Since Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland, is well known as the economic and cultural center of the country and one of the largest financial and industrial capitals of Europe. It's easy to forget that it's also a delightful and fascinating destination for tourists. Where is Zurich located? Zurich is located on the shores of Lake Zurich at the source of the Limmat River, in the valley between the Utliberg and Zurichberg mountains. This city impresses not only with its economy but also with its aesthetics. Its many attractions include dozens of museums, a well-preserved old town filled with medieval and Renaissance buildings, and enough art-both in and out of museums-for art lovers to fill themselves and their Instagram accounts with beauty. Instagrammable places of Zurich, and at the same time, its attractions will not leave you indifferent! So, let's go to our list of "Zurich attractions aka nice spots for your Instagram"!
1. The historic heart of the city, Old Town
In the middle of this modern financial center of Zurich is a quarter filled with historical charm, its narrow streets rising to the east side of the river. Heading up the Munstergasse, you will arrive at the Napfgasse with the Brunnenturm, which in the 14th and 15th centuries was the headquarters of the Longobard money merchants. Haus zum Napt, in room 6, has a beautiful interior with rooms furnished in the Renaissance style. On Spiegelgasse, at number 17, is the house where Lenin lived in 1917. On this street, in the Cabaret Voltaire, Hans Arp and Tristan Tzara launched the Dada art movement in 1916. The Spiegelgasse leads east to Neumarkt, home to the Shoemakers Guild House, now a theater, and the Hans Zum Rech, dating from the Middle Ages and showing how decorative styles have changed over the centuries. And all this historical beauty in one block! What will happen next?
2. Zurich's own little mountain, Uetliberg
For the best Instagrammable views of the city and the lake, follow the Zurich people to their favorite weekend airliner, the 871-meter Uetliberg. Southwest of Zurich, the Uetliberg is the northernmost peak of the Albis range, easily accessible by the Uetlibergbahn. This mountain railway runs year-round from Selnau Station to the upper station. From here, the summit is a 10-minute walk away. A wide footpath is well lit at night and leads to the restaurant at the top - a glass-enclosed space with an Instagrammable view of the city lights below. The observation tower offers daytime views of the Valais, the Bernese and Glarus Alps, the Black Forest to the north, and Syantis to the east. From here, an easy walk along the ridge to Felsenegg takes just over an hour, where the cable car descends to Adliswil. You can return to Zurich via the Siltalbahn. Driving at night to Uetliberg to enjoy the views of the city with the lights reflected in the snow is one of the favorite activities of the locals in Zurich in winter. Why visit Zurich in winter? Zurich is a beautiful cosmopolitan city with a rich history and culture, located not far from the beautiful ski resorts. Delicious fondue on the tram through the city, a cup of hot chocolate for a couple in an Alpine restaurant, stunning Christmas markets (complete with singing Christmas trees!), and a bright, fun carnival - all this is possible (and necessary). Enjoy the winter in Zurich! Switzerland, you are beautiful!
3. Switzerland's most beautiful lake: Lake Zurich and Burkliplatz
The central center of Zurich and a favorite playground for tourists and locals is the long Lake Zurich. The entire coast is surrounded by walking embankments and parks, where Zurich people catch the sun, jog, have picnics, and swim in the lake. A favorite way to enjoy the lake is on one of the many cruises that offer Instagrammable views of the Glarus Alps. Look for a boat that docks at the Burkliplatz Square, where the Limmat flows out of the lake. The Quaibrücke crosses the river to connect Burkliplatz with Bellevueplatz. About 1.5 kilometers from Bellevueplatz is the beautiful Zurichhorn Park, built for the National Exhibition in 1939. Here you will find a restaurant, a Chinese garden, and a boat mooring to the Limmatschiff-a boat that goes from the National Museum along the river to the lake, ending in Zurichorn.
4. Art Museum in Zurich, Kunsthaus Zurich
The Kunsthaus, one of the best art museums in Europe, is run by the Zurich Society of Arts and traces its history back to the Society of Artists, founded in 1787. Even though the Kunsthaus has large collections of works by several artists - more paintings by Charles Munch than any other museum outside of Oslo, as well as the most important collection of Monet's works outside of Paris, the emphasis has always been on showing the highest quality of the artist's works in the greatest quantity. The Kunsthaus is particularly strong in the Impressionist, post-Impressionist, and modern schools, beginning with the predecessors and early impressionists Delacroix, Corot, Courbet, and Manet. Two of the most beautiful of the large paintings of water lilies are at the center of the Monet exhibition. Both Cezanne and Van Gogh represent the end of their careers paintings by Van Gogh painted in the last days of his life. The entire hall is filled with the characteristic dreamy works of Marc Chagall. Address: Heimplatz 1, Zurich Official website: http://www.kunsthaus.ch
5. Zurich's main downtown street Bahnhofstrasse and Bahnhof
Zurich's "Main Street" is a lively pedestrian Bahnhofstrasse that stretches from the main train station (bahnhof) to the Burkliplatz Square (Burkliplatz) at the head of the lake. The perfect place for a lifestyle photo on Instagram. The 1,200-meter-long street is one of the most attractive shopping streets in Europe, bustling with fountains, public art, trees, and famous buildings. Despite the fact that many of the stores in this line are filled with fur, fashion, jewelry, and other luxury goods, their elegantly decorated storefronts and the buildings themselves make it one of the Instagrammable places for everyone to walk. The middle part of the street was built in 1867 after the old Freschengraben moat was filled in; the parts to the lake and the train station were built a few years later. Interesting buildings include several buildings from the late 20th century: the Weber Building (number 75), rebuilt in 1912 and 1928, and the Jelmoli shopping complex at 1 Seidengasse Street, originally designed with steel frame. Pay special attention to the facade of the building of Peterhof and Leyengof in 1913.
