Is Zurich Worth Visiting? My Honest Travel Experience

Switzerland often conjures images of snow-capped mountains, pristine lakes and charming villages, but where does Zurich fit into that picture?

Before this trip, I had surprisingly little interest in revisiting Switzerland. I’d been many years ago, and going back wasn’t particularly high on my list. Yet, inspired partly by Korean dramas — for some reason, every one of them seems to feature Switzerland’s breathtaking scenery — I decided it was time to give the country another chance, starting with Zurich.

I went into the trip without huge expectations. Zurich looked nice, but compared with Switzerland’s mountains, lakes and smaller towns, I wasn't convinced there was enough there to make the city itself particularly memorable.

By the end of my visit, my opinion had changed.

Zurich didn't blow me away with one huge attraction or instantly become one of my favourite cities in Europe. Instead, I gradually realised just how pleasant it was to be there. That's ultimately what I think makes Zurich worth visiting.

Yes, I think Zurich is worth visiting, particularly if you're looking for a relaxed European city break or want somewhere to spend the first one or two days of a longer trip through Switzerland.

However, whether I'd recommend Zurich depends heavily on why you're coming to Switzerland in the first place.

For a city break: Absolutely. Zurich offers a great mix of Swiss culture, attractive architecture, a beautiful lakefront, an interesting Old Town and an incredibly relaxed atmosphere. Summer is arguably the best time to visit, when the lake, outdoor seating and sunlit streets become a huge part of the experience.

As a gateway to Switzerland's natural beauty: Zurich is useful, but I wouldn't necessarily consider it essential. If the main reason you're travelling to Switzerland is to experience the Alps, mountain villages and dramatic scenery, I'd prioritise those over spending several days in Zurich.

That doesn't mean you should skip Zurich completely.

One or two days here can be a great introduction to Switzerland before heading elsewhere. It's incredibly easy to get around, there's enough to keep you occupied, and after a flight or long journey, Zurich is a particularly easy city in which to settle into a trip.

The important thing is knowing what to expect.

Zurich isn't somewhere I'd recommend because it has an enormous collection of must-see attractions. For me, its biggest strength was simply how enjoyable it was to spend time there.

Before the trip, I did some basic research, watching YouTube videos about Zurich and Switzerland in general. They got me more excited about visiting, and I made myself a Google Maps list of places I wanted to explore so I could get as much as possible out of my first day.

My first introduction to Zurich was the airport, and it didn't disappoint. It's modern, sleek and extremely organised.

Getting from Zurich Airport into the city was also refreshingly straightforward. The train is convenient and relatively affordable — at least by Swiss standards — and before long I was arriving in central Zurich.

The journey itself wasn't particularly exciting, but the convenience immediately stood out. Switzerland has a reputation for efficiency, and it didn't take very long to understand why.

Once in Zurich, I checked into a budget-friendly hotel near the station. For a short visit, I found this to be a particularly useful area to stay. Being close to the station made arriving and leaving easy, while most of the city centre was accessible on foot.

I dropped my things off and headed out to see whether Zurich could change my fairly neutral opinion of it.

I started with some of Zurich's lesser-known sights, including the university area and library, while taking in the architecture along the way.

Everything was pleasant. Everything worked. Everything looked nice.

But initially, I wasn't convinced.

If you're travelling a long distance specifically to see Switzerland, these aren't necessarily places I'd prioritise. There wasn't anything wrong with them; they just weren't giving me that feeling of being somewhere I desperately needed to see.

It was as I descended towards the centre and eventually reached Lake Zürich that my perspective started to change.

Sitting beside the lake in the sunshine, I began to understand what I liked about the city.

Zurich is incredibly peaceful.

There wasn't necessarily one huge attraction in front of me. Instead, I was sitting in a clean, attractive city, beside a beautiful lake, surrounded by impressive architecture, with everything feeling remarkably calm.

Later in the day, I explored more of the historic centre, visiting some of the city's famous churches, wandering through the Old Town and stopping at viewpoints.

