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Zurich [1] (German: Zürich, Zuerich) is the largest city in Switzerland, with a population of some 364,500 in the city proper and close to 1 million in the greater metropolitan area. Zurich is on Lake Zurich, where the lake meets the Limmat River, in the north of Switzerland. It will be one of the eight host cities in the 2008 European Football Championships.
View across Zurich from Grossmünster
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SEE DO EAT
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SEE
Most of the interesting sights are in the old town around the river and lakefront.
- Grossmünster, Zwingliplatz, [4] old Romanesque church, symbol of reformed Zurich, where reformer Huldrych Zwingli was appointed the people's priest in 1519. For 2 CHF you can climb one of the towers for amazing views over the city.
- Fraumünster, Kämbelgasse 2, [5] old Gothic church (former convent) with window paintings by Marc Chagal
- Landesmuseum,Museumstrasse 2, Tel. +41 (0)44 218 65 11, [6]. Tu-Su 10AM-5PM. The biggest Swiss history museum. You can also learn about the various traditions of the cantons comprising Switzerland.
- Kunsthaus, +41 (0)44 253 84 84, [7]. One of the major Swiss art museums. Its specialities are modern sculpturer Giacometti and the surrealist 18th Century painter Fuesli, both Swiss.
- Schanzengraben (a small canal that used to be part of the city fortifications between Limmat and Sihl): From the main station, go to Gessnerallee, find the stairways down to the tiny creek, and walk all the way to the lake.
- Rietberg Museum, Gablerstrasse 15, + 41 (0)44 206 31 31, [8]. One of Europe's best collections of Asian art (mainly Indian drawings).
- Langstrasse. Red light district of Zürich, with more drug dealers and police than usual, but interesting because even this most notorious spot in Switzerland is so clean and safe. Expect some lewd comments when walking alone at night as a woman. This busy night-life street is crowded by pubs and bars and you can find there about 10 strip clubs.
- Zoo, Zürichbergstrasse 221, Tel. 044 254 25 05, [9]. With the new Masoalahall [10], the Zoo is really worth a visit!
- Lake Promenade. Especially during summer a beautiful place to spend the evening or the weekends. Starting from Bellevue, the boardwalk goes for about three kilometers along the lake towards Tiefenbrunnen. About halfway there is a meadow where you will find thousands of people on a sunny day.
Fraumunster windows by Chagal
- Chinese Garden, tel: 044 435 21 11, [11] This small but beautiful Chinese garden was offered to the city of Zurich by the Chinese city of Kumming as symbol of gratitude after Zurich helped the Kumming with technical knowledge.
- Le Corbusier House Near the Chinese Gardeen. A beautiful modern villa planned by the famous Swiss architect.
- Lindenhof The hill in the heart of the old town. A beautiful view of the city.
- Niederdorf The old town offers beautiful alleys and luxurious shops.
- Bahnhofstrasse One of the busiest and best known shopping streets in the world. Highly refined. Certainly a must-see for every tourist in Zurich! (see below)
- Museum Buehrle,Zollikerstrasse 172, +41 44 422 00 86, [12]. A rich private art collection worth visiting.
- Jacob Coffee Museum, Seefeldquai 17, +41 44 388 61 51, [13] An original museum which desribes the evolving of the coff
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DO
- Take the Polybahn, a 19th century funicular, up the steep hill for a fine view. Starts at tram station Central and goes up to the ETH. Zone 10 ZVV ticket is valid. Nice terrace up there. During the week, the student cafeteria below the terrace is also open to the public.
- Go skiing by train - buy a snow'n'rail ticket (train & skipass) at the Hauptbahnhof during winter months, train out in morning, back in evening. Flumserberg is the closest large ski-resort, popular with people from Zurich, with a good range of runs for beginners and experts.
- Take a trip on the Zürichsee with one of the two old steam ships. There are a few different routes you can choose from, which will vary mainly in the distance. Or rent a small rowboat.
- Go up Uetliberg, a hill overlooking Zurich. You can hike up, or take a train from the main station. Enjoy the 360 degree view from a tall viewing tower (not for vertigo suferrers!). This is also the start of the planetenweg (planetary walk), an 8 mile walk along the ridge with models of the planets along the way. These are scaled down in true porportion to the solar system. To look at Zürich from the other hills, go to the Irchel (Tram station Milchbuck) or Käferberg (Bucheggplatz, walk up the hill and keep left of the forest).
- Go club-hopping Zürich has proportionately the largest number of clubs per capita in Europe. Pick up a free copy of the 20 Minuten (20 minutes) paper and start exploring.
- Go for a bike ride! You can get free bikes, skates or other fun transport at several stops throughout town. Beware though that biking within the city is only for the experienced, as trams and buses frequent the roads and tram tracks are a serious hazard to inexperienced cyclists.
- The Grossmunster sometimes has organ concerts in the evenings. Check the front door for notices.
- Explore the full and vast selection of foods and condiments available at any Swiss supermarket, heavily influenced by cultures of all the countries around Switzerland. Migros is everywhere and cheap for Swiss standards; Coop is slightly more expensive but has a greater selection of high quality foods; Globus at Lowenplatz has a more upscale supermarket in the basement which is worth at least a look at.
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EAT
The quintessential Zürich dish is Zürigschnätzlets, veal in a cream and wine sauce. Various kinds of grilled Wurst (sausages) are also popular. These are most often accompanied by boiled potatoes, Rösti, a Swiss potato pancake (grated potato, formed into a pancake then panfried until crisp in butter or oil) or Chnöpfli, in German sometimes called Spätzle, (small noodle dumplings).
Veal is still very popular, though the use of turkey and other meats as a substitute is growing.
While Fondue (melted cheese in a central pot, dip bread into it) and Raclette (cheese melted in small portions, served with potatoes and pickles) are not really local to Zürich (they come from the Valais region of Switzerland) they are commonly available at restaurants aimed at tourists.
The bread available in Zürich is generally delicious. Try grilled Bratwurst from street stands, served with a large crusty roll of sourdough bread and optional mustard, or sandwiches made with fresh baked Bretzeln (large, soft pretzels). A typically Swiss bread is the Zopf, a braided soft bread that is commonly served on Sundays (the other name for it is Sonntagszopf).
For breakfast, try a bowl of Muesli, which was invented as a health food in Switzerland. The Sprüngli confectionery store tea rooms serve a deluxe version of this fiber-filled cereal with whole milk, crushed berries and cream.
There are a huge variety of cheeses available at the supermarkets, speciality stores and markets, as well as all kinds of hams and dried sausages. Dairy products are generally delicious, especially the butter.
For those with a sweet tooth, there's a huge variety of chocolates to enjoy, from the cheapest chocolate bar to individually hand-made truffles. (See the Shopping section above). The chocolate bar displays at the supermarkets will overwhelm you! Also enjoy pastries and cakes from the various Konditorei scattered around town. A typical cake is the Mandelfisch, an almond cake shaped like a fish.
Like any proper European city, Zürich abounds with cafés where you can enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee, glass of wine or other beverage, and watch the world go by.
There are many international dining options available too. The current hot trend seems to be pan-Asian noodle/rice/sushi places.
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