Kloten

While Zurich is Switzerland's biggest city and a cultural centre of German-speaking Switzerland, Berne is the Swiss capital. It has a population of some 430,000 in the city, and 1.8 million in the metro area. Zurich is on Lake Zurich, where the lake meets the river Limmat, in the north of Switzerland.

Despite it not being the administrative capital of any more than its Kanton , Zurich punches well above its weight in terms of major media and business headquarters and due to it being at the heart of Switzerland's excessively punctual and meticulously maintained train network and being home to Switzerland's most important airport, it is often the first part of Switzerland that visitors get to see.

While Zurich can be expensive, it is also clean, efficient and blessed with a high standard of living, which together with the high wages, explains why people bear with the high prices. Zurich has drawn people from the rest of Switzerland for centuries, but in the 20th and 21st centuries it has also begun to draw both people and companies from outside Switzerland and in some cases even outside Europe. This means that you will hear a lot more languages than just Swiss German and the overall atmosphere is a lot more cosmopolitan than you might think.

Zurich is home to ETH Zurich, one of the world's leading technical universities, which has produced a number of Nobel laureates and numerous innovations and due to Switzerland's long history of neutrality it also houses headquarters of the likes of FIFA and the International Ice Hockey Federation. Zurich is also home to a number of large banking and insurance conglomerates that grew on the fabled Swiss banking secret and still enjoy good reputations in the financial sector.

Most shops and supermarkets are closed on Sundays. Travellers should plan their shopping for Saturday.

History

The city's Latin name, Turicum , was used for a Roman customs station at the Limmat, which has some remnants today. The Alemanni, a Germanic tribe, settled in the 5th century.

While the Church used to rule early Medieval Zurich, the Guilds ( Zünfte ) took power in 1336, establishing Zurich as an autonomous republic. The Guilds have survived until today, though their role today is mostly ceremonial. Zurich became the fifth canton of the Swiss Confederacy in 1351, and has been its capital at times. However, Switzerland's famous neutrality and stability is a modern thing, as many battles have been fought in and around Zurich. The canton lost the Old Zürich War between 1440 and 1446 against the confederacy, and was re-admitted in 1450.

Ulrich Zwingli led the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland during the early 16th century. As the Thirty Years War ended in 1648, the Holy Roman Empire lost its grip on Switzerland, which has mostly been independent since then.

The 1830s and 40s saw a series of revolts and war, including the Züriputsch , a revolt of conservative landowners of the canton, against the city of Zurich, and the 1847 Sonderbund War. In 1848 Switzerland adopted a constitution, which established the country as a federal republic. While the government settled in Bern, many federal institutions, including the new Polytechnic University (ETH) have their seat in Zurich.

The Zurich Stock Exchange was founded in 1877, and the city rose as a financial centre in the 20th century, as Switzerland remained neutral in the World Wars, and could maintain lower taxes on capital than the European great powers. Even though Switzerland has opted out of NATO and the European Union, Zurich is today one of central Europe's most cosmopolitan cities.

Climate

Zurich

Climate chart (explanation)

J F M A M J J A S O N D

139

63

4

−1

182

60

5

−1

104

71

10

2

19

80

15

5

0

128

19

9

0

128

22

13

0

126

24

14

0

119

24

14

0

87

19

11

17

85

14

7

67

76

8

3

186

83

4

−1

Average max. and min. temperatures in °C

Precipitation + Snow totals in mm

Imperial conversion

J F M A M J J A S O N D

5.5

2.5

38

29

7.2

2.4

41

30

4.1

2.8

50

35

0.7

3.2

59

41

0

5

66

48

0

5

72

55

0

5

76

58

0

4.7

75

58

0

3.4

66

51

0.7

3.4

57

45

2.6

3

46

37

7.3

3.3

39

31

Average max. and min. temperatures in °F

Precipitation + Snow totals in inches

Zurich has a four-season climate typical of central Europe . Temperature in winter is usually around zero degrees, which means that snow can linger or melt away. Summers are warm with temperatures in the 20s (C) and occasionally in the 30s. The nearby mountains are significantly cooler than in the valley, with snow remaining well into spring.

Tourist information

Zurich Tourism website

By Plane

Main article: Zurich Airport

Zurich Airport ( ZRH

IATA ) is Switzerland's largest and busiest airport, handling roughly 30 million passengers a year. It is in the community of Kloten and it is 10 minutes by train from the main station. The trains depart about every 10-15 minutes, during the day, but less frequently at earlier or later hours. A single ticket to Zürich HB (the hauptbahnhof, or the main station) costs Fr.

6.80. Several bus lines connect to the airport and provide access to the Winterthur region near it. There is also tram 10 from Zurich terminating at the airport, a rather slow option, but it might be faster door to door for some destinations in Zurich.

Most major airlines fly to Zurich but flag-carrier Swiss is still the biggest player at ZRH and offers the widest range of connections. Almost every large hotel in Zurich provides shuttle buses from the airport to your hotel. The stops for these buses are a short walk to the right from Terminal 1 arrivals.

