This is a small little garden that sits by the river. A really nice place to take a breather. Even…read morethough it's small, it's really dense and built on a hill so it hides the city really well. I spent a few hours just reading here.

I love the unfussy, under-hyped, simply lovely Old Botanic Garden…read more When I find myself burnt out by lunch time 'cause I've been running around since early morning and I'm in dire need of some quiet time, I just grab a to-go sandwich or salad from Coop, Babu's or Hiltl (all at walking distance) and come here to eat and read. I originally found it by chance, walking alongside the Schanzengraben, but I immediately loved it. It's small, but easy to get to and fun (but relatively quick) to explore, especially if you have kids in tow; and it makes for a great spot for an impromptu lunchtime picnic! It's very quiet, so it's great if you just want to chill and read a book; or even take a short nap on the grass, if the mood strikes ;-) The small octagonal greenhouse is lovely; sometimes it gets rented out for private dinners or performances. There aren't very many benches, but if you are anything like me, you probably prefer to sit on the grass - and it's quite nice here, particularly from late spring to early fall (or as long as the weather holds.)

I have not visited many castles that date back from 1036 but this was a special treat! This castle…read moreis up on the hill in Lenzburg and overlooks the town and serves as a point of reference for it's location. We made a hike up the hill to the castle after landing in Zurich and let me first say I do not recommend this is you have a health condition or did not sleep on your flight over to Zurich as I did! Oh boy...what a good hike! I felt like I was going to be sick a few times up! The castle is used for business functions, concerts and weddings. On this day they were preparing for a wedding in one of the rooms! One adult cost 14 CHF and one adult and up to five children cost 25 CHF. This was for a tour of the museum and area where you can dress up in period pice costumes, take a picture and get a good laugh at each other for how silly you look! You walk upwards and the museum is decorated in period from oldest at the bottom to newer periods as you escalate upwards! They were doing (what appeared to be) reconstruction of the outer wall as there was scaffolding on the outside. In the evening there are sheep which graze across the castle as the sun goes down to get their food. They meeeehhh beeeee and make lots of other interesting sounds! A fantastic family activity and great way to get an introduction to Swiss cultural plus get a great view of Lenzburg!

This castle just keeps going, it seemed without end. So…read moreallot a chunk of time to visit, my castle-going friends. It's so easy to get to from Brugg, Zurich, and Aarau too, by train, bus, or car, I'd recommend them all to you. Only 20 minutes walk from the bahnhof to the schloss, (but the way there's uphill, so it's kinda tough!) Or you can take the bus in only 8 minutes time, and avoid the longish walk and the uphill climb. We were there on a weekend of costumes and crowds, knights, swords, and reenactments were all around! Got a discount for my parents with the Swiss pass, and I didn't pay so much, averaged 'bout 8 franks per guest. We enjoyed burgers and bratwurst in the hof, then some ice cream cones to top it all off. There were no English tours, only German ones here- but at almost all exhibits, English signs did appear. Tons of stuff for young ones: a dragon center and kid's museum. For grown-ups: knights, courts, history-and the videos, you should see 'em! So stop on by Schloss Lenzburg for a dive back in history, You'll be so glad you visited, you'll shout a grand YIPEE!

Technorama is a nice science museum, but it is pretty pricey. It's 28 CHF a ticket but if you use…read moreyour student ID, you can save 3 CHF. It's about a 20 minute train ride outside of Zurich (which if you're not a tourist with any form of Swiss Travel pass, the train ride will cost you about 25 CHF round trip) They have many different exhibits and lots of hands on activities. I would say you need two to three hours to explore everything, not including the shows. We were only able to catch one show, which was the gas one. Although the show was in German, which we don't speak or understand, we were still able to follow along. Tip - they have lockers by the entrance that you can put your belongings there. You just need a 2 CHF coin for deposit (which you'll get back).

On Sunday we chose to spend our afternoon at the Technorama-- the Swiss Science Center in…read moreWinterthur. It is about. 30 minute train ride, however, double check which stop is the closest to the science center. We chose to get off at the main station in Winterthur and took a 45 minute walk from there, but there is a train stop MUCH closer. The center is 3 floors of exhibits based on light, magnetism, optics, electricity, water, and much more, and even more wonderful is that the exhibits are all interactive in which visitors can touch and do. In fact, there were as many adults as children participating, doing things. It is EASY to spend an afternoon there for sure and not notice the time going by. The museum is a large space, hence the peculiar location, on the edge of town in Winterthur. The center also has workshops for children to participate, however, they are in German. They also have a demonstration, and this too is in German, but they have placards/booklets to explain what the speaker is saying. It is a neat place to visit, and especially if you have kids of ANY age....they will all enjoy being here, really. A few people reviewed this place and included comments about the food. Honestly, it is fine, but again, you don't come here for the food...it's cafeteria food, European style. We did take the bus back. It is the #5 and it goes to the main train station. Unfortunately, from there we couldn't tell it went since it didn't indicate it , meanwhile the Technorama ends/starts there. Overall, a 4.5 for sure. My one critique is that it isn't well noted on the "tourist boards" which point you in directions of different spots compared to other things from the main station.