Zurich Switzerland - The City of Money
Zurich Switzerland is the largest of all the Swiss cities, and it is one of the most beautiful in all of Europe. Even today, Zurich retains much of its 19th-century charm. This financing and banking city on the Limmat River has developed into a metropolis during the last 150 years. It is both large enough to offer you all amenities and small enough for you to discover on your own.
You will notice it on the famous boulevard, called "Bahnhofstrasse" lined up by lime trees. Here fashionable brand shops offer for sale watches, jewelry and of course fashion. Chic cafés, banks, and Swiss Hotels are right beside it. Zurich Switzerland is also the city of design-trends. Tyler Brûlé, an authority in marketing and design has discovered long ago the potential of this city and says. "Zurich Switzerland is everything except provincial". Well-known international fashion designers, jewelry- and watch designers are here at work. Numerous young and innovative artists put new accents and surprise with unusual and attractive ideas. The cultural scene too has a lot to offer, from the opera house up to the street parade, and from big museums up to unique art exhibitions. Together with New York and London, Zurich has become one of the major centers of contemporary art, offering more than 50 museums. However, you find art in not only auctioneers, galleries and museums. You find it in the "Blüemlihalle", also in police stations or under the free sky. 
Artists like Jean Tinquely, Le Corbusier and Max Bill have all left their mark in Zurich Switzerland. Moreover, in the main train station hall, Niki de Saint Phalle's colorful guardian angel hovers over the heads of travelers. The top trendsetters in contemporary art are on the Limmatstrasse, at the former site of the Löwenbräu Brewery. The Art Gallery and the Migros Museum for Contemporary Art show major works by international artists. The exclusive Daros Exhibitions keep the focus more on American and Latin American art. Lovers of art from outside Europe should not miss the chance to visit the Villa Wesendonck. There the Rietberg Museum has displayed treasures from Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific since 1952. The nightlife is worth to see too. Zurich Switzerland is the hotspot for ravers and partygoers, for jazz and classical music lovers, for theatre, and for opera fans. The Concert Hall Orchestra under its conductor David Zinman, and the Opera House rank among the most renowned houses in Europe. Lake Zurich Switzerland offers a view of the nearby Alps and the lakeside promenades are perfect for jogging or strolling. There are also a number of enchanting bathing areas in the middle of the city. That is precisely why Zurich Switzerland ranks first in the 2007 Worldwide Quality of Living Survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting. It ranks in first or second place over a number of years, usually switching with Geneva for first or second place. Now if only the weather would be less cloudy during the winter months. The Best Zurich Attractions Kunsthaus It is Zurich's top art address and surprises visitors with paintings, sculptures, and graphics, which is mostly from the 19th and 20th centuries. The Kunsthaus has a high-carat collection, most significantly the works of Alberto Giacometti's. In addition, the museum houses selected sculptures and panels from the Middle Ages. Exquisite paintings also from the Italian and Dutch Baroque period as well as the highlights of the 19th and 20th century Swiss painters. This includes the most famous works Ferdinand Hodler and Johann Heinrich Füssli. The most expensive painting from Ferdinand Hodler (Lake Geneva 1901) sold just recently at an auction in Zürich Switzerland (Sotheby's) for $ 8.9 million. Among the museum's international focal points are the largest Munch collection outside of Norway. There are also important works from Picasso and the impressionists Beckmann, Corinth and Kokoschka as well as Claude Monnet. Opening hours: Grossmünster Church Charlemagne discovered the graves of the city's martyrs Regula and Felix and had a church built as a cloister back in the 11th century. In the first half of the 16th century the Grossmünster was the birthday of the Reformation led by Huldrych Zwingli and Heinrich Bullinger. Today the Grossmünster with its mighty towers is the city's landmark. The theological college then annexed to the cloister became the germinal cell of what is now the University of Zürich Switzerland. Certainly worth visiting are the Romanesque capitals in the church and cloister and the Romanesque crypt. Also interesting are the choir