Zurich: getting there, Zurich Card, neighbourhoods, museums, Uetliberg and 2026 prices

Zurich suits you if you want to combine old town, museums and lake in just a few days. Guests from Germany stayed an average of 1.8 nights in the city's hotels in 2025 (our own calculation). According to Zurich Tourism, the airport is around 10 km from the centre.

Quite a lot changes in 2026. The Uetliberg railway S10 has not run from the main station since 29 April and, according to the operator, will not do so again until 13 December 2026. You can climb the Karlsturm of the Grossmünster only on Fridays to Sundays since 3 August. On 13 December fares in the Zurich Transport Network (ZVV) also rise, and the Zurich Card gets new prices.

Zurich suits you less on a tight budget: in 2024, restaurants and hotels in Switzerland were around 52% more expensive than in Germany, according to Eurostat (our own calculation). In December, moreover, the sun shines for only 47 hours on average.

Getting there and from the airport into the city

In 2025 Zurich ranked 11th among foreign destinations from the main German airports: 1,279,267 passengers from Germany flew with Zurich as their last known destination. They most often departed from Berlin-Brandenburg (326,588) and Frankfurt (258,340), and June was the busiest month (German Federal Statistical Office, provisional figures; airports and months: our own evaluation).

On all flights to Zurich in 2025 there were in fact 1,721,541 passengers from Germany; on balance around 442,000 of them changed planes in Zurich (our own evaluation). For the airport as a whole, across all countries of origin, the operator gives a transfer share of 29% for 2025.

Zurich Airport (ZRH): around 10 km from the city

In 2025 the airport counted 32.6 million passengers, a record. SBB lockers are available there around the clock (airport page as of 2 September 2026).

S-Bahn: 10 to 15 minutes to the main station

According to the airport, an SBB train runs to the main station every 10 minutes and takes a quarter of an hour (as of 2 September 2026). Zurich Tourism gives a frequency of 5 to 10 minutes between 05:00 and midnight, and a journey time of 10 minutes for the S2 and S16 (as of September 2026).

The airport is in ZVV zone 121, the main station in city zone 110, which counts double. So you need a ticket for 3 zones: a single costs CHF 7.20 for one hour, a 24h ticket CHF 14.40, both in 2nd class. Children aged 6 to 15 and travellers with a Halbtax (half-fare) card pay half (fare valid since 14 December 2025, until 12 December 2026).

Tram 10: around 35 minutes to the main station

Tram line 10 is slower: it takes around 35 minutes from the airport to the main station and passes ETH and the university, among other places (as of September 2026). The same ticket for 3 zones applies.

Taxi: guide values only

Taxis wait in front of arrivals halls 1 and 2. The sources give no official fixed prices, only guide values: for the marked “Airport Taxis” the airport gives around CHF 65 to the centre (as of June 2026). Zurich Tourism gives a journey time of 10 to 20 minutes and CHF 45 to 70, and in the running text of the same page CHF 50 to 70 (as of September 2026).

Where to stay: the neighbourhoods compared

Zurich has twelve districts with a total of 34 neighbourhoods. The table compares seven of them; the distances to the main station are given by Zurich Tourism (as of September 2026).

Where “—” appears, the sources name no drawback.

Sights: times, prices and rules in 2026

Grossmünster and Karlsturm: tower only Friday to Sunday

The Protestant Reformed Grossmünster with its twin towers is being renovated but remains open, and the interior of the church costs nothing. It is open from March to October from 10:00 to 18:00, from November to February until 17:00, and on Sundays only from 12:00. On Tuesdays the Zurich University of the Arts gives organ lessons there, and the church is then closed; on Saturdays since 15 August it is likewise closed from 11:30 to 13:15 (as of September 2026).

187 steps lead up to the Karlsturm, and the view stretches across the city and lake to the Glarus Alps. Since 3 August 2026 it has been open only on Fridays to Sundays. It normally opens at 10:00, on Sundays at 12:00, and closes at 17:00 in summer and 16:00 in winter. Admission costs CHF 5, and CHF 2 for young people aged 6 to 16 and students, only at the tower ticket office and without reservation (as of September 2026). With the combined ticket with the Fraumünster you pay CHF 8 instead of CHF 10.

Fraumünster: Chagall windows for CHF 5

The Romanesque-Gothic Fraumünster has windows by Marc Chagall and Augusto Giacometti. It opens from March to October from 10:00 to 18:00, in winter until 17:00, on Sundays usually from 12:00; last admission is 15 minutes before closing. You pay the CHF 5 fee only on site; young people up to 16 and students go free (as of September 2026). The crypt museum and a CHF 5 discount at the Kunsthaus are included.

