Culture & history
Zurich
Explore Zurich through thirteen popular sights, from Old Town churches and major museums to the lake, botanical garden and Uetliberg.
Europe · THE DISCOVERY COLLECTION
All countries Switzerland
Begin exploring Switzerland through Zurich, with detailed guides to its Old Town, museums, churches, lake and local mountain.
GET TO KNOW SWITZERLAND
A starting point for your journey.
This Switzerland collection begins with Zurich, the country’s most populous city. It offers a focused urban starting point: a river and lake setting, religious buildings, major museums and an accessible relationship with the surrounding landscape. A city visit can introduce several different interests without pretending to represent every region or community in the country.
Use the Zurich guide to choose the character of your trip. You might spend more time looking at art, exploring the history of religious institutions, following Old Town streets or observing plants and landscape. Those are different experiences with different practical requirements. Build the day around the one that matters most, leaving space for travel, a meal and a change of weather.
The thirteen place guides in this collection distinguish public streets and squares from museums, performance venues, church interiors and outdoor excursions. A freely accessible viewpoint is not the same as an open building, and a museum ticket does not establish rights to reproduce its artworks. Real photographs are supplied with dates, creators and licenses; they show recorded scenes rather than guaranteed present conditions.
For a wider Switzerland itinerary, consult the relevant destination’s current operator and transport information before adding distant excursions. This collection currently supplies researched Zurich coverage rather than a verified nationwide hotel, restaurant or live-booking inventory. Allow another destination enough time to become a visit in its own right instead of attaching it to an already crowded city day.
This country guide was reviewed before publication. Check current visiting information before travelling.
CHOOSE YOUR STARTING POINT
Cities & destinations.
City streets or a stretch of coastline. Get to know somewhere new.
LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER
Places to understand.
Streets & squares
Bahnhofstrasse
Walk Bahnhofstrasse from the station towards the lake, noticing Zurich’s shopping street, side lanes, tram corridor and changing urban atmosphere.
Church
Fraumünster
Visit Fraumünster for its abbey history, stained glass and Münsterhof setting, with careful guidance on admission, worship and image restrictions.
Church
Grossmünster
Explore Grossmünster’s exterior, Reformation context and tower-visit choices, with renovation and photography checks for Zurich’s twin-towered church.
Museums
Kunsthaus Zürich
Plan Kunsthaus Zürich around selected artworks, its distinct buildings and provenance context, with current gallery and admission checks.
Nature & waterfront
Lake Zurich: City Shore
Explore Lake Zurich from the city shore around Bürkliplatz and Bellevue, with walking, boat-planning and seasonal swimming considerations.
Nature & viewpoints
Lindenhof
Pause at Lindenhof for Old Town views, public-square life and traces of Zurich’s earlier history, with advice on approaches and considerate visiting.
Museums
National Museum Zurich
Explore Swiss cultural history at National Museum Zurich, with a focused collection visit and clear distinctions between galleries, courtyard and nearby park.
Historic neighbourhoods
Niederdorf
Walk Zurich’s Niederdorf lanes and courtyards on the east bank, noticing small-scale architecture and everyday neighbourhood life.
Nature & viewpoints
Polyterrasse
Enjoy the Polyterrasse above Zurich’s Old Town, with the ETH setting, Polybahn approach and considerate public-terrace visiting advice.
Church
St Peter Church, Zurich
Discover St Peter Church’s clock tower, parish history and Old Town square, with guidance for a considerate visit around worship and music.
Nature & viewpoints
Uetliberg
Plan a Uetliberg outing for Zurich’s hilltop landscape, weather-dependent views and walking routes, including the dated 2026 S10 disruption.
Gardens
University of Zurich Botanical Garden
Visit the University of Zurich Botanical Garden at Zollikerstrasse 107 for plant collections, grounds and tropical houses, distinct from the Old Botanical Garden.
Arts & culture
Zurich Opera House
Discover Zurich Opera House and Sechseläutenplatz, distinguishing a public-square visit from a booked performance or scheduled guided tour.
GO BEYOND THE POSTCARD
View all stories Stories from Switzerland.
A little context. A new perspective. Somewhere worth knowing.
Culture & historyZurich: 13 Popular Places to Visit, from Old Town to Uetliberg
Explore Zurich’s churches, museums, Old Town, lake and hilltop views through thirteen detailed stops, with real photos and fifteen related guides.
Read story Photo by Leonhard Lenz / Wikimedia Commons / CC0. Resized and converted to WebP; covers and cards may crop. / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Cropped for display; converted to WebP.This is a collection of our current guides, not a complete guide to Switzerland. Live hotel prices and reservation availability are not connected.