The Best of Zurich in 3 days
A vacation – big or small – at the end of the year is a surefire way to get me in the best of moods for the incoming year, refreshing the mind and hitting the reset button on the worries of the bygone year.
I mentioned in my last post how my family and I have moved from India to The Netherlands few months ago. The change has been hard but not as hard as it could have been because my parents accompanied us to help us settle in, especially with an almost-toddler. It was an unparalleled extension of support; I mean, when do we not need our parents, right?
However, we needed a break from all the arrangements one must make when setting up a whole new life in a new country and also, we wanted to spend some time as a family to just “be”. Hence came the idea of a New Year’s trip. We did a bit of discussion on where and how long but logistics and budget aside, we decided we wanted to see Paris and Zurich (touristy much?). Thus was born the 7 day trip of dreams.
The Itinerary
With a 1-year-old in tow, sometimes it is really hard to plan, or rather it is hard to follow a plan. It’s important to plan in such a way that we can maximize the highlights of the place we are in but that must be spaced out so as not to tire out the kiddo – this we learnt during this trip. Thankfully, while the Zurich part of our trip was a bit packed, we’d left the 3 days in Paris mostly wide open to instant plans and ideas.
So, here is my 7 days trip to Zurich and Paris with a kid. Read on to know what is a must do and what can be skipped, what can be added to this itinerary which we didn’t have time for.
- Days 1-3: Zurich
- Day 4: Zurich to Paris
- Days 5-7: Paris
Day 1: Zurich – The Lindt Chocolate Factory
This day had only one item on the agenda – The Lindt Chocolate Factory Tour. We arrived in Zurich early afternoon. Since check-in was late afternoon, we couldn’t really use the 2nd half of the day to our advantage, because all the paraphernalia of a kid – setting up, bathing, cooking, feeding – took a significant amount of time. So we arrived in downtown Zurich only in time for a late lunch and a brisk walk around the Limmat River towards our bus stop.
The factory is some way outside the city and takes about 30 minutes by bus from near the Zurich Lake. The factory closes at 7PM, and we only had a 5PM ticket (the only available slot left!) for our tour, so we didn’t want to be late.
Tip: Book your tickets well in advance as they are always in high demand and there are not too many slots available. Price of tickets: CHF 10. Check here for availability and booking.
The factory was an amazing experience. The first portion of the tour (guided audio tour) was in essence a museum, with history on the discovery and evolution of chocolate along with interesting artifacts and trivia. The second part is more interactive – with mock setups of actual factory processes AND the best part – chocolate tasting! Oh, it was divine!! Even if you are not a chocolate lover, you will love this place and it in fact, may convert you!
Tip: It’s mandatory for a car seat in Switzerland – even in an Uber – so make sure to book cabs/cars accordingly if you are travelling with an infant. (I mention this because it’s not “mandatory” everywhere in Europe.)
For dinner that night, we did an Uber Eats delivery to our hotel – the cold and the exhaustion got to us.
Day 2 – Lake Zurich and Rhine Falls with Stein-am-Rhein Tour
Thanks to my parents, who babysat on this 2nd day, my husband and I got a couple of hours’ time on our own which we used to take a trip downtown to stroll around Lake Zurich and have some (very pricey!) breakfast in the area. The bright sunshine sparkled onto the pretty Lake Zurich; it made for some very instagrammable snaps. A walk around the lake was so lovely and invigorating.
The pre-booked tour of Rhine Falls and Stein-am-Rhine started from Sihlquai Coach Parking near Zurich HBf station. Half an hour’s drive took us to the Rhine Falls. The Laufen Castle greeted us in its medieval cuteness. We, however, were eager to see the falls so we zoomed right past, thinking to save it for later. There are 2 ways to get to the falls – glass elevator with a panoramic view of the falls as you go down or, the long way hiking down stairs, which in my opinion is much better because it gives different amazing views every corner you turn.
We opted to walk down the stone steps. It’s a long way down and after every few landings, there are viewing platforms. While the view from the top is pretty special in itself, the scenery as you get closer to the falls is just unreal. The roaring water cascading down into the river is simply spellbinding and frankly quite thrilling because you get to stand really really close to the falls. The whole scenic route down took almost and hour and a half with pauses for photos an ofcourse to enjoy the falls itself. We came back up the glass elevator. However, it left us no time to explore the castle unfortunately.
