Zurich

I don’t know know how I made to all of these sights given my nature and street condition of Zurich. First of all, I even get lost in the same neighborhood I’ve been living for years. Second, I  was juggling biking in a city I  had been to for the first time with one hand, taking photos on another and orienting the city on the map at the same time looking for tourist landmarks suggested in guidebook. I managed to get to Limat river bank from the train station and sat down looking at Swiss being Swiss. And after not sure how I would get to all these city highlights  straight to Lake Zurich. I bought Chinese takeout and sat down under a tree by the lake and had my lunch with ducks.  These birds didn’t eat Chinese of course, and I wouldn’t dare to feed them. Rule obeying Swiss police would come and slap me with a fine no joke. Sleepy and tired, I decided to have a strike there until my departure to Prague at 18.00.  But after 2, 3 hours at the lake, I got bored by the serenity and made a brief tour around the lake before ridding back to the center.  I happened to spot something colorful, resembling old parts of Prague. I turned to that colorful direction, thinking to explore a little bit before returning to the train station area. Then I discovered another ‘old’ looking quarter. Then I was able to pinpoint myself on the tourist map and made a bold move across the river to the other side and ran into a recommended landmark I dismissed right in the beginning convinced that I would not be able to find it. Then I was ready to return to the train station when I just rode into another hidden gem of Zurich. This pattern repeated itself until I saw accidentally almost everything.

This is how you ‘see’ Europe. You don’t look at the map, turning left and right. It’s not that easy unless you can rotate map in your head.  You can’t always orient east, west, north, south. What you should do is to aim toward some landmarks, most often, churches. Something interesting might lay awaiting there. Another option is to locate the river–most major European cities spread along rivers—and figure out either which side of the river you are on or which direction to walk along the river bank. And keep an eye out for something ‘old’ and ‘colorful’, the signs indicate a potential main square or a place worth visiting.

Trip brainstorms

- From the train station, you can reach Bahnhofstrasse, the 3rd most expensive retail street in Europe (2010 statistic) after London’s New Bond and Paris’ Avenue des Champs-Elysees. Linger here for a moment to savor the image of yourself dressed in Armani and Gucci, hands holding a Louis Vuitton bag, a Rolex around the wrist and glittering jewelries wrapped around your fingers. Remember to buy a hot dog from one of the street stands while you are here and you will really appreciate the irony of life.

- Get rid of the unclassy hot dog to travel with style in Zurich’s picturesque old town, lying between the chic Bahnhofstrasse and the river.  One of its many pretty streets is Augustinergasse, Zurich’s oldest with many colorfully bay windows looking down to many restaurants, coffeehouses and tourist shops. The buildings’ facades owe their prettiness to old time envy and competitive drive on who had the most beautiful facade from rich factory owners who used to settled on this street. Literary buff might be interested in checking out James Joyce foundation on Augustinergasse 9. The Irish writer left Dubin in 1915 and  moved to  Zurich with his wife and began to write his famous novel Ulysses. He was buried  here in Zurich, next to the Zoo.

- Where else if not in Switzerland that something which holds a record has connection to the punctuality of life? The Romanesque-Gothic, Baroque St. Peter church, oldest church in Zurich dating back to before 900, boasts the largest clock face in Europe. The clock is 8.7m/28.4 feet in diameter and has a 4m/13-foot long minute hand. Take a short break at the small, peaceful St. Peterhofstatt square and listen to classical music straying out from an apartment room you’re not sure which. (Augustinergasse will lead you directly here.)

- In the past, fishermen had to push (‘schupfen’) their boats to the river. Schipfe, the oldest part of Zurich, was named after a daily activity executed by fisherman in the past when they pushed (‘schupfen’) their boats to the river. Schipfe was a central point for trading of  merchandise in the Middle ages and a headquarter of the silk industry from the 16th century.  Schipfe today is home to many artist and craft shops and serves as a picture-perfect setting along the river for a romantic lunch and dinner.

-  It’s time for a rest, but not before you Walk or carry the bike up to Lindenhof hill.  From there, you have a panoramic view of the city below and see if you can track where you were. There you can sit down, relax, read up on the guide to map out the next leg of trip.

- Having explored the west bank of the Limat, you are now ready to cross the bridge to Limatquai to either  walk along the busy riversie or sit down on the bench and view the neatly lined up colorful buildings in Schipfe across the river and the row of linden trees.
- If you need a moment of peace, get off the busy street and turn to into any small street to reach Niederdorfstrasse, lined up with beer halls and restaurants and colorful statues of Switzerland’s favorite animal, cow, standing on the balcony window.

-  For this last leg you’ll need to to brace yourself amid Zurich’s busy traffic and pump your bike to lake Zurich where young couples, moms with babies, mom with kids and all kinds of locals hang out.  This image does not all all represent what stereotype you might have about a serious Zurich where serious Swiss is busy working.

Accommodation

Sample cost

Switzerland is very expensive. Not a place for budget backpackers. At least you can get a free bike to ride around, then move on to the next destination . But if you’re still in Switzerland, this means nothing.

Accommodation

• Hostel: from €30
• Budget hotel: from €48 / person (double room)

Transportation

• Bike rental: free

Food

• Chinese takeout: €10
• Beer: €4
• Big Mac menu: €9
• Lunch menu:  €15-25

Misc

• Locker room at train station: €6 minimum for full day.

Transportation

• Low cost airline easyJet flies to Zurich airport only from London and Manchester (UK). Other low costs airlines fly to Basel airport, 1.5 hour train away. Pegasus (flypgs) from  Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia and Turkey. easyJet from  Croatia,  Denmark, France, Germany, Greek, Israel, Italy, Kosovo,  Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey.
• Long-distance buses from ex-Yugoslavia countries, Czech Republic.
• Bicycles are free to use at designated Züri Rollt pickup stations near the train stations. Leave your passport and 20 chf as deposit.

Guidebook