City tours
Boat tours
The Lake Zurich shipping company , Mythenquai 333, offers from April-Oct. Round trips on Lake Zurich. The departure is from Bürkliplatz. Reservations are only necessary for tours with a meal. You can also take a one-hour river cruise. The ZVV line boats can be used with a normal local transport ticket and stop at the Landesmuseum, Buerkliplatz, Enge and the Zürichhorn.
Telephone: (044) 487 13 33 (Lake Zurich shipping company); (044) 482 68 30 (reservations)
Website: http://www.zsg.ch
Bus tours
Zurich Tourism is the best point of contact for a variety of bus tours through the city. These last two to two and a half hours. Most include a detour to the surrounding area, some also include a cable car or boat trip. The bus tours start either in front of the tourist information or in front of the Zurich-Sihlquai train station. From April-October. trips with old, brightly painted trolleybuses are also organized (refreshments are included in the price). During this tour, commentary is offered in seven different languages via headphones. The departure from Zurich-Sihlquai station takes place from March-Nov. at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., from April-Oct. there is also a departure at 9.45am.
Website: http://www.myswitzerland.com
Tours
There are numerous marked trails in the hills around the city, which are ideal for walking and jogging. The promenade on the lakeshore is also popular with locals and tourists. Tailor-made group tours are organized by Zurich Tourism , Bahnhofbrücke 1, but also the usual two-hour tours through the old town. The meeting point is usually in front of the tourist information.
Telfon: (044) 215 40 88 (Zürich Tourism)
Website: http://www.myswitzerland.com
Trips
Rapperswil
The beautiful little “town of roses” dates back to 1229 and has a medieval charm, romantic alleys and restaurants on the lakeshore. It is located on the north shore of Lake Zurich and is 28.5 km from Zurich. The Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (see boat tours) offers return trips to this place, which is known for its lake trout. The trips take around two hours. Rapperswil can also be reached from Zurich by S-Bahn line 5 or 7 (journey time: 48 minutes). Further information is available from the tourist information office, Fischmarktplatz 1.
Phone: (055) 220 57 57 (tourist information)
Website: http://www.rapperswil.ch
Winterthur
The second largest city in the canton is only 25 km northeast of Zurich and can be reached by train from the main train station in 20 minutes. There are some interesting things to see in the city on the Töss. The Oskar Reinhart Collection at Römerholz , Haldenstraße 95 (Tel: (052) 269 27 40.), is open Thurs-Sun from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and houses important works by the Old Masters and the French Impressionists. In the Fotomuseum Winterthur , Grüzenstraße 44 (Tel: (052) 233 60 86. Internet: www.fotomuseum.ch) there is an interesting series of special exhibition pieces, Tue, Thu and Fri from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wed from 12 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The country’s leading interactive industrial museum, the Technorama of Switzerland , Technoramastraße 1 (Tel: (052) 243 05 05. Internet: www.technorama.ch) is also located here. The opening hours of the museum are from Mon to Fri from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Sat and Sun from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Discounts are available. The Winterthur Art Museum , Museumstraße 52 (Tel: (052) 267 51 62. Internet: www.kmw.ch) is open Thurs from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Wed-Sun from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors can expect works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries. Winterthur Tourism is located at the Winterthur train station.
Telfon: (052) 267 67 00 (Winterthur Tourism)
Website: http://www.stadt-winterthur.ch
Jungfraujoch
From this mountain, which is often referred to as the “roof of Europe”, you can see the largest glacier in Switzerland and the breathtaking alpine landscape of the Bernese Oberland. A mountain cog railway climbs from Lauterbrunnen to the highest train station in Europe, the Jungfraujoch at 3454 m . In Zurich Tourism a 12-hour bus trip can be booked, which concludes with a train journey. The tours (Wed-Sun from May-October) start at 8 a.m. An alternative is the train journey from Zurich to the Jungfraujoch train station, where you have to change trains in Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen and at Kleine Scheidegg. The journey takes 5 hours 20, but you can see the Alps wonderfully through the windows.
Phone: (044) 215 40 00
Website: http://www.zuerich.com