Language · 11 published
Country guide
The Alps cover most of Switzerland's 41,291 km², which is why almost all of its 9,154,242 people live on the plateau — a band of low ground carrying Zurich, Bern, Basel, Lausanne, Geneva, Lucerne and Winterthur within a few hours of one another. Cross a ridge and it is the language that changes: German is spoken by 62 per cent of the country, French by 23, Italian by 8, Romansh by half a per cent. Twenty-six cantons write their own rules on top of that. A trip here is usually a choice between the flat line of cities and the valleys branching off it.
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Ikiwaner · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
66 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Fraumünster is a working Reformed parish church on the Münsterhof in Zurich's old town, run by the Evangelisch-reformierte Kirchgemeinde Zürich; the address fraumuenster.ch redirects to the parish's own pages, which are the source for everything practical below.
Lindenhof is a flat gravelled terrace on a moraine hill above the left bank of the Limmat, and the City of Zurich describes it as the city's oldest green space.
Cabaret Voltaire is the small cultural institution at Spiegelgasse 1 in Zurich's Old Town where Dada emerged in 1916. It is not a preserved nightclub recreated exactly as it was.
Bürkliplatz is a central Zurich square at the western end of Lake Zurich. Named after city engineer Arnold Bürkli, it forms a meeting point between the lakeside promenade, Bahnhofstrasse and the city center.
Polyterrasse is a prominent elevated terrace located on the campus of ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.
St. Peter is Zurich's oldest parish church, standing above St.-Peter-Hofstatt beside the Lindenhof in the old town.
Botanischer Garten der Universität Zürich
The Botanical Garden of the University of Zurich is a living plant collection serving research, teaching and public education.
Chinagarten Zürich
Chinese Garden Zürich is a traditional Chinese garden given to the city by its Chinese partner town, Kunming.
Sukkulenten-Sammlung Zürich is a specialist botanical collection devoted to succulent plants in Zurich. It brings together cacti and other water-storing species from dry regions around the world.
Bauschänzli is a small artificial island and public park in the Limmat River at the heart of Zurich. Its name refers to the defensive bulwark that once occupied the site.
Belvoirpark
Villa Belvoir stands within Belvoirpark in Zurich’s Enge district, combining historic architecture with landscaped parkland.
Irchelpark is a public green space beside the University of Zurich’s Irchel Campus. Its lawns, trees, paths, and sloping ground serve residents, students, and visitors looking for outdoor time away from the busiest central streets.
Josefwiese is an urban public park in Zurich, centred on an open meadow where visitors can pause, relax, and enjoy outdoor space within the city.
Alter Botanischer Garten is a historic botanical garden in Zurich, located near the main railway station in the city center. It served as Zurich's primary botanical garden before the establishment of the newer Botanischer Garten der Universität Zürich.
Villa Patumbah is a historic villa in Zurich and a heritage-focused stop for visitors interested in architecture and urban history. The property adds a quieter cultural dimension to a city itinerary dominated by museums, churches and lake views.
Villa Wesendonck is a historic villa in Zurich’s Enge district near Lake Zurich. The property is associated with the Wesendonck family, especially Mathilde Wesendonck, and with Richard Wagner’s Zurich period.
Uetliberg-Turm
Uetliberg Aussichtsturm is a viewing tower on Uetliberg, the wooded mountain rising above Zurich’s southwestern edge. From the summit area, the tower gives visitors a higher perspective over Zurich, Lake Zurich and, in clear weather, the Alpine horizon.
Lindenhof-Keller is a cellar-level establishment in Zurich’s historic Lindenhof quarter. The venue sits close to Lindenhof hill, an old-town viewpoint overlooking the Limmat, Grossmünster, and surrounding rooftops.
Augustinerkirche
The Christian Catholic Augustinian Church, known locally as Augustinerkirche, is an active Christian Catholic church in Zurich. It belongs to the Christian Catholic Church of Switzerland, a tradition distinct from Roman Catholicism.
Predigerkirche
Predigerkirche is a historic church in Zurich, Switzerland, known in English as Preachers Church. It stands as a significant religious building in the city, originally associated with the Dominican order whose members were called preachers.
Kirche Enge is a church serving Zurich’s Enge district. It is a neighbourhood place of worship rather than a large museum or landmark built primarily for tourism.
Arboretum
Arboretum Zürich is a public park and botanical collection on the western shore of Lake Zurich. It combines a lakeside promenade setting with trees and shrubs gathered from different climate regions.
