13 free things to do in expensive Zürich

Zürich is similar to any other European city with an old town, churches, bridges, museums and a viewpoint. What sets Switzerland apart from the rest of the world is the richness it carries. From fancy cheese fondue to extremely beautiful nature, it offers everything in between. It’s tough to find any another place like Switzerland.

The official currency of Switzerland is the Swiss Franc(CHF). 1€=1.10CHF. Euro is accepted everywhere and there is no need to exchange currency.

Things to do in Zürich

Bahnhof Strasse

The first impressions when I entered the street ”Wow, this place looks rich”. In the buzzing main shopping street in Zürich, we spotted major brands like Zara, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Gucci Mango, Boss to mention a few. Trams ply frequently transporting hundreds of people every minute making the street look even busier.

The irresistible fragrance of chocolates drew us into one of the stores. The chocolates were delicately arranged and it was wonderful to see them. Unlike in Belgium, there is no complimentary chocolate offered when you enter the store. So you gotta buy if you want to taste.

1. Lindenhof hill

A 5 min walk from Bahnhof Strasse leads to this beautiful viewpoint. It is a small square located on top of the hill which gives a great view of the city along the Limmat River. One can typically spend an hour here. 

2. Limmatquai and Rathaus (Town Hall)

Limmatquai is the name of the street/area named after the Limmat river. A walk along this street leads to all major attractions in Zürich. One such is the Zürich Rathus or Town Hall.

It took us a while to locate the Rathaus. Usually, Rathaus is painted in vibrant colours or has great architecture. Here it looked like any other regular stone building with a mediocre exterior look.

3. Rathausbrücke

The bridge is located right next to the Rathus. Also known as Gmüesbrugg (vegetable bridge), it connects public square Limmatquai and the Weinplatz plaza. It received the name because it hosted the vegetable market in the 1890s.

4. St. Peter Church

It is the oldest church in Zurich located right next to the Lindenhof hill. The church is so tall that it was used as a tower to watch for fire breakouts in the city.

Facts

The church’s clock face is the largest in Europe with a diameter of 8.7mts with the minute hand being 4m long. There are also five bells in the tower dating back to 1880 with the largest weighing over 6,000 kg without clappers.

Timings and entry fee

The entry is free and is open from 8.00 am-6.00 pm on weekdays and 9.00 am-4.00 pm on Saturday.

5. Fraunmünster and Fraumünster’s Crypt museum

It is another church in Zurich which can be seen from the Rathausbrücke. With 5793 pipes, the organ in the Fraumünster Church is the largest in the Canton of Zurich. There is an audio-guided tour organized which provides an insight about this church.

Detailed information is available on the fraumuenster website. We did not opt guided tours as we are not a fan of churches.

6. Grossmünster

This Münster is a landmark in Zurich because of its iconic twin towers with Karlsturm being one of its towers. It is Romanesque-style Protestant church in Zurich which has 187 steps that lead you to the top and gives the best panoramic view of the city.

Interiors

The interiors of the church was a little dark and unaesthetic. It was un-appealing for us so we returned without climbing the tower. Photography is prohibited.

Timings and entry fee

The tickets are 5CHF for adults and 2CHF for children between 6-16 years. It is open for sightseeing; Monday to Saturday from 10.00 am – 5.30 pm and 12.30 pm- 5.30 pm on Sundays. Visit the grossmuenster website for timings as it varies depending on the season.

7. Quaibrücke

It is a busy bridge across the Limmat river. Even though the bridge is full of traffic, I liked this more than Rathausbrücke because it gave a better view of the city and the river.

As we walked along the bridge, we admired the glittery water and clicked tons of pictures. This bridge is a chaotic but a must-visit.

8. Lake Zürich

The only thing that rings my memory when we say Zurich is the ”Zürich Lake”. It is a beautiful lake with crystal clear water. We were entertained as the ducks and the swans chased one another over food.

Places to sit

There are wooden benches along the path and it is an ideal location to spend an afternoon soaking in the sun. It was truly a pleasant experience. One can spend more than an hour here.

9. Giacometti Murals

It is a police station that attracts tourists for its famous stained-glass windows.

Also known as

It is a small hall which is also referred to as “Blüemlihalle” (hall of little flowers) due to its design featuring countless ornamental flowers.

The ID is a must

At the entrance, we had to present our ID to the officer and then were allowed to tour the place. They will return ID once you finish touring. Photography is strictly prohibited.

