Question 1

Zurich on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Zurich is a city for a day before or after your cruise rather than a port of call, and its old town is compact enough to see on foot from the main station. Lake Zurich is at the far end of Bahnhofstrasse. From the station: The Swiss National Museum stands right beside Zürich HB. From there, cross into the old town and climb the Lindenhof, the hill where the Romans built a fort, for a view over the city. Two minsters: The Fraumünster has five stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall, installed in 1970, and photographs are not allowed inside. Across the river, the Grossmünster tower can be climbed on narrow, steep stairs. The lake: A lakeside promenade runs about 3 km from Bellevue toward Tiefenbrunnen, and lake boats leave from Bürkliplatz, with fewer sailings in winter. A hilltop: The S10 train from Zürich HB takes about 20 minutes to Uetliberg, the city's own mountain, where a lookout tower stands at the summit. Getting to your ship on time: If you travel to Basel on your own, check the train before you set out and leave a generous margin. Your cruise line sets the boarding time, and a ship will not wait for passengers who arrive late.

Question 2

Getting Around Zurich

Accepted Answer

Zurich's trams, buses, S-Bahn trains and boats are run together by ZVV, and one ticket covers them all within its zones. Zone 110 covers the city itself and is enough for most visitors. Buy tickets in the SBB app or at machines before you board; traveling without a ticket risks an on-the-spot fine. A 24-hour ticket for zone 110 costs the same as two single rides. From April to October, river buses run along the Limmat from the Swiss National Museum to the lake. Lake boats operated by ZSG, the Lake Zurich navigation company, connect the city with towns along the shore.

Question 3

Food and Drink

Accepted Answer

Zurich's signature dish is Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, sliced veal in a cream and wine sauce, usually served with rösti. The city is also a good place to try Swiss chocolate. Rösti is grated potato fried in a flat cake until the outside is crisp. Grilled sausages are a popular quick meal. Sprüngli, a Zurich confectioner, has shops on Bahnhofstrasse and inside Zürich HB and is known for its Luxemburgerli, small soft macaroons filled with cream. Fondue comes from western Switzerland, but many Zurich restaurants serve it, including at least one near the Grossmünster.

Question 4

Tipping and Money

Accepted Answer

Swiss law requires service to be included in the bill, so a tip is a small extra rather than an obligation. If you were pleased, especially in a restaurant, round up the bill or add a few francs. If you were not happy with the service, there is no need to tip at all. For coffee, people commonly round up to the nearest franc. Prices are in Swiss francs (CHF); euros are often accepted, and many price lists show both.

Question 5

Culture and Local Life

Accepted Answer

German is the written language of Zurich and Zurich German is what you hear in the street, and English is widely spoken, especially among younger people and in business. Sundays are quiet, because most shops close by law. Shops in railway stations, including Zürich HB, are allowed to open on Sundays. The Street Parade, a huge open-air techno parade, takes place along the lake on the second Saturday of August. The Grossmünster sometimes holds organ concerts in the evening; notices are posted at the front door.

Question 6

History

Accepted Answer

Zurich began as a Roman post where goods on the Limmat were taxed, grew into a free imperial city ruled for a time by an abbess, and became one of the centers of the Protestant Reformation. Romans, 15 BC: During the conquest of the Alpine region in 15 BC, the Romans built a fort on the Lindenhof. A customs post called Turicum grew up beside it. The abbey, 853: Louis the German founded the Fraumünster abbey for his daughter Hildegard in 853, and from 1045 its abbess held the rights to markets, tolls and coinage that made her the effective ruler of the town. A free city, 1218: Zurich gained imperial immediacy in 1218, a status close to self-government, and built a city wall in the 1230s. The Grossmünster: Building of the present minster began around 1100, and it was consecrated around 1220. Joining the Confederacy, 1351: On May 1, 1351, Zurich became the fifth member of the Swiss Confederacy. The Reformation, 1519: Huldrych Zwingli was appointed priest at the Grossmünster in 1519, and Zurich became one of the leading centers of the Reformation. Steamboats and a nation: Steam navigation began on Lake Zurich in 1834, and the Swiss federal state was founded in 1848. Museums and windows: The Swiss National Museum's building opened in 1898, the zoo in 1929, and Chagall's windows were installed in the Fraumünster in 1970. To learn more ashore: The Swiss National Museum, at Museumstrasse 2 beside the main station, has permanent exhibitions on Swiss history, archaeology and art.

Question 7

Zurich with Children

Accepted Answer

With children, Zurich's easiest wins are the zoo, a boat ride and a train up the city's hill, all reached by public transport. The old town's churches suit older children best. Younger children: Zurich Zoo, opened in 1929 on the lower slopes of the Zürichberg, has Asian elephants and the Masoala Rainforest Hall under a large dome. School age: A river bus along the Limmat in summer, or a lake boat from Bürkliplatz, gives children a view of the city from the water. The Swiss National Museum is next to the station for a rainy hour. Teenagers: The train to Uetliberg and the climb up its lookout tower suit teenagers, and a planetary walk sets off from the summit.

Question 8

Shopping

Accepted Answer

Bahnhofstrasse, running from the main station toward the lake, is Zurich's main shopping street. Chocolate is the local purchase, from city-center confectioners or a factory shop outside town. The Lindt & Sprüngli factory shop in Kilchberg is reached by the S8 train and bus 165, opens on weekdays, and sells some chocolates below supermarket prices. Shops are closed on Sundays except in railway stations, so shop on Saturday if your cruise starts on a Sunday.

Zurich

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