Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich’s Old City
We visited Zurich in the summer, which apparently is off-season for Switzerland. Since we’re not skiers or cold-weather fans, this was perfect for us: all the charm, culture and cocktails — with fewer crowds! Zurich really is a storybook-pretty place. We especially enjoyed the charming Old-Town (Niederdorf) neighborhood, where we stayed at the conveniently located Marktgasse Hotel. Within minutes after our arrival and dropping our bags, we were soon wandering the cobblestoned streets – and quickly snapping photos (the Limmat River is particularly picturesque during the magic hour). Part of the Old Town’s charm were the winding streets filled with locally owned shops and small cafes, and even some workshops for local craftsmen.
While there are several good museums (including the especially impressive Kunsthaus Art Museum) and historical sights, Zurich is a manageable city without an overwhelming list of sights to conquer. There are lots of cool restaurants and good shopping (from the high-end Bahnhofstrasse to the funky Viadukt). With some shopping exceptions noted below, most things are walkable in nice weather, but Zurich is also Uber and Taxi friendly — so you can get most anywhere in a few minutes.
GT Tip: While we love warm weather, there was a heat wave during much of our time in Switzerland and with the rise of global warming, this appears to be an unfortunate trend. In the past, air-conditioning was not really considered a necessity in this part of Europe, and as such, many establishments don’t have it. Most hotel rooms are air-conditioned, but not necessarily the public spaces in mid-level hotels. And except in the more upscale places, restaurants and cocktail bars are also touch and go. Check the a/c situation when booking your hotel or making dinner reservations if you are going in high summer.
*This was part of a 13-night trip to Zurich, Lucerne and Lake Como that included a ride on the 5-hour Bernina Express Alpine Train. To see our complete Switzerland/Italy trip itinerary click here.
The Gimlet Traveler Rundown:
All ratings are based on our experience and are on a 5-star rating system (see Site Info for more details). For mapped locations and links to the places listed here (and more) visit Google Map at bottom of page.
Gimlets: *****
Bar Am Wasser is a stylish cocktail bar (check out the wall of cocktail shakers) facing The Limmat River with well-crafted and unique cocktails (David had a pistachio martini!). The Barchetta Bar at the upscale Storchen Hotel, also along the Limmat waterfront, has fancy cocktails served in interesting drinkware. The Izniv Cocktail bar at The Marktgasse Hotel (where we stayed) has a trendy, mid-century feel. It’s connected to a much fancier restaurant of the same name that we did not sample. Because it was literally around the corner from our hotel in the Old Town, we stopped a few times at Cranberry’s, a casual, unassuming gay bar. Unfortunately, there was no aircon, though there were some tables out in the courtyard often crowded with smokers (which is a big turnoff for us)…in spite of those drawbacks, it’s still a good choice for a pre- or post-dinner vodka-soda. Last but not least, the famed Kronenhalle Restaurant & Bar (see below) has an outstanding, if slightly more formal, cocktail bar with its own separate entrance from the restaurant; dark woods, authentically mid-century, fantastic gimlets and martinis, with genuine artworks on the walls and famed mid-century sculptor Giacometti-designed lamps on the bar. And it also has superb air-conditioning! There are plenty of other cocktail bars in Zurich we simply didn’t have time for, and you can find more of those in the map below.Restaurants: *****
Our first night we had drinks and dinner at the beautiful Baur’s Restaurant at the Baur Au Lac Hotel, Zurich’s Grande Dame hotel. Drinks in the luxe lobby bar were nice, but the recently redone restaurant (which has its own bar) is beautiful, and the food and service excellent. We had fun at Zurich institution Kronenhalle. Following a round of gimlets at its elegant bar (mentioned above), we had dinner in the main brasserie dining room. It was buzzy and fun. Both the menu and service are wonderfully “old-school” — almost everything was wheeled out and plated table-side by the hard-working wait staff. The atmosphere was such that we made inadvertent friends with the fun party of four sitting next to us who were enjoying a few rounds of champagne (while we tried to figure out who was with whom!). We had a nice lunch outside at Brasserie Louis in the old town near our hotel; good food and people watching. We also had a lovely and delicious dinner sitting outdoors (it had cooled down on our last day) at Tao’s, an upscale Asian restaurant with a lovely wooded dining terrace and great food.Sights: ****
Zurich is less of a list of “must-see sights” and more about soaking up the atmosphere (like the charming architecture, the winding old-town streets, the water, and the distant alps). Some sights you should visit are: The Kunsthaus Museum of Art, an impressive contemporary art museum in a new and very cool modern building; around each corner may be a Picasso, a Pollock, a Degas or a Van Gogh. Be sure to seek out Pipilotti Rist’s light instillation — it’s simply magical (if it is still there)! Grossmunster and Fraumunster (the two big churches in the center) are more impressive outside than in, but worth a quick walk-through. We wanted a tour of the inside of the famed Zurich Opera House (we have a thing for visiting opera houses), but they shut down for summer vacation the week we arrived. Take a walk up to the Lindenhof; it’s a small park that has a nice panoramic view of the city and the river.GT Tip: Go to the Kunsthaus and other museums on Sunday. Museums are open, but all stores and other businesses (even department stores) are closed on Sunday throughout Switzerland.