Sprüngli
Confiserie Sprüngli is a Zurich confectionery, chocolate shop, and café known for polished presentation and traditional Swiss craftsmanship. The name is especially associated with Luxemburgerli, a delicate macaron-style sweet, as well as chocolates, pralines, pastries, and gift collections.
Chatzesee, Chräenriet
Katzensee is a lake in northern Zurich, also known locally as Chatzesee or Chräenriet. It offers an informal outdoor escape within the city’s administrative area, with water, shoreline, meadows and nearby woodland.
Oerlikerpark
Oerliker Park is a public green space in Zurich's Oerlikon district, serving as recreational grounds for residents and visitors. The park forms part of the city's northern urban landscape, positioned within a formerly industrial area that has undergone significant transformation.
Pestalozzianlage
Pestalozziwiese, also known locally as Pestalozzianlage, is a green public space in Zurich. Its name recalls Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, the Swiss educational reformer.
Platzpromenade
Platzspitz park, also known as Platzpromenade, is a riverside public park in central Zurich. It stands where the Limmat and Sihl meet, giving the site a distinctive setting shaped by two waterways and the city’s main railway district nearby.
Rieterpark is a landscaped public park in Zurich’s Enge district, on the western shore of Lake Zurich. Its historic character is connected with Villa Wesendonck and with nineteenth-century landscape design.
Rigiblick is an elevated locality in northern Zurich, known for its position above the city and its relationship with views toward Lake Zurich. It is primarily an urban neighbourhood rather than a single enclosed attraction.
Schauspielhaus Pfauen
Schauspielhaus Zürich, also known as Schauspielhaus Pfauen, is one of Zurich's principal theatres. It presents dramatic performances within the city's German-language cultural scene and gives visitors an opportunity to experience theatre in a major Swiss urban setting.
Stadelhoferplatz is a central Zurich square beside Stadelhofen railway station. It functions as both a public urban space and a busy transport interchange, linking railway passengers, tram users, pedestrians, and nearby streets.
Wasserkirche is a church on a small island in the Limmat River at the historic centre of Zurich. Its name means “Water Church,” a fitting description of its riverside setting.
Wipkingerpark is a public green space in Zurich’s Wipkingen district. It gives residents and travellers a place to pause away from the busiest central streets while remaining within the city.
Zunfthaus zur Meisen is a historic guild house in Zurich, Switzerland, within the city’s Old Town. Its importance comes from the guild tradition that shaped Zurich’s political, social and commercial life for centuries.
Zunfthaus zur Waag is a historic guild house in central Zurich’s Old Town. The building belongs to the city’s tradition of guild houses, which served artisan associations and helped shape Zurich’s economic, social and civic life.
Zunfthaus zur Zimmerleuten is a historic guild house on Zurich’s Limmatquai, the riverside promenade in the city centre. The building belongs to the carpenters’ guild, one of Zurich’s traditional craft associations with medieval origins.
Zürichberg is a wooded hill and district on the northeastern side of Zurich. It rises above the Limmat valley and combines forest, residential areas and recreational routes.
Zürich Letten
Zurich Letten railway station is a former railway station beside the Limmat in Zurich. The disused station and surrounding infrastructure preserve an industrial and railway-heritage atmosphere, while the riverside setting now serves recreation and informal urban life.
Adlisberg is a forested hill east of central Zurich, Switzerland. The wooded elevation forms part of the landscape between the Limmat and Glatt valleys and serves as a recreational escape from the city.
Bäckeranlage is a public park and green space in Zurich, Switzerland. The park brings open outdoor space into the city’s urban fabric and provides a place for walking, pausing and everyday recreation.
Basteiplatz is a public square in Zürich, Switzerland. It belongs to the city’s network of open civic spaces and provides an urban setting for passing through, orienting yourself, or pausing during a walk.
Gustav-Ammann-Park is a public green space in Zurich named after Gustav Ammann, a Swiss landscape architect. The park offers an urban pause for residents and visitors who want open air and greenery within the city.
Hardaupark is an urban public park in Zurich that gives residents and travellers a place to walk, pause and spend time outdoors. It belongs to the city’s network of green spaces woven through developed neighbourhoods.
Hönggerberg is a hill in northern Zurich, rising above the Limmat valley within the city. It is best known for the ETH Zurich Hönggerberg campus, an important concentration of science, technology and academic buildings.
Käferberg is an elevated hill and surrounding area in northern Zurich. It brings together natural hillside terrain, mixed vegetation, wooded sections, open areas, and residential surroundings.
Karlsturm is a named tower structure in Zurich, Switzerland, and forms part of the city's built landscape. Its identity makes it a compact architectural point of interest for travellers exploring Zurich beyond the best-known headline sights.