St. Peter and Lindenhof: tower clock and view

According to Zurich Tourism, St. Peter, Zurich's oldest parish church, has the largest tower clock face in Europe, at 8.7 m in diameter. It is open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 18:00, and at weekends until 16:00 (as of September 2026).

From the Lindenhof, which according to Zurich Tourism is 533 m from the main station, you look out over the old town, Grossmünster, Limmat, university and ETH. In the 4th century a Roman fort stood here, and a gravestone from AD 180 at one of the approaches mentions the name Turicum for the first time.

Kunsthaus: times and prices

The Kunsthaus is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, and until 20:00 on Thursdays. The ticket “Icons incl. collection” (“Ikonen inkl. Sammlung”) costs CHF 24, concessions CHF 17, and admission is free for under-14s (as of September 2026). The audio guide to the collection is free if you buy online, and CHF 4 at the ticket desk.

You may take only small handbags up to A4 size into the museum; rucksacks and larger bags go into the cloakroom lockers (as of September 2026). Trams 3, 5 and 9 and bus 31 stop at the “Kunsthaus” stop.

Landesmuseum: free up to age 16

The Landesmuseum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, and until 19:00 on Thursdays; on individual public holidays special hours apply. Adults pay CHF 13, concessions CHF 10, and admission is free up to age 16 (as of September 2026). Luggage larger than 45 × 30 × 50 cm does not fit in the museum's lockers; the museum refers you to the lockers at the main station.

Lake Zurich: boat tours and pile dwellings

The scheduled boats of the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (ZSG) belong to the ZVV, so the normal zone tickets apply. The Mini Lake Cruise (1 hour) costs CHF 7.20 with a single ticket, the Small Lake Cruise (1.5 hours) CHF 9.40. For the Large Lake Cruise (4.5 hours) the 09:00 day pass for CHF 28 is enough (as of September 2026).

Because of low water levels the ZSG has suspended the river cruise with the Limmat boat and the Mini Lake Cruise until 18 October 2026. Until then the Small Lake Cruise runs only from Bürkliplatz to Kilchberg and back, every hour between 10:30 and 18:30 except at 14:30 (as of 28 September 2026). From 19 October the winter timetable applies, and until 12 December only the Large and the Small Lake Cruise then run from Zurich (our own evaluation).

Two of the 111 sites of the World Heritage property “Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps” (UNESCO, since 2011) lie within the city. The Alpenquai was settled from 1050 to 800 BC, and the Kleiner Hafner at the lake outlet is regarded as the earliest pile-dwelling settlement in the region.

Uetliberg: the local mountain, with a detour until December

The Uetliberg (871 m) is Zurich's local mountain, with views over the city, lake and Alps; in November the summit is often above the low cloud. In winter the walking trails serve as toboggan runs.

Zoo: Sunset ticket with 40% discount

The zoo is open daily, from March to October from 09:00 to 18:00, from November to February until 17:00, and the Masoala Rainforest in each case from 10:00. Adults pay CHF 32, children aged 6 to 12 CHF 18 (as of September 2026). The Sunset ticket from 90 minutes before closing costs 40% less, so CHF 19.20 for adults (our own calculation). Tram 6 runs from Bahnhofplatz/HB to the terminus Zoo.

Le Corbusier Pavilion and Chinese Garden at the Zürichhorn

The Le Corbusier Pavilion at the Zürichhorn is the architect's last building and the only one of his buildings made of steel and glass. The 2026 season runs from 17 April to 29 November, Tuesday to Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00, and until 20:00 on Thursdays. Admission costs CHF 15, nothing for under-20s, and on Thursdays from 17:00 it is free (as of September 2026). About 140 m away, by the Zürichhorn, is the Chinese Garden, a gift from the partner city of Kunming, with no admission charge.

Day trips: Lindt Home of Chocolate and the Rhine Falls

You can reach the Lindt Home of Chocolate in Kilchberg in around 20 minutes, with bus 165 from Bürkliplatz going directly to the Lindt & Sprüngli stop. If you take the boat or the S8 or S24 to Kilchberg, you then walk about another 10 minutes. Kilchberg lies outside the city zone, so zone 150 is additionally required; the Zurich Card includes it. It is open daily from 10:00 to 19:00, and closed on 25 and 26 December, on 1 January and on maintenance days. Admission costs CHF 17, and CHF 10 for children aged 8 to 15 (as of September 2026).

