Zürich: A culturally vibrant and picturesque Central European city worth exploring, even if you only have 72 hours to visit.
While Zürich is mostly known for being an expensive, world economic and banking hub, this city uncovered many culturally beautiful, golden moments worth experiencing.
From visiting chocolatiers to wandering old town, discovering new neighbourhoods and contemporary art gallery, to seeking out lakeside city views, this was a perfect new city for our family to stopover in and explore.
How We Got There
We hopped on a direct flight from Vancouver to Zürich with Edelweiss Air (10 hr duration).
Where We Stayed
We stayed at Hotel Plattenhoff, a small design hotel located in a residential neighbourhood close to the centre and a 10 minute walk to the historical Old Town.
What We Did in 72 Hours
- Visited the architecturally impressive Lindt Chocolate Museum for tastings (newly built in 2020).
- Wandered the cobblestone laneways of old town and hiked up for hilltop views from Lindenhof, a heritage area of old town.
- Visited Max Chocolatier for artisanal chocolate tastings and Confiserie Sprüngli for Luxemburgli (smaller, fluffier versions of macarons – which I actually preferred over regular macarons).
- Checked out Museum Haus Konstructiv for contemporary art exhibitions
- Ate really good Bratwurst from Sternen Grill and really good pizza at a child-friendly place (with games!) called Luigia.
- Walked along Lake Zürich both night and day to experience the city differently at different times.
- Took local buses and trains to visit different neighbourhoods.
While Zürich was our only stop in Switzerland, we are looking forward to visiting other cities in Switzerland now that we got a small taste of this beautiful country!