Kreuzkirche
The Reformed Church of the Holy Cross, known locally as Kreuzkirche, is a Reformed Protestant church in Zurich. It is an active place of worship and belongs to the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Zurich.
Letzipark is a shopping centre located in the Altstetten district of Zurich, Switzerland. The facility serves as a retail destination for residents of western Zurich and surrounding areas.
Leutschenpark is a public park in Zurich and part of the city’s network of urban green spaces.
Loorenkopf-Turm
The Loorenkopf tower, also known locally as Loorenkopf-Turm, is a viewing structure on Loorenkopf hill in Zurich. Its purpose is to give visitors an elevated place from which to look across the surrounding landscape.
MFO-Park is a public green space in Zurich’s Oerlikon district, created on the former grounds of Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon.
Grosse Kirche Fluntern
Reformed Church Fluntern, also known locally as Grosse Kirche Fluntern, is a Protestant church in Zurich’s Fluntern district. It serves the local congregation and forms part of the city’s religious and community landscape.
Rieterplatz is a public square in Zurich, Switzerland, forming part of the city’s everyday urban fabric. It is best understood as an open civic space rather than a single-purpose museum, monument, or ticketed attraction.
Sagentobelbachfall
Sagentobelbach is a small watercourse in the Zurich area, and the local name Sagentobelbachfall identifies a waterfall or cascade along its course.
St. Anton
St. Anthony Catholic Church, also known locally as St. Anton, is an active Catholic parish church in Zurich. It serves the local Catholic community and contributes to the city’s varied religious landscape.
St. Jakob
St. Jakob church is a church in Zurich and an active place of worship with religious and community functions. Its role is local and ecclesiastical rather than that of a dedicated tourist attraction.
Synagoge Agudas Achim
Agudas Achim Synagogue is a Jewish place of worship and community gathering in Zurich. Its purpose is prayer, religious ceremony and communal life, making it a meaningful stop for travellers interested in the city’s Jewish heritage.
Wahlenpark is a public green space in Zurich, offering an outdoor pause within the city. It suits travellers who want a simple break from streets, museums and built-up neighbourhoods.
Andreaspark is an urban green space in Zurich, Switzerland, suited to a quiet pause within the city. Its character is that of a neighbourhood park rather than a major landmark, making it useful between visits to busier attractions.
Alpengarten is a distinct Zurich garden place mapped as OpenStreetMap way/263478530. Its name gives the stop an alpine-garden identity, making cultivated planting, paths, rockwork and seasonal change the natural focus of a visit.
Bahnhofkirche
Station Church, known locally as Bahnhofkirche, is a place of worship beside Zurich’s main railway station. Its position gives it a distinctive role in the city: travellers and commuters can encounter a religious space amid platforms, shopping, and constant movement.
Louis-Häfliger-Park is a public green space in Zurich named after Louis Häfliger, a Swiss humanitarian associated with efforts during the Second World War.
Gubrist is a named locality within Zurich, Switzerland, represented by a precise point in the city’s geographic landscape. It is better suited to orientation and neighborhood exploration than to a conventional sightseeing visit.
Albert-Steiner-Garten is a garden space in Zurich named for Albert Steiner, a Swiss photographer associated with landscape imagery of the Alps. The name gives the place a commemorative connection to Swiss visual culture.
Alfred-Altherr-Terrasse is a named terrace viewpoint in Zurich, Switzerland. It is an elevated urban pause where travelers can step away from the pace of the surrounding streets and look across the city setting.
Pfarrei Sankt Elisabeth
St. Elizabeth Catholic Church is an active Catholic parish church in Zurich, Switzerland. Its bell tower gives the building a clear architectural feature and helps distinguish it within the city’s religious landscape.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
Seven to ten days can combine two city or lake bases with one mountain region. Switzerland’s dense transport network reduces transfer friction, but weather-dependent alpine excursions still need flexible time.
Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Migration publishes entry requirements. Passport nationality, visit purpose and the wider Schengen route determine whether a visa is required and where to apply.
Zurich and Geneva airports connect directly to national rail. SBB trains, regional railways, PostBus routes and lake boats form the core network, while many mountain railways and cable cars use separate products.
June to September serves hiking and high-pass travel; December to March is the broad snow season. Mountain operating dates and weather vary by altitude, so verify the specific lift or route rather than relying on a national season.
Switzerland prices in Swiss francs (CHF). The current treatment of euros, card fees and exchange rates is Not recorded here; verify the charged currency and amount before accepting conversion.
Switzerland uses 112 as a general emergency number, 117 for police and 144 for ambulance. Type C and J sockets supply 230 V, and mains tap water is recorded as safe.
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