Travel to Zurich means arriving at Zurich International Airport, ZRH, also known as Kloten Airport. It is not only Switzerland’s largest international airport, it’s the gateway to the country’s largest city and its capital, Zurich. It serves several airlines but most notably, it’s the principal hub of Swiss International Airlines. Also It has links via surface transport (especially trolley) to the city center (six miles) and to the rest of the country. It’s easily Switzerland’s busiest airport, with approximately 25.5 million annual passengers.
Zurich, the capital of Switzerland, like the country itself, is an old, and full of tradition, as well as a sleek and modern European financial center. Among other things, it’s rank as one of the most livable cities in the world.
Although it’s not super-appreciate for its culture and history, that background, such as it is, is actually very deep. The city was found and develope by the ancient Romans. Not surprisingly, there are many cool and memorable attractions one can explore–including museums, iconic buildings, a well-preserve old town, and even several modern shopping malls offering modern consumer goods.
Best Time to Travel to Zurich
It’s typically best to visit Zurich between the months of June and August. That’s when the daytime air temperature typically remains at least in the lows 70s (F). That also means it’s possible to swim in Lake Zurich. But those months are also some of the most expensive in which to visit the city. Unfortunately, during the winter offseason, the hotel and flight rates are almost as expensive as at other times, due to Zurich’s proximity to the expansive ski slopes of the Swiss Alps. This probably means that the best time to visit Zurich, in terms of obtaining reasonable room rates, are during the months of March through May and September to November.
Getting Around Zurich
Zurich has a good public transport network. It’s actually rather streamlined and efficient, making taking public transit usually significantly cheaper than taking a taxi or boat or renting a car. One can also explore the city on foot or on via bicycle, especially considering the city’s free public biking system. If you must take a taxi or even a boat from point to point, at least they are plentiful and available.
Top Things to Do in Zurich
Zurich Zoo
Zurich’s zoo is a striking and memorable attraction (whether or not, really, a visitor is a super-animal lover). The zoo not only meets the world’s highest humane standards, but is known for its beauty and spaciousness. Some of the zoological park’s revered highlights are the Kaeng Krachan Elephant park and the zoo’s underwater viewing areas. The zoo houses some 4,000 animals for viewing at a safe and sanitary distance. There is a (petting) zoo-within-a-zoo that enables very close-up encounters with the animals.
Rietberg Museum: Travel to Zurich
This museum can find among the palatial villas and modern annexes of the Rieterpark and features art and archeological exhibits from around the world. In this museum, one can view art and artifacts from ancient Egyptian statues to African sculptures to elegantly fashioned masks and Buddhist art from East Asia. The museum’s archives are so formidable that at any given time they host traveling or temporary shows from various parts of the world. If you are fortunate to have chosen to visit the museum in the summer, you can, as part of your visit , enjoy a picnic lunch or even a picnic supper in the Reiterpark.
Zurich Opera House
Dating back to the 1890s, the Opera House is neoclassical in its structural style. Locate at Zurich’s notable Sechselautenplatz, it was design and built by the prolific Viennese architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer. It has been the home of the Zurich Opera since 1891; also houses the Bernhard-Theater Zurich; and is the home of the Zurich Ballet.
A special highlight of the Opera House: its viewable busts, not just of composers like Mozart and Wagner, but of other cultural figures such as Schiller, Shakespeare and Weber. Choose either an English- or German speaking tour of the interior to take in its majestic Rococo Revival rooms.
University of Zurich Botanical Garden
An important fact about the Botanical Garden that every visitor should know: In addition to its allure, admission is free. The garden itself houses over 8,000 plant species within its various indoor and outdoor displays. Climatic conditions are carefully controlled thanks to the utilization of three dome-shaped greenhouses deriving from the 1970s. What a great place to casually stroll and take in the sights and ambiance of a great collection of flora. One also has access to the University of Zurich’s faculty’s nearby canteen for refreshments.
Uetliberg: Travel to Zurich
For invigorating views of Zurich and Lake Zurich, the best place to go is the mountain summit known as Uetilberg. You can easily reach the summit using the Uetilbergbahn, a mountain railroad running year-round from the Selnau station to the Upper Coast. From there it’s but a 10-minute hike to the summit, which offers simply incomparable views of the city of Zurich. You can head to Uetliberg at night for a fondue dinner in the winter and obtain equally staggering nocturnal views of the city and its lights during winter.
Expert Travel Tips for Travel to Zurich
+ You should invest in Zurich CARD. This will give you free admission to all Zurich museums with discounts on theatre tickets, shopping, etc.
+ Be sure to check the electrical compatibility of all appliances that you are planning to take along to Zurich, keeping in mind the line voltage there is 220v.
+ The majority of the public institutions like banks, shops, and visitors’ sites operate strictly from Monday through Friday, albeit the major entertainment and shopping centers are open seven days a week.
+ Tips are customary in large restaurants only; in cafes and bars, it’s pretty acceptable not to leave tips.
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