Travel Tips for Zürich, Switzerland

Cost: €€€ (very expensive)

Safety: 4/5 for solo female travellers

Located in the heart of Europe, Zürich is an attractive place to visit, live and work. The city is on Lake Zurich, and offers an amazing view of the Alps on the horizon.

Zürich is full of beautiful architecture and it is quite easy to get around. I spent 2 days in the city which I feel is plenty of time, but book for longer if you want to travel on day trips.

I felt mostly safe throughout my trip, so I would recommend this city for solo female travellers. However, although Zürich is beautiful, it is one of the most expensive cities in the world, so it is not entirely suitable if you are on a budget.

How to get there

You can fly direct from Dublin to Zurich Airport via a number of airlines, including Aer Lingus. The flight length is a little over 2 hours. You can also fly from Cork or Shannon but there will be stop-overs.

As I was already in Vienna in Austria, I travelled via train from Vienna Hbf to Zürich Hbf. The journey took almost 8 hours, and I had a stop-over in Innsbruck along the way. It is possible to fly between the two cities, however I wanted to travel along the more scenic route.

Language, Currency & Weather

Swiss German is the main language spoken in Zürich, but the locals speak English quite well. The currency in Switzerland is the Swiss franc, however the Euro is accepted in some stores and restaurants in Zürich.

Zürich has four distinct seasons. In winter, temperatures usually drop below zero degrees Celsius. If travelling during this time I would recommend you bring very warm clothes.

In summer, temperatures can rise to 30 degrees Celsius or more and thunderstorms occur frequently.

Public Transport

The public transport network in Zürich is one of the most efficient and reliable in the world. Run by the Zurich Transport Association (ZVV), it includes buses, trams, S-Bahn trains, boats, and the cogwheel/funicular railway.

If you are going to be using transport a lot, I would recommend buying a Zürich Card city pass, which allows you to travel on all forms of public transport (to and from the airport as well as a lake cruise). It’s valid for 24 or 72 hours and can be purchased at any ticket machine.

Otherwise, you can buy tickets for 1 hour or 24 hours (day pass) for different zones. They can also be purchased at any ticket machine.

To get between the airport and the city centre, you can travel via the S-Bahn train (15 minutes) or tram (35 minutes).

Where To Stay

As I mentioned already, Zürich is a very expensive city, so accommodation there is pricey.

For something mainly in the city centre, I would advise you to book Hotel Bristol, Best Western Plus Hotel Zürcherhof or Marktgasse Hotel.

Fred Hotel Leonhardstrasse, Hotel Scheuble or Townhouse Boutique Hotel are also good options.

There are a few hostels in the city, including Oldtown Hostel Otter and Green Marmot Capsule.

Where To Go & What To Do

For my first day, I booked a city highlights tour by coach, cable car, and ferry. We explored many places in the city, including university quarter, St. Peters Church and the Guild Houses in the Old Town.

The tour then travelled along the “Gold Coast” to Meilen, where we crossed Lake Zurich on a ferryboat. The journey continued to Adliswil for the cable car to Felsenegg, where I experienced the incredible views overlooking Zurich, the lake, and the snow-covered Alps. This activity was about 4 hours long, and I would highly recommend if it’s your first time visiting the city.

As well as booking a tour like this, I would advise you to visit the Swiss National Museum, Zürich Museum of Art, the Lindt Home of Chocolate, the shopping avenue of Bahnhofstrasse, Zürich Opera House and the famous financial district. Meanwhile if you’re interested in sport, a visit to the FIFA Museum is a must.

The flat boat trips are an interesting activity and are another great way of seeing the city. They are built to pass below the seven bridges over the Limmat.

For a day trip, I would highly recommend booking a tour to Bernese Oberland and the Jungfrau mountain region. The day includes exploration of the famous mountain resorts of Grindelwald and Interlaken.

I would also recommend booking a trip to Lucerne and Mt. Pilatus, which offers breathtaking view of the Swiss Alpine landscape and the surrounding lakes.

What & Where To Eat

My aim when travelling to Zürich was to try traditional Swiss cuisine, like fondue. This is a dish of several hard cheeses which are melted with white wine and eaten hot with bread. I travelled to the Swiss Chuchi for my cheese fondue and I must say, it did not disappoint.

For breakfast, I tried fresh Bircher Muesli in Cafe Zum Guten Glück, which was delicious. I also popped by John Baker for the Gipfeli, which is a croissant.

If you really want to soak in the culture of the city, try Raclette at the Raclette Factory. This is another popular dish where you melt a small slab of cheese and pour it over Swiss potatoes and add some spices. If you have time, travel elsewhere for this dish (to the Chasalp in the forest above Zürich).

There are so many great food markets in Zürich, so I tried a few for my lunch. My recommendations would be Markthalle Im Viadukt which is near Hardbrücke and is a small indoor food market or Bürkliplatz Market which is open on a weekly basis.

Finally, for dessert (albeit small) try a famous Zürich macaron called Luxemburgerli, which you can get all over the city. They are available in so many flavours, but my favourite was pistachio.

Have fun in Zürich!