Amanda Al-SayahZURICH, SWITZERLAND. If you ever visit Zurich, Switzerland, you will find that it is a simple and serene city with a few nice attractions. Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and it is known for its banks and clean air and proximity to the Swiss Alps. A little overpriced? Yes, especially for students traveling on a budget. But nonetheless, this is Switzerland. This city recently became a tourist destination within the past 15 years so there are a few activities to enjoy during your stay. Here are the accounts of what my friends and I did during our visit to Zurich.
The first night, my friends and I got to a hostel called Swiss Youth Hostel. You can easily get around Zurich using the tram, a train that runs on the streets along with the cars. The people are very nice. They mostly speak German but they will try to help you as much as they can or redirect you to someone who speaks your language. As my friends and I went about exploring the city, we asked the tourist service at the main Zurich train station (Zurich HB) about different way to getting to the Swiss Alps. We soon realized that this trip would be too costly for the four of us because going to the Alps by train from Zurich meant 100 francs for a round trip and 70 francs for a lift up the mountain and that is without the varying costs of rental equipment. There were many other organized tour options that we could have done but instead we decided to stay in Zurich and asked about possible sights for our three-day stay.
We were directed to visit the beautiful Rhine falls and to take the Zurich Lake Cruise, and to go to the top of the tower that looks over the city. There were many additional options such as going to the Zurich Zoo, the Kunsthaus museum, etc.
The cruise tour on Lake Zurich was a peaceful one. It costs 25 Swiss francs and it is a 2-hour ride that goes to different parts of Zurich. Many take it as a way of transportation from one part of the city to the other. You would get to see the Alps from a very short distance along with the rest of the sights of Zurich.
The view from the cruise on Lake Zurich | Amanda Al-Sayah
View of the Swiss Alps from the cruise on Lake Zurich | Amanda Al-Sayah
And lastly, you can’t go all the way to Switzerland and not try some chocolate. We visited a store called Cartier. The chocolate was nothing short of amazing to say the least. Other options included Teuscher as well as the Lindt & Sprungli Chocolate Factory Outlet which often includes tours. Cartier even had lactose free chocolate so my friend who is lactose intolerant was able to fully enjoy a bar of chocolate for the first time in three years.
Cartier is one of the many chocolate stores in Zurich | Amanda Al-Sayah
Swiss chocolate | Amanda Al-Sayaha
Here are some more beautiful sights from the Lake Zurich Cruise.
Boats on Lake Zurich | Amanda Al-Sayah
A swan on Lake Zurich | Amanda Al-Sayah
A little bird on the side of Lake Zurich | Amanda Al-Sayah
The nightlife in Zurich is fairly alive but there are certainly places to go. You will find younger people at Irish pubs such one called Nelson’s, karaoke bars, and even arcades.
I have mixed emotions about my experience in Zurich. I expected a little more from the city as well as to be able to go to the Alps yet I thought that the city was very pleasant and the sights were worthwhile. If you plan on visiting Zurich or any part of Switzerland, make sure to have a large budget and research where you would like to visit to make the best of your trip.