6. Fraumunster Church
Often incorrectly translated to the Church of Our Lady, the name Protestant Fraumunster actually means Women's Church, referring to the founding here in 853 by Emperor Ludwig of an abbey for the aristocratic women of Europe for his daughter Hildegard. Until the High Middle Ages, the head of the monastery was also the ruler of the city. The church is a three-nave pile basilica with a Gothic nave built in the 13th-15th centuries, a Romanesque altar, and a transept in the early Gothic style with a high arch. In the dungeon, you can see the remains of the crypt of the monastery church of the 9th century. Zurich attractions are not to be counted, is still most famous for its beautiful set of five stained glass windows on the altar, created by Marc Chagall in 1970. Address: Munsterhof, Zurich
7. The historical site of the Roman castle, Lindenhof
Remember where is Zurich located! Between Bahnhofstrasse and the left bank of the Limmat, the western part of Zurich's old town rises steeply to the quiet, tree-shaded Lindenhof. It was here that the Romans built their fortified settlement in the fourth century to protect themselves from settlers from the north. Five centuries later, the grandson of Charlemagne built a palace here as a royal residence. Long after the remains of these structures had all but disappeared, some of them built into the buildings around the park, the place was still used for important ceremonies; In 1798, an oath was taken here confirming the Helvetic constitution. Today it is a tree-shaded park with benches, chess players, and tourists enjoying spectacular views of the river and the Old Town.
8. Limmatquai and the Town Hall
Along Limmatquai, a popular riverside shopping street, is a row of elegant old guilds with lavish interiors reflecting the wealth of the guilds that ruled the city until 1789. Many of them now have restaurants, so you can look inside: 1719 Haus zur Saffran (number 54); 1660 Haus Zur Ruden (42); and the two-story Haus Zur Zimmerleuten (40) from 1709, with an Instagrammable bay window. Zurich's Town Hall, the Town Hall, is easy to spot, as it overhangs the river and rests on the wide arches at the east end of the Town Hall. The massive Late Renaissance building, built between 1694 and 1698, has a rich sculptural decoration and a Baroque grand hall that is worth seeing. At the end of the Munsterbrucke is the late-Gothic Wasserkirche, once completely surrounded by the Limmat River. It was only connected to the ground in 1839 when the Limmatkvai was built. On the north side of the church is a 1794 Helmhaus with an open fountain hall, where special exhibitions are held.
9. Schweizer Landesmuseum (Swiss National Museum)
In a castle-like building, the Neo-Gothic flourishes, and there is a beautiful museum showcasing the cultural history of Switzerland. It is undoubtedly the most important collection of Swiss historical and cultural artifacts - more than 820,000 of them, covering a wide range of items from prehistoric times to the 20th century. The archaeological collections, which contain artifacts dating from around 100,000 BC to 800 AD, are among the best in Europe. You can find more information on the official website of the museum. Address: Museum Street 2, Zurich
10. Protestant church, Grossmunster
The main church of Zurich, located on an open terrace above the river, rises above the skyline of the city with its twin towers. Built between the 11th and 13th centuries, it is a Romanesque three-nave gallery basilica with an altar over a crypt that dates from around 1100. The upper levels of the towers date from 1487, but the domed tops were added in 1782. High on the south tower on the riverside is the figure of Charlemagne, who is believed to have founded the order to which the church originally belonged. In the crypt, you can see the much-eroded original of the statue and outside-a copy. Be sure to check out the two modern bronze doors made in 1935-36, the sculptural Romanesque capitals of Europe, the remains of a Gothic mural, and the late Romanesque monastery built around 1200. Augusto Giacometti designed the three brightly colored stained glass windows in the choir in 1933.
11. Art museum for non-European cultures, Rietberg Museum
The neoclassical villa, modeled after the Villa Albani in Rome (said to be an exact replica), houses the outstanding collection of Baron Eduard von der Heydt. The villa was built in 1857 for a German industrialist and was a meeting place for the Zurich intelligentsia. It is Switzerland's only museum of non-European art, with collections including Indian sculpture, Tibetan temple images, and bronze, Chinese grave ornaments, a Buddhist stele, as well as Asian ceramics and jade. Address: 15 Gablerstrasse, Zurich Official website: www.rietberg.ch
12. The best zoo in Europe: Zurich Zoo
More than 360 different species of animals live in the exotic world of the Zurich Zoo, one of the best in Europe. The animals live as close to their own environment as possible: snow leopards among the rocky Himalayan landscapes, penguins swim in the cool water, and from the canopy, you can see flying foxes among the 13,000 square meters of rainforest. At Keng Krachan Elephant Park, you can watch a family of Asian elephants play with a child and swim in their multi-storey open-air complex, which has been designed to resemble their natural Thai habitat. Trams and trains run to the zoo from the main train station and Paradeplatz. Address: 221 Zurichbergstrasse, Zurich Official website: https://www.zoo.ch/en Apply for a Swiss visa today and get ready to explore Zurich at its best!