Timings and entry fee

It is open to the public on all 7 days of the week from 9.00 am-11.00 am and 2.00 pm-4.00 pm. The entry is free.

10. Focusterra museum

The museum belongs to the Earth Sciences Research and Information Center of the ETH Zurich. It is a 4 storey building with many interactive displays that keeps you entertained throughout.

Not to miss

The best attraction was the giant globe that changed according to the selection made on the screen. It even had the option of tsunami and earthquake. Another interesting activity is the earth stimulator but they do it only on Sundays as a part of the guided tour.

Timings and entry fee

The entry is free and detailed information is available on the focusterra website.

11. Zoological museum

The museum is a part of Zürich University and is affiliated with the Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies.

What to expect

It has over 1500 species of animal and fossils at the display. There is a small theatre that offers educational short films especially loved by the kids. There are buttons near each exhibit so that you can hear the sound they make.

Best place for children

The museum is highly recommended for children. There is a small play area with a lot of toys and puzzles. Various activities are conducted for kids on the weekends. Refer to the museum’s official website for more information on timings and activities.

12. Polyterrasse

This place offers a nice view of the city. The viewpoint is slightly at a higher altitude when compared to Lindenhof hill. From here we could not get a glimpse of the Limmat river. But still, the view was great.

This is just a 100 m walk from the zoological museum and approximately 30,000 people visit this place every day.

How to reach polyterasse

Walk – It is a 20 mins walk from Bahnhof. The path is not flat and expect a lot of steep stairs to reach the viewpoint. Polybahn –  It is a funicular railway that connects the Central square with the terrace by the main building of ETH Zürich. The 3 mins ride costs 1.2CHF.

13. Explore the narrow streets

Exploring the narrow streets is the best way to experience the city. You can spot many local pubs, bars and coffee joints. These streets are very calm and look appealing.

Hilly path

Unlike other cities I visited, Zürich is hilly and can hardly find flat streets.

Other information

Free washrooms

There are free washrooms located right next to the Rathaus bus top. These are pretty clean when compared to the number of people using it every day. When you want to flush the toilet, just push the toilet seat up. It is well equipped with soap and toilet papers.

Focusterra museum also has a washroom just near the entrance.

Souvenirs

Locations

Surprisingly we could not locate many souvenir shops. There is one opposite to the Rathaus and we saw another one in one of the narrow streets. The one near the Rathaus was huge and offered endless collections of mugs, paintings, clocks, postcards and magnets. The other one was a smaller shop with limited collections.

Prices

The prices of magnets start from 5€ and minimum of 2€ for a postcard. Since I collect both, I bought a magnet for 9€ and a postcard from 2€. Switzerland is expensive 🙁

Supermarkets

”Coop” is a supermarket in the Bahnhof junction. The prices are on the higher side and are not recommended to buy anything unless it is necessary.

Public transportation

Trams are the heart of public transport. Apart from that, buses and trains complete the transportation network.

Zürich day pass

The 24 hour Zürich pass offers unlimited use of public transport on that particular day. Zürich’s entire network has more than 7 zones. So the 24-hour pass is priced according to how many zones you wish to travel. For instance, the inner Zürich circle (where most tourists visit) is priced at 5.4 CHF for a day but 34.4 CHF for all the zones.

Tip: If you want to see only Zurich’s main highlights that we have mentioned above, then we recommend you to walk. Most of the places are coverable by foot.

Official website

Go through ZVV to find more about the pricing and zone information. Multiple day passes are also available that can save you some bucks.

How to Reach Zürich

Zürich is easily accessible by trains, buses and flights.

Bus

We travelled by flixbus from Stuttgart for 13.99€ per person and the journey lasted for 4-hour. The flixbus stop is right opposite to the Zürich Bahnhof.

The only problem with travelling by road is the border crossing while entering Switzerland. We lost an hour because of this. More details will be posted in a separate blog.

Train

Log on to DB to plan your train journey. The train is faster but expensive.

Zürich airport to city

In case you take a flight then Zürich airport is very near. Train S16 connects the main station to the airport and the ride lasts only 13 min. Does anyone know a major city in the world where one can reach the airport faster than Zürich? Overall experience:  out of 5 Time of visit: October 2019

”Never hesitate to go far away. Beyond all seas, all frontiers, all countries, all beliefs” – Amin Maalouf