boat lake tour on Lake Zurich. They have long and short lake tours so you can…read morechoose. We saw a lot of ducks and swans on the lake, beautiful homes along the lake and beautiful fountain. It was very relaxing and beautiful boat ride.

On my way to the Frietag store I came across the IM Viadukt, which is an amazing example of…read moreredevelopment to revitalise a historical landmark to improve the surrounding community and revitalising the local economy. It was so much fun to walk along and window shop at all the stores they have built into the Viadukt. I especially loved the indoor marketplace they have. Which is the first indoor market in Zurich. Based on the website they also have space for community events and offer tango classes. So cool! Cool factoids: The Viadukt was planned in 1875 and built within three and a half years. In December 1940, the viaduct was bombed, and until 1941, it was part of the longest continues bridge construction in Switzerland.

I visited this little shopping center twice while in Zurich. I reviewed the Markethalle portion…read moreseparately because it was so unique, and it is a separate store, or by American standards, an upscale food court. I really loved it. The rest of the shops are interesting too. They are tucked into the arches of the historic stone Viaduct. It's really charming. There is even a little car parking if you need it, but pretty much everyone, including us, comes by tram, and we saw some on bicycle. There is a #13 tram stop right at the edge of the Viadukt. It is not a large shopping area, and there was no outdoor market the days we were there, but there are several specialty shops I found interesting and would probably use if I lived there. There was a full Lolë store which I have never seen before. I like their women's clothes and find a smaller selection at bigger stores in the US like REI. There was also some trendy younger styles featured at the Roxy/Quicksliver store. There was also a nice store for bags, one for menswear, one of kitchenware and my favorite, outdoors wear with a small selection of gear type items. The salesman was very friendly and pleased to hear we were from Colorado, as he carries some items from local manufacturers right near Boulder, our home. The shops seem mostly for locals as we found this area to be less fluent in English than most of the places we went in Zurich, but they were also some of the most open and friendly.