View of Zurich center (Amy Wong, WRS)

Zurich is the reigning ‘world’s best quality of life’ titleholder, two years running. It’s often referred to as the banking capital of the world. It is certainly the commercial capital of Switzerland. And with roughly 380,000 inhabitants, it is Switzerland’s largest city. What all this means in terms of daily life is that Die Zürcher are spoiled for choice and quality.

Though it’s small compared to the likes of New York or London, Zurich is unmistakably for the urban. No matter how you choose to express it—a fashionista with a taste for opera and Chanel, a working professional with a collection of designer bicycles, or an art student with a liking for Indian food and industrial spaces—there’s room for your lifestyle here… as long as you can afford it. Having the best quality of life comes at cost, it seems, so expect prices here to be higher than in many parts of the country.

Summer in Zurich revolves around the outdoors as people make their way to street festivals, parks and especially the waterfront, but in wintertime—aside from popular skating rinks at Oerlikon (Siewerdtstrasse 80, 044 315 4050), Heuried (Wasserschöpfi 71, 044 455 5161, echz.ch) and Dolder (Adlisbergstrasse 36, 44 267 7080, doldereisbahn.ch)—most residents head inside for the warmth of coffeehouses, cinemas, restaurants and, of course, shopping.

The shopping in Zurich far out-rivals that of other Swiss cities and many stores have elaborate interiors that are fun to explore, especially on a dreary winter’s day.

NARROW IT DOWN
Given the range of things to do and see in Zurich, it’s best to pick and choose beforehand.

Zürich Tourismus offers a useful, pocket-sized guide called simply Zürich Guide. It’s divided into colour-coded sections (excursions, art & culture, shopping, restaurants, hotels, nightlife) that offer themed maps, addresses and comprehensive English descriptions of each place. Pick one up at the Tourist Office in the Hauptbahnhof for free.

If you’re planning on making return trips, invest in a copy of Prime Guide Zürich 08/09, a guide so handy even the locals use it. For CHF 10 you can read (in English and Swiss-German) quick summaries of the city’s best shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants.
 

KREIS 1

The city is divided into 12 districts, known as Kreise, that are numbered clockwise starting from the center. Kreis 1 is the most popular destination for tourists thanks to its central location and the plethora of trendy shops, restaurants and cafés mixed with Old World charm. Here traditional architecture, narrow streets and cobblestones lead you through a maze of modern, design-oriented shops that surround the Limmat River.

For well-known brands and designer labels, the popular and glamorous Bahnhofstrasse (bahnhofstrasse-zuerich.ch) awaits right as you walk out of the main train station. High-class department stores and designers such as Prada, Chanel and Louis Vuitton are all found on this very busy, very glitzy boulevard.

The Niederdorf and Oberdorf districts of Old Town (Altstadt) are home to a unique blend of shops. A few favourites: Cabaret Voltaire (Spiegelgasse 1, 043 268 57 20, cabaretvoltaire.ch), the birthplace of the Dada movement, where inside you’ll find their latest exhibit coupled with a shop full of contemporary Dada art, an upstairs café and performance area with—you’ve been warned—a decorative cat skin atop the fireplace. 1000 Objekte (Schoffelgasse 3, 043 211 0300, 1000-objekte.ch) has three floors full of rarities like designer lamps from the ‘60s or artisanal glass vases that can be found and bartered for. Or you can hit Klanghaus Gandharva Loka (Brunngasse 7, 044 260 3616, gandharvaloka.com) to play with an impressive collection of world instruments.

KREIS 4

Crossing west over the River Sihl will take you to Kreis 4, which is often compared to Manhattan, having gone through the similar gentrification. Here life revolves around Langstrasse (Long Street) which crosses under the train tracks and runs through both Kreis 4 and 5. The part closer to the train tracks is Zurich’s red light district, though it’s hard to tell through the Swiss-German tidiness.

In the surrounding areas, many young professionals and their families inhabit four-storey residential buildings, reserving the street level for independent designer furniture, independent designer boutiques, independent designer cafés… Well, let’s just say that they are very conscious of independent designers in this part of town.

