A Few Days In Zürich

Grüezi! After our travels in the interior of Switzerland, we spent a few days in Zürich prior to our return. The decision was one out of convenience, since Zürich airport was the closest offering international travel back to the states.

Getting There

Since we were starting from Wengen, we had to take the the Wengneralpenbahn to Lauterbrunnen and then the Berner Oberlandbahn from there to Interlaken Ost. From Interlaken Ost to Bern we still had free fare with our Oberlandbahn passes, so we only had to book first class tickets from there to Zürich. Then we purchased seat reservations for the entire trip using the Swiss Half Fare card.

Wengneralpenbahn – New Snow in Lauterbrunnen Valley – Wengen, Switzerland

A word about the Swiss Half Fare card and Berner Oberlandbahn pass. If you are only passing through the region it probably does not pay to get these, the initial cost is rather high. However, if you are staying in the region for an extended period of time and plan on traveling within it, then it definitely pays for itself.

Zürich

A modern city by any standard, it is situated on the eponymous lake and also enjoys the dissection of the Limmat and Sihl rivers, as well as a canal and several minor streams.

The Altstadt, or old city, is partially on a small island, being bounded by the lake, the Limmat river and the Schanzengraben canal, the remaining part lieing to the east of the Limmat, which at one time had also been bounded by the Sielengraben and Hirschengraben moats (which have both been filled in).

Augustinerbrunnen – Münzplatz – Zürich, Switzerland

The Münsterhof, Münsterbrücke and the Limmatquai are probably the must see places for this city. There are plenty of restaurants in and around this area, as well as shops and other places of business.

Münsterhof Brunnen – Münsterhof – Zürich, Switzerland

Hans Waldmann Denkmal – Münsterbrücke – Zürich, Switzerland

Fraumünster – Münsterhof – Zürich, Switzerland

Zunfthaus – Münsterhof – Zürich, Switzerland

Looking Toward Rathaus – Münsterbrücke – Zürich, Switzerland

Fraumünster – Münsterbrücke – Zürich, Switzerland

Samson Fountain – Limmatquai – Zürich, Switzerland

We both felt that Zürich as a destination in itself does not offer much, but it is definitely worth of few days in your schedule if you are just passing through the area.

Limmat River At Night – Zürich, Switzerland

Hotels

Hotel Glärnischhof

The Hotel Glärnischhof is situated close the Schanzengraben canal and the Zürichersee, or Lake Zurich. It provides a good location to the old city, as well as the lake for relaxing strolls, boat rides and other forms of entertainment. We did not find many restaurants in the area, so we did have to walk into the old city center each night for dinner.

Hotel Glärnischhof – Side – Zürich, Switzerland

Hotel Glärnischhof – Lobby – Zürich, Switzerland

Restaurants

Zeughauskeller

The Zeughauskeller Restaurant has exactly that, a bunch of military junk and oddities in a building, hanging from the walls or ceiling. It provides interesting things to look at while you are eating your sausages and drinking your beer.

As for sausage, they make it locally and sell some of it by the meter, apparently to go along with that liter of beer (ein Maß) you are going to order. We were even witness to a bit of excitement when the kitchen staff had a small mishap near our table and they gave me a coupon for 20 Swiss Francs for the disturbance. I graciously accepted it using my poor German.

Tag: keller

Zürich, Switzerland – A Few Last Days