windows by artist Augusto Giacometti from 1932 and the bronce doors by artist Otto Münch from 1935 and 1950. Opening hours for a tower visit: November 1 - March 14 Puls 5 The former industrial district in the west of Zurich Switzerland transformed into a buzzing modern quarter. The Giessereihalle is the centre of the hip new neighborhood, and the Turbine Square is its meeting place. Lots of open freen space in a unique symbiosis with monuments of the industrial age. Culture, wellness, food and shopping are the name of the game in the old factory premises. Opening hours: Swiss National Museum This museum has Switzerland's largest collection of historic cultural artifacts. The emphasis is on prehistory, the middle Ages, and the Neolithic period. Especially worth mentioning are the ancient wheels, which were found in Zürich. They are considered to be among the earliest ever found, and the Celtic artifacts. The Middle Ages collection comprises significant artifacts from the world of chivalry and a large collection of wooden church sculptures, carved altars, and panel paintings. Opening hours: Reading room and library: Fraumünster Church This magnificent former convent with its late Gothic basilica has numerous stained-glass windows by Augusto Giacometti and the five chancel windows by Marc Chagall. The Fraumünster Church was built in 853 by King Louis the Bavarian, and the church with its convent was inhabited by the female members of the aristocracy of Southern Gemany. It enjoyed the patronage of the kings and the right to mint coints until almost into the 13th century. After the Reformation at the beginning of the 16th century, the ownership of the church and convent was passed to the city of Zürich Switzerland. The church houses important architectural features like the Romanesque choir and has the largest organ in that region with 5793 pipes. The most stunning jewel of the Fraumünster are the stained glass windows by Augusto Giacometti (cousin of Alberto Giacometti) in 1945 and the rosette in the southern transept 1978 by Marc Chagall. Schiffbau The Schiffbau is a meeting place for lovers of theatre, jazz and great gastronomy. The modern infrastructure really comes into its own in the industrial ambience. Migros Museum and Kunsthalle (Art Gallery) This museum has works by internationally recognized contemporary artists on the former site of the Löwenbräu Brewery. One floor below the Kunsthalle is the privately founded Migros museum, Switzerland's largest department store chain. Shows of recent works are interspersed with exhibitions from the extensive Migros collection, which includes works by Andy Warhol. Opening hours: Fountation E.G. Bührle Collection The jewel is Industrialist Ernst Bührle's private collection of works by French Impressionists like Monet, van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, Cézanne, Renoir, and Manet. See Picasso's "The Italian Girl" and paintings from Rembrandt, Rubens and Guardi. There is also a limited, but very special section of 24 sculptures from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. The Buehrle private collection is one of the top Zurich attractions for those who love art. Opening hours: Rietberg Museum The Rietberg museum has art from outside Europe, mainly from China, India, and Africa. This art presentation is in the rooms of the Neoclassical Villa Wesendonck. The museum is located in the enchanting "Rieterpark" with its historic villas on top of a green hill. Opening hours:Tues. - Sun. 10:00 - 17:00 5-Star Zurich Downtown Hotels Baur au Lac The Baur au Lac is the ultimate in luxury, comfort and with the most modern amenities in the best location in Zurich Switzerland. It is residing in its own private park on the shore of Lake Zurich and at the beginning of the fashionable Bahnhofstrasse - Zurich's famous shopping and business district. This is not just a place to feel at home but also a veritable residence. To read more about the Baur au Lac Hotel, please click here. Widder Hotel The Widder Hotel is one of the best Luxury hotels in Zurich Switzerland and located only steps from the Famous Bahnhofstrasse and the St Gotthard Hotel. By car, it is 15 minutes from the airport Zurich-Kloten. This exclusive hotel is small but quite and has 42 rooms and 7 suites. It is hidden in the old section of the city between town houses dating back from the 12th - 17th century which gives the hotel a beautiful blend between the old architecture mixed with a modern design. Click here to read more about the Widder Hotel. Dolder Grand Hotel A landmark of Zurich Switzerland, conveniently situated in the residence quarter and surrounded from a