According to Zurich Tourism, the Rhine Falls are 150 m wide and 23 m high. They are accessible around the clock; on the north bank at Schlössli Wörth you can get to the basin for free, while Schloss Laufen with its viewing platforms costs CHF 5 (as of September 2026). By train you travel to Neuhausen Rheinfall, from where it is about an 8-minute walk.

Best time to visit: Zurich's climate month by month

The figures come from the Zürich/Fluntern weather station (556 m) and are averages for the years 1991 to 2020 (source: MeteoSwiss).

July is the sunniest month and May the wettest; from May to August between 119 and 128 mm fall each month, on around 12 days. On average there are only 8.5 days a year with 30 °C or more. From December to February it freezes on 16 to 19 days a month, and in December the sun shines for only 47 hours.

Costs

The table lists only fares and admission prices and the city tax, not flight, hotel or car hire prices.

City tax: CHF 3.50 per person per night

Hotels and Airbnb hosts in Zurich charge a city tax of CHF 3.50 per guest per night, since May 2023 instead of CHF 2.50 (as of the city's announcement of November 2024). Airbnb charges it in the canton of Zurich for bookings of up to 30 nights (as of September 2026). Two adults therefore pay CHF 21 for three nights (our own calculation).

Price level: a good half above Germany

In 2024, restaurants and hotels in Switzerland cost around 52% more than in Germany, according to Eurostat, and food and non-alcoholic drinks around 54% more (our own calculation). On 25 September 2026, 1 euro was worth 0.9445 francs according to the ECB reference rate, so 1 franc was worth around 1.06 euros.

Practical information

Public transport: zones instead of routes

In the ZVV you buy tickets for zones and a fixed period of time, not for a route. For as long as they are valid, you can travel as often as you like in those zones by tram, bus, S-Bahn, boat and cable car. In the city the city network with 1 to 2 zones applies: CHF 4.70 for one hour, CHF 9.40 for 24 hours. The short-distance ticket for half an hour costs CHF 2.80 (fare valid since 14 December 2025, until 12 December 2026).

There are no barriers; checks are made at random, and without a valid ticket you pay a surcharge. Children under 6 travel free. On the nights to Saturday and Sunday and on public holidays, night lines marked “N” run from about 01:00, and a normal ticket is enough (as of September 2026).

Zurich Card: public transport and free admission

The Zurich Card costs CHF 29 for 24 hours and CHF 56 for 72 hours (as of September 2026, valid until 12 December 2026). It is valid in 2nd class on all modes of transport in city zone 110 and zones 111, 121, 140, 150, 154 and 155, including to the airport and up the Uetliberg. Included are the Mini and the Small Lake Cruise and the river cruise on the Limmat; because of low water levels, only the shortened Small Lake Cruise runs until 18 October 2026. There is also free admission to, among others, the Kunsthaus collection, the Landesmuseum, the Museum Rietberg and the Fraumünster. The card is personal and is valid from the time of day chosen at purchase; there are no concessions for students or seniors.

Money, time, emergencies

You pay in Swiss francs (CHF). Many shops and restaurants also accept euros, usually at a poor rate; francs are available from cash machines, at banks and at bureaux de change in the main station and at the airport (as of September 2026). The time is the same as in Germany, including during daylight saving time.

Switzerland is not in the EU but is in the Schengen area, and the EU rule “Roam like at home” does not apply there. Emergency numbers: international 112, city police 117, fire brigade 118, ambulance 144, Rega 1414. The Bahnhof Apotheke at Bahnhofplatz 15 and the Bellevue Apotheke at Theaterstrasse 14 are open around the clock (as of September 2026).

The current rules on entry, safety and health can be found at the German Foreign Office.

Who this is not for

• If you are travelling on a small budget: Restaurants and hotels are around 52% above German price levels, plus CHF 3.50 city tax per person per night.
• If you surf the mobile web a lot while travelling: The EU rule “Roam like at home” does not apply in Switzerland.
• If you are looking for sun in winter: In December it shines for only 47 hours on average, and on around 72 days a year there is frost.
• If you expect a dry summer: From May to August 119 to 128 mm of precipitation fall each month, about twice as much as in February.
• If you plan boat tours in autumn: Until 18 October 2026 no Limmat boats run because of low water levels, and after that only the Large and the Small Lake Cruise run from Zurich. The Le Corbusier Pavilion closes after 29 November.
• If you want to go to a museum on a Monday: Most museums are closed on Mondays, and the Karlsturm since 3 August 2026 even from Monday to Thursday.