Starting near Helvetia Platz, at Barré Stoffladen (Hohlstrasse 9, 043 317 1979, barre.ch) you can find really nice fabrics at a fraction of the original price. Nearby is the minimalist, upscale store of local designer Ida Gut (Ankerstrasse 112, 044 291 3360, idagut.ch). Down the street, in a courtyard hidden behind storefronts is Amok (Ankerstrasse 61, 044 291 2064, amok.ch), a store just for men with adventurous tastes (think man-skirts and multi-coloured collared shirts). Vintage lovers should head to Lux Plus (Ankerstrasse 24, 043 243 8822, luxplus.ch) for a variety of carefully handpicked clothes, shoes and accessories. Or buy a wardrobe that’s more adventurous and not for the faint-of-heart at Glam (Badenerstrasse 153, 043 322 0002, glamshoes.ch).

On a street full of modern furniture stores is Sitio (Stauffacherstrasse 178, 044 432 1800, sitio.ch), a sort of a craft showroom for local furniture makers.

KREIS 5

Crossing over the Hardbrüke Bridge, you can enjoy a spectacularly symmetrical view of industrial Zurich juxtaposed with the swanky hillside residences on the outskirts. Continue until you are in Kreis 5, the ‘Brooklyn’ to Kreis 4’s ‘Manhattan,’ where immigrant communities, artists and students share the former industrial heart of the city—and now the hippest part of town: Zürich-West.

Buying a bag made of recycled truck tarpaulin at the famous Freitag Shop Zürich (Geroldstrasse 17, 043 366 9520, freitag.ch) is something of a Swiss rite of passage. The store is made of old freight containers piled on top of one another. Climb to the top to see Zurich from a completely different point of view. Further north is the student area, where you’ll find—right by the underpass with trains passing overhead regularly—a popular store called The Gloss (Hardstrasse 312, 044 271 3806, thegloss.ch) where you can get great jeans and sometimes a reduced-price Freitag bag.

Limmatstrasse is the main street of Kreis 5. There, the old Löwenbräu brewery has been gutted and now houses a few museums, including the Migros Museum (Limmatstrasse 270, 044 277 2050, migrosmuseum.ch) and Kunsthalle Zürich (Limmatstrasse 279, 044 272 1515, kunsthallezurich.ch), as well as several influential contemporary art galleries such as Galerie Hauser & Wirth (Limmatstrasse 270, 044 446 8050, ghw.ch), and important figures in the contemporary art scene are often found roaming the Löwenbräu-Areal neighbourhood.

On Josefstrasse, you’ll find a lot of four-storey residential blocks with hidden courtyards. Walking into one of them brings you to Lilli-Tulipan (Josefstrasse 18, 044 241 6644, lilli-tulipan.ch), a shop full of strange relics started by two Zurich women who stumbled across a warehouse full of old plastic flowers. They turned them into fairy lights, which can now be found in many establishments and homes around the city.   

TAKE A BREAK

Coffee breaks can be a unique experience here. The Zurichois like combining them with other things—like cake, books and even shoes.

In Old Town, at Cakefriends (Torgasse 3, 044 252 2211, cakefriends.ch), it is very likely that you will make a friend over some coffee and small designer cakes served on white rectangular plates. At the Schuh Cafe (Münsterhof 10, 044 222 1700 or Badenerstrasse 89, 044 241 0717, schuhcafe.ch) you can have an espresso while discussing the shoe selection with the owners, while more solitary types can sip coffee over a good book at Sphères (Hardturmstrasse 66, 044 440 6622, spheres.cc) in Kreis 5. If you like the book, you can purchase it afterwards, but there’s no obligation.

If you need some heavy duty pampering, head back to the center of town to Schminkbar (Beatengasse 9, 043 333 0808, schminkbar.ch) which offers beauty and wellness services in a relaxing but social, co-ed lounge-type space. Or at Labo Spa (Talacker 41, 043 497 3440, labospa.ch), a more clinical, all-body massage with salts, creams and treatments can be had. Seebad Enge (Mythenquai 9, 044 280 25 00, tonttu.ch) is a popular swimming lakeside spot in the summer, but in the winter, their saunas are a more pleasant way of getting wet.

