Our tour provided tickets good for all rides 24 hrs for less than 10 Swiss francs. Riding the tram…read moreespecially good during bad weather is the way to get around. Use Google maps to figure out which trams to take to next destination. Swiss use honor system and only spot check riders for tickets.

I have no honor…read more I've always assumed ma and pa did an excellent job of beating values into me, creating the upstanding individual I was certain I am, but it only took two days with the Swiss for me to see through that fairy tale. It started as soon as I arrived: walking out of the airport to catch a tram, I blamed my lazy nature and language barrier, as well as the prompt arrival of the train car, but deep down I knew it wasn't so. Then I tried to pass it off as spite, blaming wasted effort and money for my future transgressions, though again I knew I was only fooling myself. Finally, it came to a head as I boarded the Pfannenstiel for a peacefully scenic cruise around lake Zurich; these shmoes don't check for tickets, and I am the bigger schmuck for buying not one, but two! I can't say it will always be so, but I have never seen a ticket taker during my 48 hours in this land of milk and honey. Philadelphia, Pa, of the USA, has a public transportation system that has taught me for decades that you don't pay unless forced, so I immedietley implemented that practice here in Zurich with no regrets. Actually, I have one regret- the first time I tried to take the polybahn (lift-car/escalator), we bought tickets valid for 10 minutes only from the machine by the door, only to find that it had stopped running for the day about 7 minutes prior. Enter aforementioned spite. Be advised, every bus, tram, boat, and lift that we took seemed to roll on the honor system, and we didn't make the same "polybahn" mistake twice. You would rather know about service? Well, those trams abound, going everywhere, and they run prompt and often. Did I mention the buses and such are "free"?

Very convenient when the station on top of hill is next to our hotel. All we had to do was walk…read morethru hotel to station. Our river cruise put all of us who came early in the Grand Dolder. Our tour guide took us to this funicular which ends down the hill in downtown Zurich. Take the nr. 3 tram from the Dolderbahn to get into heart of city.

Swiss transportation at it's best. It's one of the highlights of living in Switzerland. I don't…read moreeven remember what it is like to drive a car. From the Zurich HB you can take Tram 3 to the Romerhof stop, cross the street and you are the entrance to the Dolderbahn. If you need to buy tickets, don't be confused by the little shop selling gums and candies, just head inside to where you get onto the funicular and purchase the tickets from the automated ticket machine. The Dolderbahn runs about every ten minutes, and there are several stops along the way to the final stop at the top. At the top you will find a Curling events centre and a large outdoor ice skating rink, just follow the brown signs to get to your final destination. I can't wait to head back to the outdoor ice skating rink as it even has a large lighted Christmas tree smack dab in the middle. It is like a Hallmark Christmas movie come to life!