Zurich City Travel Guide
Still no inspiration for a travel vlog, so I might as well just write a guide… Although I call it a guide, it’s really just a list of a few spots I think are worth visiting for your reference.
Choose different transportation cards based on your itinerary
When it comes to Swiss transportation, the first thing that comes to mind is the Swiss Pass. But! The Swiss Pass discounts are mainly for long-distance trains. If you’re only exploring Zurich city, you can also consider the Zurich Day Pass.
Swiss Pass
Average daily price is 60-80 CHF, with discounts for two people or those under 25 years old.
Zurich Transport Day Pass
Covers basically all city transportation, costs only 9.2 CHF/day.
You can buy it at any bus stop machine, but some machines only accept coins.
Zurich is not very big, so depending on your itinerary, walking around is also feasible.
Zurich Museum Day Pass
29 CHF/day, includes some free entries on top of the transport pass. A few I like:
One is the Zurich Museum, which is also covered by the Swiss Pass. The museum mainly introduces Swiss culture and is quite interesting, see p18.
One is the Kunsthaus Zurich (Zurich Art Museum), not included in the Swiss Pass, but free every Wednesday. It has several original Monet paintings, which for me makes it a must-buy, see p16.
One is the Zurich Lake cruise, not included in the Swiss Pass, where you can get close to swans and enjoy Lake Zurich, see p3-4. I really love the swans on Lake Zurich.
It’s recommended to buy the Museum Day Pass at Zurich train station or airport. You can ask the staff directly; their English might not be perfect, but when traveling, gestures usually work (x.
Consider your luggage storage options
Most hotels in Zurich only start check-in at 3 PM, and you have to check out before 10 AM. But for travelers, the time between 10 AM and 3 PM is prime sightseeing time, so figuring out where to store your luggage is very important. Some options I’ve used are:
Train station lockers
Pros: You can store luggage right after getting off the train.
Cons: Few accept paper bills; mostly card payments are required, but even Visa might not always work. The most convenient way is to use coins. Coins are really useful in Switzerland.
Train station manned storage
Pros: Supports various luggage sizes and cash payments.
Cons: Not available at every station; Zurich seems not to have this service. Also, they usually close around 5-6 PM, so you need to pick up your luggage before closing.
Public venue lounges (e.g., art museums, museums)
Pros: Free.
Cons: Since it’s a public resource, it’s quite competitive and shouldn’t be overused… It’s more suitable for people like me who arrive at 8 AM, have breakfast, start visiting exhibitions at 10 AM, and then pick up luggage and check in right after.
Carry a card holder
You’ll need to carry a bunch of paper materials at all times because tickets are really checked. No matter which transport card you have, keep it somewhere easy to pull out. Museums also require paper tickets, which will be checked upon entry.
Finally, I strongly recommend Lake Zurich.
During my two days in Zurich, besides running around checking in at spots, I spent most of the time by Lake Zurich. Daytime, beautiful! Dusk, beautiful! Sunny, beautiful! Cloudy, beautiful! Swans, beautiful!
The Zurich Art Museum is really conscientious. You can see paintings for free on Wednesdays, and storage is also free. There are more works of famous painters in the new museum. If you don’t have enough time, go directly to the new museum. You can see the works of famous painters such as Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Picasso, etc. here up close. It is really a super generous museum. I feel that there are a lot of Monet's paintings.
Ot is the most important art museums in Switzerland and was opened in 1910.. There is a permenan as well as a time limited exhibition. There are 3 restaurants and cafes as well as a museum’s shop.
The Zurich Art Museum is also a very famous art museum in Europe. The environment of this art museum is also very simple. It was designed by professional designers. The quality of the art works is also very high. It is very suitable for collection and appreciation. The number of tourists every day is not large.
The only art museum on this trip. Although the overall feeling is not as good as Paris, all the masterpieces are still worth visiting! The location is in the city center, and it is very convenient to navigate here! The ticket seems to be 16 Swiss francs, not including the special exhibition. In fact, if you only come for Van Gogh and Monet, you can just buy the ticket for this part! Photography is allowed in the exhibition hall.
The Zurich Art Museum is very low-key and has a small facade. Perhaps the Swiss alpine lakes are more attractive, so few people come here. Although it is Sunday, there are only a few people in the museum. Many of the exhibits are famous paintings. The biggest advantage is that you don’t have to queue or see a lot of people. It is almost reserved and is worth going.
The Zurich Art Museum is a contemporary art exhibition center. At the entrance is Rodin's famous sculpture, The Gates of Hell. The museum houses many paintings, sculptures, and prints by Swiss artists. Among them, Alberto Giacometti's oil paintings and sculptures are worth seeing. The Zurich Art Museum is located in the old town and was formerly the New Art Museum at the beginning of the last century. The museum houses paintings, sculptures, and prints mainly by Swiss artists, and has occasional exhibitions of master-level works.
The Zurich Kunsthaus was founded in 1787 and is a true public museum. In 1787, many artists gathered in Zurich and founded the Zurich Art Association, the largest art association in Europe with 20,000 members. The Zurich Kunsthaus was built on the donations of its original members.