I got to see many sights in Zurich, which was a bit surprising given the limited time I had there and my don’t-know-where-is-where. Read this article if you’re interested in knowing more about my 3-day self-touring Zurich, Liechtenstein from Austria.I managed to get to Limmat river bank from the train station and sat down looking at Swiss being Swiss. I bought Chinese takeout and sat down under a tree by the lake and had my lunch with ducks. These birds didn’t eat Chinese of course, and I wouldn’t dare to feed them. Rule-obeying Swiss police would come and slap me with a big fine. Sleepy and tired, I decided to camp here until my departure to Prague at 18.00. But after 2 or 3 hours at the lake, I got bored by the serenity and made a brief tour around the lake before riding back to the center. I happened to spot something colorful which reminded me the old parts of Prague. I turned to that direction to explore a little bit before returning to the train station. Then I discovered another ‘old’ looking quarter. I was ready to go back to the train station again when I wandered into another hidden gem of Zurich. This pattern repeated itself until I accidentally saw almost every interesting place in Zurich.
This is how you ‘see’ Europe. Don’t look at the map, just turning left and right. You can’t always orient east, west, north, south. What you should do is to aim toward some landmarks for example churches, tower or a river bank.
– From the train station, you can reach Bahnhofstrasse, the 3rd most expensive retail street in Europe (as of 2010) after London’s New Bond and Paris’ Avenue des Champs-Elysees. Linger here for a moment to savor the image of yourself dressed in Armani and Gucci, holding a Louis Vuitton bag, wearing a Rolex and glittering jewelry wrapped around your fingers. Remember to buy a hot dog from one of the streets stands while you are here to appreciate the irony of life.
– Get rid of the unclassy hot dog to travel with style in Zurich’s picturesque Old Town, lying between the chic Bahnhofstrasse and the river. One of its many beautiful streets is Augustinergasse, Zurich’s oldest with many colorfully bay windows looking down to restaurants, coffeehouses and, tourist shops. The buildings’ facades owe their handsome to rich factory owners who used to settle on this street. These rich businessmen competed among themselves to have the most beautiful facade.
– Literary buff might be interested in checking out James Joyce Foundation on Augustinergasse 9. The Irish writer left Dubin in 1915 and moved to Zurich with his wife and began to write his famous novel Ulysses. He was buried here in Zurich, next to the Zoo.
– Where else if not in Switzerland that something that holds a world record has to do with punctuality? The Romanesque-Gothic, Baroque St. Peter Church, the oldest church in Zurich dating back to before 900, boasts the largest clock face in Europe. The clock is 8.7m/28.4 feet in diameter and has a 4m/13-foot long minute hand. Take a short break at the small, peaceful St. Peterhofstatt square and listen to classical music straying out to the street from an apartment you’re not sure where. (Augustinergasse will lead you directly here.)
– In the past, fishermen had to push (‘schupfen’) their boats to the river. Schipfe, the oldest part of Zurich, was named after a daily activity executed by fishermen in the old time when they pushed (‘schupfen’) their boats to the river. Schipfe was a central point for merchandise trading in the Middle Ages and a headquarter of the silk industry from the 16th century. Today Schipfe, home to many artists and craft shops, serves as a picture-perfect setting along the river for a nice romantic lunch or dinner.
– It’s time for a rest, but not before you walk or carry the bike up to Lindenhof hill. From there, you have a panoramic view of the city below and see if you can track where you were. There you can sit down, relax, read up on the guide to map out the next leg of the trip.
– Having explored the west bank of the Limmat, you are now ready to cross the bridge to Limatquai to either walk along the busy river or sit down on a bench and looking at linden trees and colorful buildings across the river.
– If you want a moment of peace, get off the busy street and turn to into any small street to reach Niederdorfstrasse, lined up with beer halls, restaurants and colorful statues of cows, Switzerland’s favorite animal.
– For this last leg, you’ll need to brace yourself amid Zurich’s busy traffic and pump your bike to Llake Zurich where young couples, mothers with babies, mothers with kids and all types of locals hang out. This image does not all represent what stereotype you might have about a serious Zurich where serious Swiss are busy working.
| NOTE: Zurich is NOT a bike friendly city. The streets are extremely narrow having cars and trams competing for space. If you’re a beginner cyclist, don’t do it. While I enjoyed my biking experience a lot, I entrusted my safety on the hands of Swiss drivers, trying to convince myself that Swiss obey the laws and follow the rules; therefore they drive safe. |
Visit this link to find and book cheap hotels in Zurich.
Low-cost airline easyJet flies to Zurich airport only from London and Manchester (UK). Other low-cost airlines fly to Basel airport, 1.5 hour train away from Zurich. Pegasus (flypgs) operate flights from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia and Turkey. easyJet from Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greek, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey.
Long-distance buses from ex-Yugoslavia countries, Czech Republic.
Bicycles are free to use at designated Züri Rollt pickup stations near the train stations. Leave your passport and 20 CHF as a deposit.
Switzerland is very expensive, not a favorite place for budget backpackers. At least you can get a free bike to ride around then move on to the next destination.
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My name is Cindy, also rhymes with travel junkie. A friend said I was probably a gipsy in my previous life. One of my many secret missions in life is to convert you to run off every once in awhile.
