Zurich is compact and mostly flat, so the useful question is how long you have. These self-guided routes are sorted by time, from a 45-minute stroll to a half-day ridge walk. Wear shoes that cope with cobbles and wet stone, and note that a paid guide option is covered at the end. 45 minutes: the Schanzengraben This is a flat 1.5 km boardwalk beside the sunken moat of the baroque city walls, built from 1642.

Zurich sits on a dense rail network, so the useful way to choose a day trip is by how long you spend on the train. These are grouped from the shortest ride to the longest, with a note on the two famous peaks that are better treated as special occasions. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF). About 30 minutes: Winterthur and Technorama The Swiss Science Center Technorama is on the edge of Winterthur and is the best wet-weather choice, with hundreds of hands-on experiments on light, sound, magnetism and mechanics.

Zurich’s main sights sit within a short walk of the Limmat, and their prices range from nothing to about CHF 31. This page orders them by cost, so you can build a day around the free ones and add paid ones where they earn their fee. Two of them are working churches, so treat them with quiet manners. Free Lindenhof. A raised, shaded terrace on the site of a Roman fort, open at all hours.

Zurich suits couples who like a slow evening more than a long checklist. This page is built as one evening that you can shift earlier or later, with a few swaps for the season. All prices are in Swiss francs (CHF), and book-ahead items are marked. Late afternoon: the Lindenhof Start on the Lindenhof, the tree-shaded terrace between Bahnhofstrasse and the Limmat. It is free, open at any hour, and looks across the river to the Grossmünster towers and the Old Town roofs.

Zurich does not have a catalogue of established multi-day tours of its own, and this page does not pretend otherwise. What it does have is a very good rail hub, so a stay of two to four days works best as a base with day outings. The questions below are the ones that usually decide the plan. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF). Should I stay in Zurich the whole time?

Families in Zurich can plan around two things: how old the children are and what the sky is doing. Several of the best places cost nothing for the youngest, and the few outdoor water options are closed for the season, so the list below starts with age. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF) and the secondary-sourced ones are marked “about”. Under 6 Young children go free: under 6 at Zoo Zürich and the Technorama science centre, and under 7 at the FIFA Museum.

Most of Zurich’s organised sightseeing is not a bus tour but a boat, a funicular or a guided stroll. This page ranks them from the cheapest ride to the longest outing, so you can see what each ticket buys. Everything is priced in Swiss francs (CHF). Under CHF 5: the funicular and the Limmat boat Polybahn. The little funicular has run since 1889 and climbs 41 metres in about 100 seconds from the Central tram hub to the ETH terrace.

Zurich is easiest to enjoy when you choose by weather and season rather than by a fixed list. Prices here are in Swiss francs (CHF), cards and TWINT work nearly everywhere, and city transport fares go up slightly on 13 December 2026. When it rains Thermal bath. The Hürlimannbad & Spa (Brandschenkestrasse 150) occupies the former Hürlimann brewery. Entry is listed at about CHF 42 for adults and includes the rooftop pool, with children aged 7 to 14 at about CHF 22.