Must-see attractions in Zürich

  • Limmat, Münsterbridge, Frauenmünster church

    Fraumünster

    Zürich

    This 13th-century church is renowned for its stunning stained-glass windows, designed by the Russian-Jewish master Marc Chagall (1887–1985), who executed…

  • Zurich, Switzerland, November 14, 2019: Art museum Kunsthaus.; Shutterstock ID 1583236660; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial ; full: POI Image Update

    Kunsthaus

    Zürich

    Zürich’s impressive fine-arts gallery boasts a rich collection of largely European art. It stretches from the Middle Ages through a mix of Old Masters to…

  • Zoologisches Museum, Arctic section (and tropical birds)

    Zoological Museum

    Zürich

    Dinosaur skeletons, giant mammoths, sloths – the hands-on Zoological Museum of the University of Zürich is home to 1500 stuffed animals, with interactive…

  • Skutulentensammlung, entrance

    Sukkulenten-Sammlung

    Zürich

    Zürich is home to one of the largest collections of succulents in the world: more than 4500 species from more than 78 families. With seven greenhouses, an…

  • Josefwiese, with the Prime tower (left) in the background, and amateur soccer teams playing after work

    Josefwiese

    Zürich

    An atmospheric Kreis 5 park, in the shadow of a towering smokestack and railway viaduct, this family-friendly place has huge grassy expanses and a…

  • Focus Terra, foyer

    Focus Terra

    Zürich

    This hands-on university museum reveals the treasures of the earth, explaining what makes volcanoes erupt, where gems come from and what fossils tell us…

  • Grossmünster

    Zürich

    Founded by Charlemagne in the 9th century (but heavily reworked since), Zürich's twin-towered landmark cathedral sits directly across the river from…

  • Schweizerisches Landesmuseum

    Zürich

    Inside a purpose-built cross between a mansion and a castle sprawls this eclectic and imaginatively presented museum. The permanent collection offers an…

  • Schiffbau

    Zürich

    The Schiffbau is symbolic of the renaissance of once-industrial western Zürich. Once a mighty factory churning out lake steamers and, until 1992, turbine…

  • St Peterskirche

    Zürich

    From any position in the city, it’s hard to overlook the 13th-century tower of this church. Its prominent clock face, 8.7m in diameter, is the largest in…

  • Zoo Zürich

    Zürich

    With more than 380 species in as-nature-intended enclosures, Zoo Zürich is home to elephants, lemurs, chameleons, camels, yaks and penguins. With one eye…

  • Beyer Museum

    Zürich

    Inside the premises of a purveyor of fine timepieces is this small jewel of a museum, which chronicles the rise of timekeeping, from striated medieval…

  • Museum Rietberg

    Zürich

    Set in three villas in a leafy park and fronted by a striking emerald glass entrance, this museum houses the country’s only assembly of African, Asian and…

  • Museum of Wax Moulages

    Zürich

    Moulages are 3D, naturalistic recreations of body parts and the skin alterations that various diseases can evoke. They were used in the 19th century to…

  • Ethnographic Museum

    Zürich

    The University of Zürich's Ethnographic Museum hosts two regularly changing temporary exhibitions on non-European cultures, and offers insight into its…

  • FIFA World Football Museum

    Zürich

    Fans of the game won't want to miss out on the FIFA World Football Museum, opened in 2017, which races you through the history of FIFA and the World Cup…

  • Archaeological Collection

    Zürich

    Discover ancient history at the University of Zürich's archaeological collection. The extensive collection of both original pieces and plaster casts is…

  • Botanical Garden & Museum

    Zürich

    Escape the hustle of the city at the botanical garden, home to some 8000 species of the world's flora. Flowers, trees and mosses can be admired in the…

  • Cabaret Voltaire

    Zürich

    Birthplace of the zany Dada art movement, this art space has come back to life as a hotbed of contentious art exhibitions and socially critical artistic…

  • Niederdorf

    Zürich

    On the Limmat River’s east bank, the winding cobbled streets of Niederdorf are crammed with restaurants, bars, galleries, bookshops and craft shops…

  • Museum für Gestaltung

    Zürich

    Consistently impressive and wide-ranging, the revolving exhibitions at this design museum can include anything from works by classic photographers such as…

  • Platzspitz

    Zürich

    An appealing little park where the Limmat and Sihl Rivers come together, just north of the train station and Landesmuseum. James Joyce was fond of this…

  • Schweizer Finanz Museum

    Zürich

    If you're intrigued to find out more about what makes Switzerland tick financially, this museum, which opened in Zürich-West in summer 2017, is bang on…

  • James Joyce Foundation

    Zürich

    James Joyce spent much of WWI in Zürich and wrote Ulysses here. This foundation, which boasts Europe's largest Joyce collection, hosts regular English…

  • Zwingli's House

    Zürich

    The house where firebrand preacher Huldrych Zwingli (1484–1531) lived and worked. Zwingli began speaking out against the Catholic Church here in the 16th…

  • Zürichhorn

    Zürich

    This long and leafy lakeside park spreads down the eastern shore of the Zürichsee, south of the Opernhaus, with the Seebad Utoquai close at hand for an…

  • Lindenhof

    Zürich

    Spectacular views across the Limmat to the Grossmünster can be enjoyed from a tree-shaded hilltop park, smack in the heart of the Old Town. Bring a picnic…

  • Kunsthalle Zürich

    Zürich

    Upstairs from the Migros Museum, the ‘Art Hall’ features changing exhibitions of contemporary art, spread over two floors.

  • Karlsturm

    Zürich

    Clamber up the southern tower of the Grossmünster for knockout views of the city and lake to the Alps beyond.

  • Migros Museum

    Zürich

    Housed in the renovated Löwenbräu brewery, this well-funded contemporary art museum focuses on innovative work from the past few decades.

  • Puls 5

    Zürich

    This one-time foundry has been converted into a multi-use centre with restaurants, bars and offices.