lisahazarika
San Jose
eliebeck
New Market
I’ve only been there twice, but here are some suggestions/thing I really enjoyed:
1) On a nice day, take a little picnic or just a nice bottle of wine down to Zurich Lake Park. The views of the Alps over the water are indescribably beautiful. There’s a lovely park there where people play frisbee, soccer, etc. It’s nice to take the trolley there if you can. It’s about a 15 minute trolly ride + 10 minute easy walk from the HB (main train station).
2) We loved walking around the old town off the Niederdorf (east side of the Limmat). It’s funkier, more ecclectic, and less ritzy than the Bahnhofstrasse. But much more fun in my opinion. Some of the places I remember patronizing: Cafe Shober for hot chocolate or cappucinno, a second-hand jewelry shop that sold gold for good prices, a wonderful old bookshop behind the Grossmunster (another must see), and if you like fondue (we hated it!) the Cafe Adler on the Niederdorf seems to be the place to eat it. You can smell it from 3 blocks away! In the summer, there are beautiful fountains flowing and impromptu musical concerts right off the Niederdorff behind shops.
3) We also loved the Landesmuseum, which I think just means the National Museum (of Switzerland). You can learn a lot about Swiss history and culture there.
Too many memories start coming back that I’ll bore you - but it’s just a great city. It’s large enough and very cultured to keep you hooked - but it had a very manageable feel to me. Only twice there like I said, and yet I feel I know some of the city and am very comfortable in it. The US dollar is strong against the CH, but it is expensive! Have FUN!! :)
P.S. We bought something called a “Zurich Card” or maybe “Zurich Pass” that is an economical way to get around the city. I can’t remember all the perks, but it was a real money saver. Do some research on the net or ask your hotel.