Zurich Old Town

Zurich's Old Town, the Altstadt, is small enough to walk in an afternoon and rich enough to fill a day. It straddles the River Limmat where it flows out of Lake Zurich, and each bank has its own character. On the east bank, the Niederdorf is a car-free maze of cobbled lanes, guild houses, small shops, bars and fondue restaurants, running from Central down towards Bellevue, and above it rise the two square towers of the Grossmuenster, the Romanesque minster that is the city's most recognisable landmark. Legend says Charlemagne founded it at the graves of the city's patron saints, Felix and Regula, and it was from its pulpit, in the early sixteenth century, that Huldrych Zwingli launched the Swiss Reformation, which explains the plain, whitewashed interior. One of the towers, the Karlsturm, can be climbed for a small fee, up a narrow staircase of close to two hundred steps, for a view over the rooftops, the river and the lake. On the west bank, across the Muensterbruecke, stands the Fraumuenster, founded as a convent in the ninth century, whose choir holds five stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall, installed in 1970, glowing in deep blues, greens and reds; the church charges a small entry fee that includes an audio guide. A few steps away, St. Peter, the oldest parish church in the city, carries the largest church clock face in Europe on its tower. Behind it, the Lindenhof, a raised square shaded by lime trees on the site of a Roman fort and a Carolingian palace, is the best free viewpoint in the centre, looking across the river to the Grossmuenster, the university and the hills. A Roman tombstone found here bears the name Turicum, the first written mention of Zurich. Between them run the lanes that make the Old Town a pleasure: Augustinergasse with its painted bay windows, the Rennweg and its boutiques, the Schipfe by the river, and the guild houses along the Limmatquai, several of them now restaurants. The Bahnhofstrasse, one of the most expensive shopping streets in the world, runs parallel on the western edge, from the main station to the lake.

How to walk it: start at the main station and walk down the Bahnhofstrasse, then turn left up the steps to the Lindenhof for the view. Drop down to St. Peter and its clock, cross to the Fraumuenster for the Chagall windows (go when the sun is on the choir, usually late morning, for the best colour), then cross the Muensterbruecke to the Grossmuenster and climb the Karlsturm. From there, wander north through the Niederdorf, along the Spiegelgasse and the Neumarkt, and finish with a drink by the river or a walk up to the university terrace via the Polybahn funicular from Central, a short ride that gives one of the best views of the Old Town roofs. The whole loop is about two kilometres on foot and takes half a day at a relaxed pace, longer with the church visits and coffee breaks.

Practical details: the Old Town itself is free and always open, and the churches are free to enter except the Fraumuenster, which charges a modest fee for the Chagall windows and audio guide. Church opening times are shorter on Sundays and during services, and the Karlsturm climb has its own hours, shorter in winter. Many restaurants in the guild houses serve classic Zurich dishes such as Zuercher Geschnetzeltes, veal in a cream and mushroom sauce with roesti, and booking is wise for dinner. Prices in Zurich are high by any standard, so a picnic on the Lindenhof or by the lake is a smart lunch. Trams run along both banks, and the Old Town is ten minutes on foot from the main station.

When to go: early morning, before the shops open, is the time for photographs of empty lanes and the light on the river. In summer the riverside comes alive with outdoor tables and the river baths open. From 19 November to 23 December 2026, the Old Town's Christmas markets add lights and mulled wine, with the Weihnachtsmarkt Doerfli in the Niederdorf and the Singing Christmas Tree on the Werdmuehleplatz, and the lanes are decorated throughout the season. In every season, the walk ends best at the lake, where the Limmat leaves it at Bellevue and the Buerkliplatz, with the Alps visible on clear days.