Zurich Airport has high passenger costs due to several noise reduction and approach restrictions. Most no-frill airlines fly to Basel which is 1 hour away by train. EasyJet offer several flights to Germany, the UK and Southern Europe.

If you are travelling without a Schengen Visa to another destination in Europe (via Zurich airport) and if you are not a European citizen, you must not stay in Europe for longer than 90 days — even if your final destination would allow citizens of your country to stay for more than 90 days. Failure to do so will lead to very high fines (around €8100) should you try to leave Europe via Zurich airport .

Zurich Airport offers free WiFi for all guests for a maximum of two hours. A mobile phone capable of receiving texts in Switzerland is required. Travelers have to connect to the "ZurichAirport" network and register their cell phone number. The user will receive the access code via text message. After the free hour, there is a five-hour waiting period before you can access the next free hour.

By Train

Regular trains to and from other Swiss and European cities leave from and arrive at Zürich HB (Hauptbahnhof), the main train station, located in the city centre at the end of Bahnhofstrasse, with easy access to mass transit. Zurich HB is served by the local S-Bahn commuter trains, InterCity (IC and ICN) connections throughout Switzerland , Italy , Germany 's IC and ICE, France 's TGV Lyria and Austria 's Railjet with some direct connections reaching destinations as far in Eastern Europe as Budapest . While Switzerland itself does not have many high speed lines, Zurich is connected to the high speed rail networks of neighboring countries. The once extensive sleeper train network has been cut down a lot in the 21st century, but there are still some ÖBB Nightjets connecting Austria and Germany with Zurich. Non-nightjet sleeper trains also run to Zurich from Prague and Budapest.

Platforms 3 to 18 are aboveground. Underground, Platforms 41–44 are below ground on the northeastern end of the station (follow signs toward "Landesmuseum"), platforms 31–34 are in the middle of the station (follow signs toward "Löwenstrasse"), and platforms 21–22 (only used by the S4 and S10) are on the southwestern end. An interactive map can be found here .

Domestic train tickets within Switzerland are available through the SBB Website though there are few early bird discounts. International tickets can sometimes be bought through the SBB as well, but often you can get better offers through the DB website (German) the SNCF website (France) or the websites of ÖBB and Trenitalia for Austria and Italy respectively. All adjacent railways have (sometimes significant) discounts for early booking on international trains, so if you know your plans far in advance, by all means book early.

The train station and the connecting underground mall has shops, restaurants, and a grocery store which locals use when they need to do Sunday shopping, as it is not subject to the closing hours laws otherwise in force in the city. It also hosts a Christmas market and other events in the big entrance hall.

There are some 24-hour lockers in level B1 available for Fr.

6-9 per 24 hr (maximum 3 days).

Just to the east of the train station on the Bahnhofbrücke bridge, there is a large Coop supermarket open Monday to Saturday till 22:00.

By Car / Road

The region around Zurich has probably the highest density of highways in the country, which makes it very convenient to access. A1 goes past Zurich just north of the city, with two feeders into the city centre. A3 and A4 end just south of the city. The regional highways A51 , A52 and A53 all also lead to Zurich. While this makes it that there are many ways to drive into the city from every direction, it also means that there is a lot of congestion, especially during morning and evening hours. Parking is also hard to get at affordable rates, so it might therefore be faster and more convenient to travel by public transport.

By Bus

Twiliner is a fleet of overnight buses based in Zurich, with seats that fold flat into a bunk. There's some disturbance from bumps in the road and noise at intermediate stops, but no worse than in a railway sleeping car, for similar comfort and half the price. In 2025 their routes are from Barcelona (14 hr 15 min via Girona and Bern) and Amsterdam (12 hr 15 min via Rotterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg and Basel).

Bus station at Sihlquai .

The inter-city bus station is two blocks away from the main train station, near the confluence of the Sihl and Limmat and serves mainly international routes by Flixbus and BlaBlaCar. It just consists of a parking lot next to a gas station (not open 24/7)

( )

Public transport

Zurich is famous for its highly efficient, clean and safe public transport system, managed by the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV) which covers the entire canton of Zurich and extends into nearby regions. The network includes trams, buses, S-Bahn (suburban trains), cable cars, and boats. The size and complexity of the network may be daunting at first, but you will soon realize that there are many ways to get from one place to another, all efficient.

Tickets and timeta

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Kloten features scenic views and interesting sights. The local tourist information centre can provide detailed sightseeing guides.

Outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, and skiing (in season) are popular in and around Kloten.

Kloten has a selection of restaurants serving Swiss and international cuisine. Local specialities include fondue, raclette, and rösti.

Swiss wine, beer, and hot chocolate are widely available. Cafés and bars in Kloten offer a range of local and international beverages.

Accommodation in Kloten ranges from budget guesthouses to mid-range hotels and upscale resorts. Book in advance during peak season (July-August and December-March).

Local shops in Kloten offer Swiss souvenirs, watches, chocolate, and regional products. ATMs are widely available.

• Zurich — Switzerland's largest city, with world-class museums and shopping
• Bern — The capital city with a UNESCO-listed old town
• Lucerne — Iconic chapel bridge and lake views
• Interlaken — Gateway to the Jungfrau region
• Geneva — International city on Lake Geneva