HIGH CULTURE

Mixing drinks with the arts, Kino Xenix (Kanzleistrasse 52, 043 322 1370, xenix.ch) is a bar-slash-cinema in Kreis 4 where the Zurichois gather to watch art house movies and socialize. Ditto for Riff Raff (Neugasse 57, 044 444 2202, riffraff.ch) in Kreis 5, where lounging around and watching an independent film are the main preoccupations alongside finger foods, good wine and a large array of whiskeys.

For more traditional cultural fare, Kunsthaus Zürich (Heim-Platz 1, 044 253 8484, kunsthaus.ch) is arguably the most important contemporary art museum in Switzerland. The curation of its popular temporary shows is run or supported by Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, a local association of collectors and artists. The regular collection consists of masterpieces, many of them Swiss, from the 15th century to the present.

Nearby is the historic Schauspielhaus Zürich theatre (Rämistrasse 34, 044 258 7070, schauspielhaus.ch) where emigrants like Bertolt Brecht and Thomas Mann kept residence. Much of Zurich’s theatrical activity is centered around this stage, as well their second more contemporary stage in the industrial halls of the Schiffbauhalle (Schiffbaustrasse 4, 044 258 7070, schauspielhaus.ch) in Zürich West.

East of the river in Kreis 1, stands tall one of Zurich’s most defining structures, the historic Grossmünster (Zwingliplatz, 044 252 5949, kirche-zh.ch), a church synonymous with Protestant Zurich and the Protestant Reformation, whose twin domed towers can be seen from miles around, and as such, the view from the top of the towers is spectacular.

Where the Limmat flows into Lake Zurich, you’ll find the Opernhaus Zürich (Falkenstrasse 1, 044 268 6666, opernhaus.ch), one of Europe’s top opera and ballet stages, where once a year the glitzy and exclusive Zürcher Opernball is held with the president of the Swiss Confederation and the economic and cultural elite of Switzerland in attendance.

The Swiss National Museum (Schweizerisches Landesmuseum) (Museumstrasse 2, 044 218 6511, musee-suisse.ch), which holds the largest collection of Swiss cultural memorabilia, is housed in a historical Swiss château-like structure designed by the architect Gustav Gull. Its beautiful park grounds are a nice place to hide away from the commercial bustle of the Bahnhof area without leaving the center of town.

CLUB CULTURE

In Zurich West, where empty industrial buildings offer good spaces for bands, DJs, dancing and the like, you’ll find crowds at Rohstofflager (Förrlibuckstrasse 109, 044 439 9090, rohstofflager.ch) in Toni-Areal, an old milk powder factory, where everything from drum’n’bass to indie rock is spun. Up the street, Q Club (Förrlibuckstrasse 151, 041 43 444 4050, club-q.ch) is the aesthetically trendy, purple-lit electro club with top-notch DJing.

A couple blocks away in the Schiffbau factory is Moods (Schiffbaustrasse 6, 044 276 8000, moods.ch), a restaurant and club with a line-up of international performers that’s made it one of the most popular venues in Europe.

Closer to the train tracks, another industrial site called Maag-Areal is home to Maag Music & Event Hall (Hardstrasse 219,  044 444 26 26/36, maageventhall.ch) where big concerts and parties are held. Simple Plan and Kid Rock are among those already scheduled this winter. Not far from there, Hive (Geroldstrasse 5, 044 271 1210, hiveclub.ch) is a much more intimate haven for electronica fans.

South of train tracks, in the red light district, Zukunft (Dienerstrasse 33, zukunft.cl) is host to small bands in a hot sweaty, graffiti- and beer-filled setting. The appropriately named Long Street Bar (Langstrasse 92, 044 241 2172, www.longstreetbar.ch) at the heart of Kreis 4 is a sit-down bar with big round booths where locals like to hang out in the evening. Down on the western bank of Lake Zurich, Rote Fabrik (Seestrasse 395, 044 485 5858, rotefabrik.ch) serves as a hub for Zurich’s alternative scene.

