When To Travel Attractions Events Hotels How To Reach
Central location of Zurich and excellent rail and air connections are among most treasured assets of the city. Zurich Airport is known to be one of the most efficient airports in the world. Since 1999 Zurich has been voted city with the highest quality of life on numerous occasion by the William Mercer's survey. It is not surprising.
Besides offering a wide range of cultural attractions like art, opera and museums, the city is a shopper's delight. From the famous Bahnhofstrasse at the Central Station to the lake shore, the shopping strip has a jostle of some of the best labels in the world with delightful bargains you might pick up in its super-departmental stores.
Eating out in Zurich can be a problem especially since you have over 1,700 world class restaurants to choose from, with cuisine ranging from traditional Swiss to haute to cordon bleu vegetarian and including 13 authentic Indian restaurants.
Another not to be missed area is the trendy Zurich West District with its boutiques, restaurants and nightlife. Zurich has the largest variety of nightclubs and bars - which are open until early morning. At any time of the year, tourists will be pleasantly surprised to participate in various festivals of Zurich. In August, every year Zurich hosts Europe's biggest Street Parade with more than one million people participating in the 24-hour festival, which includes a lot of dancing and singing.
Lest you think the city is merely business and banking, holidaying families are seen thronging its streets, especially the car-free old city on the banks of the Limmat, or visiting the landscaped zoo with the unique Masoala rainforest.
WHEN TO TRAVEL
The best time to travel Zurich is between June to September. But beware, hotels in Zurich would be very expensive during this period. You may also find it difficult to find hotels at last moment. The Zurich Street Parade which takes place in August attracts more than one million tourists to travel Zurich.
If you want to avoid tourist rush and get hotels within your budget try to plan vacation for April and May or late September or October.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN ZURICH
Grossmunster Church - It is believed that Grossmunster Church is built on the resting place of Felix and Regula. The construction of the church started in 11 century but was only finished in the 16th century. Climb the tower of the church for breathtaking bird's eye view of Zurich city.
Fraumünster Chruch - Another beautiful church in Zurich built in Gothic style of architecture. The stained glass windows of the Fraumünster represents brilliance architecture that attracts tourists to visit the church. The church was founded in 853 by the King of Germany.
Roman Baths - Tourists will appreciate the remains of 2000 years old Roman Baths that can still be viewed in Zurich.
Lindt and Sprungli Chocolate Factory - The legendary factory of Willy Wonka may not exist in reaity but Lindt and Sprungli Chocolate Factory is nothing short of the what Willy Wonka had to offer. The Swiss Chocolates are famous all around the world. At this factory you can see the process of making some of the finest chocolates in the world. The factory offers chocolate tours to the tourists but bookings have to be made well in advance. Visiting this factory will fulfill your lifelong fantasy.
Chinese Garden - In the heart of Zurich is a small yet very beautiful Chinese Garden. This garden is classic example of Chinese architecture which is rare to found in European cities. This beautiful garden was built by the Chinese city Kunming as an appreciation to the city.
Zoological Garden - The Zoologischer Garten, is most popular attraction of children in Zurich. The Zoological garden is home to more than 2,000 animals of over 300 species. There are lots of activities for the kids to keep them entertained. Some popular attractions are Masoala Rainforest, Elephant House and Africa House. During winter the Penguin parade becomes most popular attraction of the garden.
Urania Observatory - Over 100 years old yet fully functional Urania Observatory is famous among travelers. The telescope here is used to study stars and our solar system. People interested in learning more about the Universe will enjoy multi-language shows by the Observatory. While others may enjoy beautiful views of mountains and the Lake from the telescope.
Johann Jacobs Museum - is one of its kind museum dedicated to coffee. The museum takes visitors through the history of coffee in different parts of the world. Visitors can also understand several customs related to the coffee at the Johann Jacobs Museum.
Kunsthaus Museum - The museum exhibits classical and modern art by the finest artists of Europe and rest of the world. Kunsthaus is one of the best art museum in the world that art lovers should visit. Among main attraction is the work of Pablo Picasso.
St. Peter’s Church - The oldest and most charming church of Zurich is the St. Peter’s Church. The church tower with huge clock, largest in Europe is a major attraction and symbol of Zurich.
Rietberg Museum - This museum only displays work from non European artists. The impressive collection of the Rietberg Museum is taken from Asia, South America, Oceania and Africa.
Spielzeugmuseum - Kids will find Spielzeugmuseum of great interest. The Spielzeugmuseum is a toy museum featuring collection of toys, some of them quite rare and relatively unknown to the these days children.
Swiss National Museum - The national museum in Zurich has preserved cultural history of Switzerland through artifacts, paintings etc. The National Museum is ideal place for visitors to learn great deal about the history of Switzerland and its people.
Rhine Falls - The largest and most spectacular waterfalls in Europe is Rhine Falls which is located near German border, 45 minutes from Zurich. The Rhine Falls can be reached easily by train or bus from Zurich. Near the waterfall is another popular attraction, a medieval castle, Schloss Laufen.
EVENTS
Zurich Street Parade - In August every year, the entire city of Zurich turns into a big party place. The annual Zurich Street Parade is the largest street festival in Europe that attracts more than 1 million people from all across the world. The Zurich Street Parade takes place on the second Saturday of August. On this day, Love Mobiles with people dressed in colorful costumes and DJ's playing music travel through a specific route in Zurich. Over 1 million people sing and dance on the streets of Zurich. The fun doesn't end here. Even after the parade is finished, you can enjoy open air parties that takes place across the city.
Swiss National Day - 1st August mark the Swiss National Day which is celebrated in style in Zurich. The main attraction is the spectacular fireworks show in the evening.
Zuri Fascht - This festival is celebrated once in 3 years. The Zuri Fascht has a reputation of being bigger and better than even Zurich Street Parade. The festival is marked by music, fireworks and much more in the old town. The next Zuri Fascht will take place in 2013.
HOTELS IN ZURICH
Zurich is a major stop for tourists in Switzerland. Zurich hotels have reputation of being finest in the world. But these fine hotels comes at a price expensive enough to burn a hole in your pocket. During the peak tourist season and Zurich Street Parade, hotels increases the tariff creating more problems for budget travelers. Saying that smart tourists can always find good budget hotels in Zurich. Some popular hotels in the city are:
Swissotel Zurich, Bristol Hotel Zurich, Holiday Inn Zurich Messe, Renaissance Zurich Hotel, Leonardo Hotel Rigihof Zurich, Sorell Hotel Rutli, Marriott Zurich Hotel, Crowne Plaza Hotel Zurich and Hotel Krone Unterstrass. Here is the complete list of hotels in Zurich.
HOW TO REACH
By Air - Zurich Airport is the largest and busiest airport in the country with reputation of being most efficient in the world. There are daily direct flights to Zurich from all major European cities like London, Rome, Berlin and Paris. Flights from New York, Delhi, Tokyo are also frequent at the airport.
By Train - Swiss Railway System is the best in the world. Trains reach and leave exactly on time. The main station of Zurich is Hauptbahnhof, from where you can get trains to all major European destinations. There are direct night train service to Zurich from Germany, Netherlands and other European countries.
By Car - Because of its Central location, almost all highways in Switzerland are connected to Zurich. Tourists can easily drive to Zurich.
By Bus - There are buses from other countries to Zurich however it is advised to opt for trains that are faster way to reach the city.