Shopping: *****
There are plenty of cool shops that you’ll discover walking around Old Town (Niederdorf). Some worth seeking out (listed on the map below) are Limited Stock GMBH (home design) and AHA (not sure how to describe this one). All the usual “Fifth Avenue” shops (if that’s your thing) are accounted for on Bahnhofstrasse, including the major department stores. We found a lot of stuff at Jelmoli (one of the countries larger department stores). It also houses a massive food hall (good for a quick lunch) in the basement along with an outpost of Monocle, selling their travel books and design goodies. Rumor has it that Jelmoli may be closing this central location at the end of 2024, so check first. Further out (take an Uber for this one) is the Viadukt and the surrounding area of the IndustrieQuarter. The Viadukt is a former stone train bridge that has been transformed into a warren of cool stores (including a fancy design store called Visite Privee) and a bustling food hall under its arches. A very short walk from The Viadukt are the Freitag flagship store built out of shipping containers (definitely worth a stop — we made a couple of purchases!) and a handsome home design shop called Walter Studio. Lastly, the Burkliplatz Flea Market happens in the center of town every Saturday and is worth a look. No surprise, we found an antique mid-century cocktail shaker!
Review of The Marktgasse Hotel Rating: ****
Great, central location in the midst of old town, airy & modern minimalist room (keep in mind that all are of different sizes and configurations), good a/c in the room, and our room 106 had a lot of windows plus a small balcony. The bathroom is snug but modern, with good water pressure (shower only). Bluetooth speaker was a nice touch. And the front desk staff was helpful (though I felt sorry for them that the public areas of the hotel were not air conditioned during the heat wave when we were there!). The breakfast, served at Delish, a small deli/pinseria downstairs, was not stellar at $18pp (and optional), but had scrambled eggs, bacon and the usual continental breakfast items. Nice upscale cocktail bar off the lobby, and a very fancy restaurant (Igniv) with well-known chef and tasting menu plus a fancy champagne menu (we did not try the restaurant). All in all, a solid 4 stars, (prob 4 1/2 if we could have), and recommended.
Date of stay: July 2023
Room tip: We were in Room 106, which has a private balcony for two and a small sitting area adjacent to the bedroom; as this is a historic building in the midst of old town, every room and room type is different, so do some research on their website.
Other Hotel Choices:
• Hotels in Zurich generally are very expensive, which was a part of how we chose The Marktgasse; it was design forward without being exorbitant. With that in mind, here are some other hotels we liked:
• Baur Au Lac, Zurich’s elegant and old school Grand Dame Hotel.
• The Storchen is a recently renovated modern choice on the Limmat River. Riverfront bar, rooftop bar, courtyard garden restaurant out front.
• The Widder Hotel, Funky, modern and yet elegant choice in the Bahnhofstrasse neighborhood. Well-liked bar and a pretty courtyard.
• For something funkier and a little less expensive, try one of the two “25 Hours” hotels in Langstrasse and Zurich West.
Below is a map of hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping and sights found during our research. We didn’t have time to visit all of them during our trip, but all were of interest. Click on the icon at top left of the map to view the legend. Or you can click on the full-screen icon at top right to expand, which will also bring up the legend.
