I think I have been to the city of Zurich at least three times till now, if not more. But I somehow never stayed long in the city or get time to explore it till now. This winter, I went there again on a short work trip but thankfully, I got to see a bit of the city at least.
I landed late on a Sunday evening and it was already dark given it was winter. I wanted to explore the city in the evening but the long immigration line didn't help, as it delayed me by an hour already. It was nice to see though that there was Uber in Zurich even though I took a quick local taxi to my hotel.
The drive to the hotel was through the main city and I got a glimpse of some of the Christmas lighting put up in the main streets. Also the architecture felt very German at least in the outskirts, with very straight-line kind of buildings, very basic. I was almost hoping to see the typical Swiss alpine wooden houses on the way, but I think I may have to go to the Alps to see that view.
After checking in to my hotel - I was staying at the Sheraton near the city centre - I thought I would get out and go for a walk around. There were two options, either to walk along the lake to the Christmas market, or go towards the Old Town, both the walks were only 20-30 minutes. I chose the Old Town as I wanted to have a nice dinner as soon as possible and not be out in the cold for too long.
Twinkling city centre |
It was very cold that night and even with boots and a thick jacket, I could feel the cold through my jeans. I was wondering what kind of clothes should you wear in such a chilly weather 😏? Anyways the main street, Munstergasse was a lot more lively than the rest of the places. It was a narrow cobbled street with loads of christmas lights, restaurants and small shops everywhere.
There were also a lot of small Christmas markets all along the way, with the typical decoration and music all around. I walked along the road a bit and then stopped soon at Pulcino, an Italian restaurant which felt warm and inviting. Italian food is such a life saver in meat friendly places!.The food and ambience at the restaurant was nice but so expensive. I got a good taste of how expensive Zurich could be!
After dinner, I took a roundabout route and came back to the hotel from the lake side. There was a lot of lighting all the way there. And once at the lake, the view all around was spectacular. On the one side there was the Christmas market with a lot of small stalls, all lighted up and people standing and chatting away late in the night. And the other side of the lake it looked like there was a mountain with a lot of twinkling lights in small houses all around. And I could see lights going up the mountain everywhere. It was quite an enchanting sight, making the cold winter evening a lot warmer!
On the way I crossed a huge watch set in the ground, overlooking the lake - I guess it’s a sign that you’re in Switzerland . I walked all the way along the lake but it was so cold that I wanted to get back to my hotel as soon as possible. I think Zurich might not be as fun in winter without the Christmas markets, but at least with the Christmas lighting felt very charming at night.
Zurich in the snow |
Zurich in the snow |
Lake Zurich |
Christmas market |
View of the city centre |
Most of the people speak English and were very friendly and helpful. Overall the city felt quite convenient and easy to live in, but a bit cold. Also Zurich is ridiculously expensive, for no reason at all! Food is out of the charts. And the taxis are expensive too. Wonder why? My trip was quite short and cold outside. I think it might be a different experience to visit in winter, someday...
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