Itineraries for Your Trip to Zurich
2 Days in Zurich for First Timers
Zurich may be best known as a city of finance, commerce, and insurance, but it’s always been where I’d go to see family friends. Having a local connection is why I’ve had the opportunity to experience this famously expensive destination repeatedly, something I’ve felt immense gratitude for when wandering around the Altstadt or watching fireworks over Lake Zurich on New Year’s Eve.
It doesn’t take knowing locals to enjoy visiting Zurich, even when visiting for the first time. All you need is an itinerary, like this one, to show you how to get the most from your time there.
If you only have time for one thing, make it a cruise on Lake Zurich to admire the scenery.
Rain is always possible in Zurich, even in summer, so pack an umbrella.
Fill your morning with many of Zurich’s main attractions by exploring the Zurich Old Town across both banks of the Limmatquai. Take a walking tour or tuk-tuk tour to quickly see city highlights, such as the views from the Lindenhof and the two imposing forms of the Grossmünster and Fraumünster churches.
Reward a busy day’s sightseeing with a little window shopping along Bahnhofstrasse before finding somewhere to relax for dinner and drinks. Even better, find a restaurant that serves the Swiss national dish, fondue, so that you can see how it’s done, or try the trendy alternative raclette and watch the cheese pour down over your meal.
Start your second day in Zurich on a sweet note with a chocolate tour of the city. You won’t have to look far to find delicious Swiss chocolate in Zurich, although a surefire way to find some is to visit the Lindt Home of Chocolate in Kilchberg south of the city.
Visit the largest waterfall in Europe on a half-day tour north of Zurich to Rhine Falls. This excursion also provides the chance to glimpse some of the countryside scenery outside the city. Options are also available to combine a trip to Rhine Falls with a stop in Stein am Rhein, a small town known for its medieval architecture.
This afternoon, enjoy some of Zurich’s landscape scenery with a trip to Felsenegg. To reach this viewpoint, one of many along the Albis ridge outside Zurich, you can either hike up to burn off the chocolate or take the cable car from Adliswil. You can return to the center of Zurich scenic by taking a ferry back across Lake Zurich.
Find somewhere cozy and comfortable to take the edge off at one of Zurich’s bars, with many options around the Old Town and riverfront area. However, if you don’t think you’ve gotten your steps in yet, take a beer tour or wine-tasting tour to experience more of the city and its offerings.