The more time I spent walking around, the more Zurich grew on me.

If you're planning your own visit, I've put together a separate guide covering 16 fun and unique things to do in Zurich , including many of the places I visited during this trip.

What surprised me most was how much I enjoyed simply being in Zurich.

There are cities where you spend the entire day moving between famous attractions. You visit the landmark, take your photo, tick it off the list and move on to the next one.

Zurich didn't really feel like that.

Some of my favourite moments were far simpler: walking beside the lake, exploring the streets without any particular destination and eventually sitting outside with a few beers in the sunshine.

The cleanliness and organisation are difficult not to notice. Public transport works well, the streets feel orderly and getting around is incredibly easy.

I also liked how walkable the centre was. Rather than constantly relying on public transport, I could explore large parts of Zurich on foot, moving between the Old Town, churches, viewpoints and lake.

By the end of the day, I wasn't thinking about which attraction had been the highlight.

I was thinking about how pleasant the entire day had been.

For me, that's Zurich's biggest strength.

The obvious problem is the price.

Zurich is expensive.

I knew this before arriving, so it wasn't a surprise, but knowing somewhere is expensive and actually paying Swiss prices for food, drinks and accommodation are two different things.

Even fairly ordinary purchases can quickly start eating into your travel budget.

I don't think this ruins Zurich, and I still enjoyed eating Swiss food and having a few beers while I was there. However, the cost makes it harder to recommend spending a long time in the city, particularly when Switzerland has so many other places competing for your time and money.

I've broken down what I actually spent during my trip in my Is Zurich Expensive? One-Day Budget Breakdown . If you're planning a trip, I'd recommend looking at that alongside this guide because it gives you a much better idea of what a day in Zurich can realistically cost.

My other criticism is that Zurich doesn't necessarily have the immediate wow factor some travellers may expect from Switzerland.

If you've booked a trip after seeing photographs of enormous mountains, turquoise lakes and traditional Swiss villages, central Zurich isn't really going to give you that.

Lake Zürich is beautiful and the city is attractive, but this isn't the dramatic Alpine Switzerland you might have pictured.

That's why expectations matter.

For most visitors, I think one or two days in Zurich is enough.

With one full day, you can explore a surprising amount of the centre. You can wander through the Old Town, visit the main churches, walk beside Lake Zürich, find a viewpoint, try some Swiss food and generally get a good feel for the city.

If you're arriving late or prefer travelling more slowly, two days would be better.

That gives you time to explore without constantly checking the clock and allows you to spend more time enjoying the lake and neighbourhoods rather than treating the city as a checklist.

I personally wouldn't allocate four or five days to Zurich on a first trip to Switzerland unless there's something specific you want to do.

With that amount of time available, I'd start looking at day trips or move further into Switzerland.

I actually think one day is one of the best ways to experience Zurich.

The centre is compact enough that you can cover plenty on foot, and many of the things I enjoyed weren't attractions that required hours of your time.

If you arrive early, you could easily spend the morning exploring the Old Town and churches, walk towards Lake Zürich in the afternoon and finish the day with food and drinks somewhere in the centre.

You won't see everything, but you don't really need to.

If I were travelling through Switzerland by train and had the opportunity to spend a full day in Zurich, I'd definitely take it.

This is where my recommendation becomes slightly more complicated.

If you only have a few days in Switzerland and the mountains are the reason you're going, I wouldn't sacrifice a large portion of the trip for Zurich.

Switzerland's spectacular natural scenery is one of the country's biggest attractions, and Zurich can't compete with that.

But it doesn't really need to.

Zurich works extremely well as the beginning or end of a larger Switzerland trip. You could fly into Zurich, spend a night here, explore the city the following day and then continue towards the mountains.

That would probably be how I'd incorporate Zurich into my next Switzerland trip.

It's an enjoyable city, but I wouldn't make it compete against the Alps.

This might be the biggest question of all.

From a purely financial perspective, there are plenty of European cities where your money will go considerably further.