splendid park. The Dolder is only a few minutes from the city centre away. The use of transportation and sports facilities including the 9-hole golf course is free of charge for hotel guests. Just like the fantastic view over Lake Zurich, the city and the Swiss Alps. Hotel Eden au Lac The Eden au Lac is a luxury, fully air-conditioned hotel, directly at the Lake promenade and only a few steps from the opera. In this small town-palace with very nice suites, feeling fine is really no problem. Individual and personal service at the highest level is natural at the hotel as well as at the matching restaurant Eden. High-End Restaurants in Zurich Switzerland Kunststuben At this fine restaurant, you will see regularly Tina Turner and her life-partner Erwin Bach. Horst Petermann and his business partner Rico Zandonella are even in their twentieth "Kunststuben" -year in high form. They have not backed off at all since they started out. On the contrary: They still experiment, tinker around a lot with passion and refine in their small haute cuisine laboratory in Küsnacht on Lake Zurich Switzerland. To read more about where Tina Turner and Cecilia Bartoli dine out regularly, click here. Opening hours: Kronenhalle Not only the cuisine, but also the ambience is unique at the Kronenhalle. Faithful to the motto: "the eye is eating too". Pictures of many Swiss and European artists decorate the high walls in this very busy restaurant. Stars like Singer Udo Jürgens as well as Dieter Meier, Boris Becker and many other famous (or those who believe it to be) dine at this fine restaurant. If you happen to be in Zurich Switzerland on a business trip or on vacation, pass by the Kronenhalle. Opening hours: Restaurant Sonnenberg In a cultivated ambience, at the head office of the FIFA, arouses star chef Jacky Donatz with enthusiasm in Zurich's best location with an ingenious mixture of modern cookery and a breath of Italianità. In any case, the gourmets across the borders are inspired. Opening hours: Restaurant "La Salle" im Schiffbau Claudine Brunner and Walter Schmid provide for modern hospitality and palatal joy. The ambience is also quite impressive and together with creator Peter Kern, they developed an unusual restaurant in the former ship construction complex of Zurich Switzerland. The ingenious, diverse cuisine and the hearth-refreshing service is definitely something to be proud of. Opening hours: Café Schober The Café Schober is "a must" for chocolate lovers. It is the oldest confectionery of the city and located in the "Niederdorf" close to the train station. If you happen to be there on the weekend, stop by for Sunday brunch. Opening hours: Zurich Nightlife There are people that say that the nightlife in Zurich Switzerland is a bit boring. I don't find that at all, but it for yourself, you could be surprised. "Kaufleuten" - trendy night-club / lounge bar in the city centre, sometimes has good parties, on Pelikanstrasse 18, Zurich Switzerland. "Jules Verne" - popular bar above Brasserie Lipp restaurant, has a panoramic view of the city, built into an old observatory on Uraniastrasse 9. "Pallavrion" - lively bar with loud music and popular after-work parties on Thursday nights, at Beethovenstrasse 32. "The Carlton" - smart restaurant and bar, with after-work parties on Tuesday nights, at Bahnhofstrasse 41. "Blaue Ente" - elegant restaurant built into a 300 year old mill close to the lake, on Seefeldstrasse 442. "La Salle" - stylish restaurant built in a huge glass cube at a renovated factory on Schiffbaustrasse 4, a theatre and Moods jazz bar is also in the same building. "Acqua" - trendy bar / restaurant / cafe at the lake with very beautiful views from their terrace and often has DJ / club nights on Fridays or Saturdays. "Rex Bar" - elegant wine bar, often candle-lit in the evenings, at 16 Schuetzengasse, close to the famous Bahnhofstrasse in downtown Zurich Switzerland. "Pur Pur" - oriental style bar, (like MoMo in London), popular club nights, it is on Seefeldstrasse 9, near the opera house "Kronenhalle" - well known restaurant with beautiful art collection, quiet art-deco style bar, on Raemistrasse 4. "Indochine" - trendy night-club, "see and be seen", expensive but sometimes has good parties, on Limmatstrasse 275. Return from Zurich Switzerland to Swiss Cities Return from Zurich Switzerland to High-End Travel Switzerland Home Page
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This city boasts shopping streets for exclusive shopping and an abundance of more than 1700 restaurants for every taste. 
The magnificent medieval collection at the National Museum gives a fascinating insight into Swiss history. 