Closer to the center of town, Kaufleuten (Pelikanstrasse 18, 0 44 225 3300, kaufleuten.ch), with its theatrical curtains, dramatic lighting and chandeliers, is Zurich’s best-known venue for popular acts, especially since Prince and Madonna have made appearances there, while Talacker (Talacker 41, 044 211 2050, talacker41.ch) is a dimly-lit bar, very popular for meeting up.

In the Old Town, Restaurant-Bar Barfüsser (Spitalgasse 14,  044 251 4064, barfuesser.ch) is the oldest gay bar in Europe and so the most deeply entrenched in the Zurich gay community. Nearby Cranberry (Metzgergasse 3, 044 261 2772, cranberry.ch) is a popular gay and lesbian bar and restaurant with a classy, American-looking interior.

WHERE TO EAT

We asked Edith Gillmann at our Zurich-based sister station Schweizer Radio DRS, to share some of her local dining favourites:

Breakfast and brunch are popular occasions to meet up with friends. In Zurich-West, Restaurant Limmathof (Limmatstrasse 217, 044 273 50 51, arbeitskette.ch/limmathof)  serves homemade jam and food that is just very well done. The Moroccan-styled Maison Blunt (Gasometerstrasse 5, 043 211 00 33, maison-blunt.ch), a great option for late-risers, offers a delicious Persian breakfast spread. South of Old Town, go to Restaurant Bohemia (Klosbachstrasse 2, 044 383 70 60, bohemia.ch) for an American-style breakfast, or a burger or nachos in the evening.

For the lunch and dinner crowd, Lily’s Restaurant (Langstrasse 197, 044 440 1885, lilys.ch/lilys-zuerich.html) offers Thai food in a stylish Kreis 4 interior, and you can order out if pressed for time.

For sushi, try Shinsen (Staffelstrasse 10, 044 451 6677, shinsen.ch) or if you really feel like splurging, try Sala of Tokyo (Limmatstrasse 29, 044 271 5290, sala-of-tokyo.ch), the self-styled ‘Japan’s Food Embassy No. 1’ north of the main train station.

Good Italian restaurants are scattered throughout Old Town. Near the botanical gardens is Ristorante Toto (Seefeldstrasse 124, 043 443 0080, ristorant-toto.ch), gourmet Italian that doesn’t require formal attire, but it’s not quite a shorts-and-sandals either. In the theatre district, close to the Opernhaus, Restaurant du Theatre (Dufourstrasse 20, 044 251 4844, du-theatre.ch) offers a formal dining setting and good food before a show. And near the Münsters is Restaurant Münsterhof (Münsterhof 6, 044 211 4340, restaurant-muensterhof.ch) for both casual (downstairs) and fine (upstairs) traditional European dining.

WHERE TO STAY

Prices normally start at about CHF 150, but spending an extra fifty 50 can make a huge difference in the room.

For the budget traveler who appreciates good design, the tiny Kafischnaps (Kornhausstrasse 57, 044 215 4040, kafischnaps.ch) across the river from trendy Kreis 5 is a good choice. You have to share the bathroom, but its five rooms, each by a different designer, are colourful and well done. Truly design-obsessed? Try Greulich (Herman-Greulich-Strasse 56, 043 243 4243, greulich.ch) in Kreis 4. It’s pricey, but worth it. Closer to Old Town, right on the waterfront and near the main station Limmatblick (Limmatquai 136, 044 254 6000, limmatblick.ch) is a bargain for its location

The Park Hyatt Zürich (Beethoven-Strasse 21, 043 883 1234 , zurich.park.hyatt.ch) in Kreis 2 is where you stay when you really want splurge, and The Dolder Grand (Kurhausstrasse 65, 8032 Zürich, 044 456 6000, thedoldergrand.com), about 20 minutes up in the hills on the city’s eastern border, is a great pick for the truly rich. A better option for non-millionaires: enjoy the spectacular view with a coffee on the terrace.

Topics: zurich