Accommodation, restaurants and drinks can all be expensive in Zurich, and travellers looking for a cheap weekend away will find much easier destinations elsewhere.

But value isn't purely about finding the cheapest destination.

I still thought Zurich was worth visiting because I enjoyed the experience. The city felt safe and easy to navigate, public transport was excellent, the surroundings were beautiful and I never felt as though visiting had been a mistake.

I just wouldn't pretend it's a budget destination.

If cost is one of your biggest concerns, have a look at my Zurich one-day budget breakdown before booking. I've included what I spent so you can get a more realistic idea of the costs involved.

I think Zurich works particularly well for travellers who enjoy slower city breaks.

If you like wandering through attractive streets, stopping at cafés and bars, walking beside the water and exploring without needing a major attraction every hour, there's a good chance you'll enjoy Zurich.

It's also incredibly easy.

For a first visit to Switzerland, there's very little friction. The airport is well connected, the public transport system is excellent and the centre is easy to navigate.

I'd be less enthusiastic about recommending Zurich to someone whose number-one priority is dramatic scenery or someone trying to travel around Europe on an extremely tight budget.

Likewise, if you need constant attractions, nightlife or entertainment to enjoy a city break, Zurich might feel a little too quiet.

The absence of chaos is part of the appeal.

Another advantage of Zurich is its location and transport connections.

You don't necessarily need to treat the city as your entire destination. It can work as part of a much larger trip.

One slightly unusual option is Liechtenstein.

I travelled on to Vaduz and found that an afternoon was enough to explore the tiny capital and get a feel for another country. It's obviously very different from Zurich, but combining the two made the trip more interesting.

I've written a separate guide explaining how to spend an afternoon in Vaduz, Liechtenstein if you're considering doing something similar.

For a longer Switzerland trip, I'd also use Zurich as the jumping-off point for exploring more of the country's lakes, mountains and smaller towns rather than staying exclusively in the city.

Yes, although I probably wouldn't book another trip to Switzerland purely to visit Zurich.

That's not really a criticism of the city.

One of the things I realised during this trip is that Zurich's appeal isn't necessarily about having attractions you need to see twice. I enjoyed it because it was such an easy and pleasant place to spend time.

I'd happily return for a night or two at the beginning or end of another Switzerland trip.

Give me a sunny afternoon, somewhere beside Lake Zürich and a couple of beers, and I could quite easily spend another day here.

But if I had five days in Switzerland and had to choose between spending all five in Zurich or heading into the mountains and smaller towns, I'd choose the latter.

That's probably the best way I can describe Zurich.

It's somewhere I'm glad I've visited and somewhere I'd happily return to, but it's not the main reason I'd travel to Switzerland.

For a short trip, I'd prioritise location over almost everything else.

Staying around Zürich Hauptbahnhof or within walking distance of the Old Town makes exploring significantly easier. Zurich's public transport is excellent, but if you're only staying for one or two nights, being able to walk out of your hotel and immediately start exploring is worth paying a little extra for.

Yes, I think Zurich is worth visiting — but I'd keep it relatively short.

Before arriving, I wasn't particularly excited about Zurich. Even during the first few hours, I wasn't completely convinced.

Then I reached the lake.

As the day went on, I started appreciating the city for what it was rather than what I thought Switzerland was supposed to look like.

Zurich doesn't need an enormous landmark or endless list of attractions to be enjoyable. Its appeal comes from the combination of the lake, Old Town, architecture, cleanliness, organisation and relaxed atmosphere.

Sitting outside with a beer in the sunshine ended up being as memorable as any individual attraction I visited.

Would I recommend spending your entire Switzerland holiday here? Probably not.

Would I recommend spending one or two days here?

Definitely.

Zurich is an excellent introduction to Switzerland and a particularly easy city to enjoy. It might not compete with the country's famous mountains and Alpine scenery, but it doesn't need to.

Sometimes the joy of visiting somewhere isn't finding a spectacular attraction. It's simply realising that you're having a very good day.

That's what Zurich was for me.