ZURICH
Zurich, tsoorikh in dialect, is Switzerland's main commercial and cultural centre and is widely
considered to be one of the world's global cities. According to several surveys in 2006 and 2007,
Zürich was named the city with the "best quality of life" in the world. Not so long ago, Zurich
was famed for being the cleanest, most icily calm and efficient city in Europe. There were even
stories about tourists embarking on efforts to find a cigarette butt or an empty crisp packet
discarded on the streets – and drawing a blank every time.
There’s been a massive explosion in the city’s arts and popular culture over the last
two years, expressing itself most tangibly in a host of clubs and a thriving underground
dance scene No more. If you live in a big city yourself and are tiring of Switzerland’s
picture-perfect country towns, visiting Zürich will be like coming home – finally you
can walk on crowded, multi-ethnic streets, buy a kebab, get a drink after midnight,
feel a lived-in urban buzz. It is now a dynamic, exciting city.
This most beautiful of Swiss cities, astride a river and turned towards a crystal-clear
lake and distant snowy peaks, has plenty to keep you amused. The city is situated where
the river Limmat issues from the north-western end of Lake Zürich. Zürich is surrounded
by wooded hills The medieval Old Town, characterized by steep, cobbled alleys and attractive,
small-scale architecture, comprises a substantial part of the city centre and is perfect
for exploratory wanderings. With a handful of medieval churches to take in, a spectacular
art gallery, the most engaging café culture in German-speaking Switzerland and a wealth
of nightlife, you could easily spend days here.
However, the city is very expensive – prohibitive even by Swiss standards. Alternatively,
you could base yourself in either of two towns near Zürich – Winterthur or Baden – both
of which have museums and galleries of their own, and much more affordable accommodation
than you’ll find in Zürich itself.
VISTOR INFO
Zürich is a hub for rail, road, and air traffic. It has several railway stations,
including Zürich Main Station, Oerlikon, Stadelhofen, Hardbrücke, Tiefenbrunnen, Enge,
Wiedikon and Altstetten. The Cisalpino, InterCityExpress, and even the French TGV
high-speed trains stop in Zürich.
Zürich International Airport in Kloten is located less than 10 kilometres northeast
of the city. Within Zürich and throughout the canton of Zürich, the ZVV network of
public transport has traffic density ratings among the highest worldwide. If you
add frequency, which in Zürich can be as often as 7 minutes, it does become the
densest across all dimensions.
The public transport network includes boats on the lake and river, funicular
railways and even a cable car between Adliswil and Felsenegg. Tickets purchased
for a trip are valid on all means of public transportation (train, tram, bus, boat).
Because the River Limmat divides the Old Town into two distinct halves, it’s easier
to consider the two banks of the river as separate entities rather than to concentrate
on a New Town/Old Town split. The alleys of the east bank – known as Niederdorf or
the “Dörfli” – are full of cafés and small shops, with the enormous twin towers of
the Grossmünster as a centrepiece. The slender spire to the north belongs to the
Predigerkirche with, above it on a hill to the east, the grandiose architecture of
the university. Opposite, the west bank is the oldest part of the city, centred
around the raised platform of the Lindenhof and characterized by expensive fashion
outlets and offices. Nearby rise the graceful spires both of St Peter’s, featuring
the largest clock face in Europe, and the Fraumünster, a medieval church decorated
in this century with beautiful stained glass by Marc Chagall. The long, curving
Bahnhofstrasse follows the ancient course of the western city wall, and is now
one of Europe’s most prestigious shopping streets, packed with jewellers and
designer boutiques.
The best of the city’s thirty-odd museums are the marvellous Kunsthaus on the
fringes of the Niederdorf, and the Schweizerisches Landesmuseum (Swiss national Museum)
in a park on the west bank.
UBS, Credit Suisse, Swiss Re, and many other financial institutions have their
headquarters in Zürich, the commercial center of Switzerland. Zürich is the
world's primary centre for offshore banking, mainly due to Swiss bank secrecy.
The financial sector accounts for about one quarter of the city's economic
activities The Swiss Stock Exchange is also located in Zürich.
HOTELS
Zürich offers a reasonably full range of accommodation despite its being
one of the most expensive cities in the world. If you book ahead you’ll
have a good chance of finding something pleasant within your price range.
Prices at the higher-end places, can be sky-high.Some mid-range hoteliers
take this as carte blanche to overcharge. It is suggested that you take
nothing for granted and investigate what you’ll be getting for your money
before you check in. Nearby Baden and Winterthur offer equally characterful
accomodation at more affordable prices.
The tourist office’s dedicated hotel reservation service
(01/215 40 40, fax 215 40 44, hotel@zurichtourism.ch, or over-the-counter)
can book a room in the hotel of your choice for free within Zürich.
You have to pay Fr.10 elsewhere in Switzerland. There is also the
possibility of getting weekend or off-season deals.
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