Tip: Keep atleast 3 hours in hand so you can see it all – the falls and the Laufen Castle, plus some shopping and eating. There is a café and a couple of restaurants.
Stein-Am-Rhine
Stein-am-Rhein is a historic town and a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland (source: Wikipedia), located on the Rhine river. It is known for its medieval houses with painted fronts. Our next and last stop of the tour was this village which is about 20-25 minutes from the Rhine falls and almost an hour away from Zurich.
A cute little cobblestoned road zigzagged through the houses which have interesting and attractive murals painted on them. The colorful street was filled with Christmas stalls selling all kinds of bakes and fried goodies. We walked through the street noting the architecture and various murals, and then going down to the river to watch the sunset. It was a glorious sight. Waffles and some croissants later, we were back on the bus for our drive back to Zurich.
Happily exhausted, we ended the day with pizza and burgers from a takeaway.
Day 3 – Lindenhof, Zurich highlights and Felsenegg Cable Car and Ferry Tour
Another trip was booked for our 3rd day in Zurich – A Zurich highlights tour along with Felsenegg Cable Car and Ferry ride. The tour started in the afternoon, so once again, we took the morning to take a trip downtown Zurich. But this time our destination was the Lindenhof Hill.
It’s a vantage point a few meters above the main level of the city. It is essentially a park-ground with trees, rugged paths and a fountain. In the 4th century a Roman fort stood on Lindenhof while in the 9th century the grandson of Charlemagne built a regal palace as place of residence on this very same site (Source: zuerich.com). It was a place for gatherings and apparently, a meeting point for passionate chess players.
Because of the elevation, it provides pretty views over the city of Zurich, especially the Old Town. And that is what we were treated to as we climbed up the hill – yes, literally – to get the sun dappled Limmat River views.
Zurich City Highlights with Felsenegg Cable Car and Ferry Ride Tour
This afternoon, we boarded the bus for another 4-hour tour. This one too started from Sihlquai Coach Parking near Zurich HBf station. In fact, most trips booked via Booking.com or Get Your Guide or even Viator are ultimately locally conducted by Best of Switzerland Tours.
Starting from the city center around Lake Zurich, the bus puttered along the streets of Zurich while our guide pointed out various attractions like the National Museum, the Bahnhofstrasse shopping street, the financial district and the Zürich Opera House. We stopped at a few places for photos or a little bit of walking tour to look more closely at some sights.
We then headed off along the scenic Gold Coast towards Meilen to board the ferry to Adliswil. The whole bus actually boarded the ferry (!!) wherein we got off and headed to the upper deck for some lovely views of the lake. After the 10-minute ferry ride, the bus climbed steadily over the hilly roads of Adliswil towards Felsenegg mountain. Final leg of the journey was the cable car ride to the top of Felsenegg and then a short hike to the actual top. And oh wow, the panoramic views from up there were so pretty. At the top we had snacks and coffee at the only café there – the Felsenegg Café.
Refreshed, we made the journey back to our starting point – the coach terminus – by road. I thoroughly enjoyed this half day tour which had a bit of everything; from hiking, to ferry to cable cars!
Fondue!
I always google dishes that are a must eat at any new place – and I got to know that Zurich was famous for its fondue and luxembergeril (which are basically mini macaroons). That last night’s dinner was cheese fondue at the Swiss Chuchi restaurant and in the morning we had bought some macaroons and eclairs at the famous Sprungli Confiserie. While the fondue was very good, it was pretty expensive and to our shock came only with additional bread pieces to dip. We ordered some fried chicken to dip in as well but those weren’t very tasty (no seasoning). The restaurant had good service though and we were able to get a table pretty quickly considering, so I would still recommend a visit.
Onto the next Leg
Next day we left for Paris via the TGV train. Read all about my 2nd trip to Paris in the upcoming post.
Must Dos
- Enjoy Zurich Lake views
- Walk along Limmat River
- Walk onto Lindenhof Hill
- Visit Lindt Chocolate Factory
- Take the Felsenegg Cable car and hike upto Felsenegg top
- Half day trip to Rhine Falls (can skip the Stein Am Rhein)
- Eat Fondue and macaroons
For now, I leave you with my final thoughts on Zurich, Switzerland. It is pretty, public transportation is great and there are some amazing sights to see but it is really really expensive place. It will break your pocket to eat out well. Plan accordingly and if you are okay with fast food takeaways, do that.
But still, we had a great time and left with some sweet memories.