Zurich is a modern city and does not offer an Alpine hike or a ski slope nor picture postcard Swiss village settings which most tourists associate the country with. While Zurich has its own lake and its low mountains these do not compare with the charm of the Alps or a boat cruise on the lakes like the Thun or the Brienz, Instead it is the home to museums and art galleries: the most well known being the Swiss National Museum and the Art gallery Kunsthaus. Zurich is also the headquarters of the FIFA and the FIFA football museum is well worth a visit, So also the Churches of Peter, Fraumunster and Grossmunster in the old city.

With just a day in Zurich it wasn’t possible to explore all that Zurich had to offer and so we decided to explore the city through its excellent tram services. With a Swiss Travel Pass in hand Swiss Travel Passes ? A first timer’s dilemma.we hopped in and out of trams. Not only did we get a very good feel of the city but also visited many spots of interest along the way – Much like a hop on hop off bus! Our hotel at the Central Plaza was one tram stop away from Bahnofplatz which is the start of the is Bahnofstrasse, the main street of Zurich. Home to many a international brand outlet, this street is also noted as the most expensive real estate in Europe. The street is mostly pedestrian and tram nearly all the way to the end at Burkliplatz approx 1.5 km away past the tram stops of Renneweg, Paradeplatz and Borsenstrasse.

Burkliplatz, apart from being a large open plaza it is the start point/dock for scenic boat rides and cruises across the Zurich lake. Whether it is a long cruise all the way to the end of the lake at Rapperswill or a short cruise there are many options to chose from and this is a pleasant way to spend a few hours in good weather. Dining on board a cruise with the scenic Alps in the distance adds to the charm. A one way short boat ride to Kilchberg and walk across to the Lindt chocolate factory is a good option to consider. For more details check out at https://www.zsg.ch/en/timetable-prices/prices-information

A few minutes walk or a tram ride from Burkliplatz along the Limmat River takes you to the church of Grossmunster. Legend has it that Charlemagne’s horse stumbled on the graves of Feli and Regula, the patron saints of Zurich and the church was built upon these graves. Across the Limmat river is the church of Fraumunster which was built at a later date on the site of a woman’s abbey Hence the name Fraumunster. Do not miss Marc Chagall’s stained windows and the large pipe organ at Fraumunster, Head to the Paradeplatz, a stone’s throw away or If you have the time take a little longer walk along the the river to Peterskirch and then head back to the Bahnofstrasse . With this you would have seen much of the old city of Zurich. Paradeplatz is the home of major Swiss banks. Admire the buildings but do not miss the the Confisirie Sprungli; a popular confectionery and bakery shop. Lunch was at the COOP store at Annahof, a few buildings away. On the top floor is an elaborate self service spread friendly to both the budget and vegetarians. An interesting buffet pricing mechanism we noted was based on the size of the plate! Through the rest of our trip we would come across many COOP stores but none as large as this.

And finally back to the hotel for a short break and thence on to the National Museum on the opposite bank of the river next to the Zurich hb station. As with all museums one can spend a lot of time but we did not find it of great interest. It houses exhibits from ancient times to modern day though the art is housed at another location at the Kunsthhaus which we had to miss due to a paucity of time . We spent an hour at the museum and set out to explore the Zurich Hauptbahnof, the largest and busiest railway station in Switzerland. We ambled though large shopping areas followed by dinner at one of the numerous restaurants in the station. A day well spent in Zurich we headed back to the hotel. While we did cover what we could in one day, a notable miss was the Lindt factory at Kilschberg and a day trip to the nearby Rhine falls. To make the most of the day we traveled extensively on the tram network and did see a lot of the town through the tram windows .

On our return ten days later we headed to an airport hotel for a night’s stay before a morning flight back home to India. Which begs the question – Was I wiser than the other tourists who skipped Zurich when on a short holiday? In hindsight three nights in Zurich on a short ten day holiday did seem to be a bit too much since we could have spent the time in other parts of the country more gainfully. Or was it necessary to rest and recoup after a long red-eye flight? The greater part of the last day was spent returning to Zurich from St Moritz (our last stop) and spending the last night at an airport hotel. I had violated a basic travel tenet of mine -Do not depart from the same airport that you arrived it. Instead of returning to Zurich from St Moritz – a journey of four hours I perhaps should have headed out to Milan and returned home from there ! At the same cost and within the same time and visited one more city !