Tyler and I went to Europe back in 2016, but I still have a lot of photos from France and Switzerland that I haven’t shared yet. After spending a week between The Netherlands and France, we had a short stay in Zürich before heading back to the US. It was our first time in Switzerland and we were lucky enough to arrive by train from Paris, allowing us to take in the scenery. We both agreed that the landscape and villages we passed reminded us of Slovenia! Our first impressions were that everything was clean, efficient and beautiful. The people seemed to have a serious, yet very friendly and helpful, demeanor. We stayed at Hotel Seegarten, a quaint boutique hotel, located right on the outskirts of the Old Town or Altstadt. The room was extremely tiny for the price, but that’s to be expected in Zürich. We had no complaints at all though as it was spotlessly clean, comfortable and well located! Being within walking distance of Lake Zürich and Altstadt, we were able to walk everywhere we needed; although, there are very conveniently located trams throughout the city if you want to get around that way.
As we only had one full day in the city we didn’t plan any specific sightseeing and decided to enjoy our day at leisure. Our experience in Zürich was very calm and relaxed with no large groups of tourists to be found. It was a welcome change after four nonstop days in Paris. We arrived knowing that Zürich was an expensive city, but we were continually surprised at just how expensive everything was. The food was no exception, although it was definitely worth it. Everything we ate in Switzerland tasted so fresh–something else it had in common with Slovenia! On our second and last night in Zürich we followed a recommendation to eat at Restaurant Miracle. It’s a small Italian bar and restaurant which seemed to be mostly frequented by locals. Compared to food elsewhere in the city, prices were great and the pizza was amazing! It was by far the best pizza we’ve had anywhere outside of Italy–I highly recommend the Adam & Eve pizza if you ever visit.
^ Charming Hotel Seegarten–located just a short walk from the breathtaking Lake Zürich!
^ Find these views at the top of Lindenhof Hill.
^ Every turn in Old Town leads to another street lined in Swiss flags.
^ Making a quick stop for lunch at Juice Market; we both had falafel salads!
We were sad to leave such a beautiful city. I have a feeling we will be back one day to explore Zürich more in depth and hopefully to see more of Switzerland. Here are a few tips for anyone planning to visit Zürich:
1) Unlike a lot of other European countries you may be traveling to or from, Switzerland’s currency is not the Euro. They use Swiss Francs and you will want to have some handy before catching a taxi at the train station or airport.
2) Knowing some German is useful. Whether you study a phrasebook or use a translating app on your phone it may be necessary at times.
3) Be prepared to pay more than you would in most other cities. Everything from a cappuccino to hotels will cost you a bit extra, so budget accordingly.
4) Get lost wandering the magical streets of the Old Town. Night time is truly a serene experience as everything dies down very early in the evening compared to other European cities. At times you feel like you have the whole city to yourself.
Have you ever been to Zürich? If so, what was your favorite thing about it?