Zurich half day itinerary suggestions
A traveler named Snehap is planning a visit to Zurich and needs help navigating public transport to Zurich Hauptbahnhof (HB) and finding scenic boat rides on Lake Lucerne. They're also looking for chocolate shops and want to know the best sights to see before it gets dark during their evening visit.
- Trams 6 and 10 from Central to Zurich HB are straightforward, with only one stop.
- There is a 5 CHF surcharge for Lake Zurich boat trips; however, other boat trips may not have this surcharge, so check the Swiss Travel Pass details.
- For Swiss chocolate, visit Sprüngli at Paradeplatz or Café Schober along Niederdorfstrasse for a delicious experience.
- Sunset in early May is around 8:30 PM, so aim to return to your hotel before then.
AI-generated summary-
Hello,
I will arrive in Zurich around 5pm from luzern and below is my itinerary
Bahnhofstrasse-lindenhof-st peters church-fraumunster church-grossmunster church0-niederdorfstrasse-Train station
1) I will take tram or bus from central to Zurich HB. Tram 3/6/10 is what i have found goes to hauptbahnhof. Please let me know what will be the direction on tram line 6 and 10. Any other bus or tram from central to HB. PLease let me know
2)Lake boat shows surcharge of 5chf perperson with swiss pass. Is this true? Do boats on lake luzern as well have these surcharge. Please let me know where can i find free boat ride with swiss pass
3) Best place to buy swiss chocolates in zurich or luzern. Any shops if you can suggest. Any good chocolate brands to buy from supermarket.
4)Any other import sights in zurich which i have missed . Please suggest.
5) What time does it turn dark in frist week of may. I checked weather website and it shows sunset time as 8.30pm. We were in paris last april and it turned dark around 9pm. We plan t get back to hotel before it turns dark so please help.
-
Hi Snehap,
- Walking from Central tram/bus stop to Zurich HB takes about 2 minutes (you are essentially just walking across a bridge over the Limmat river).
- Yes, there is a 5chf surcharge for Lake Zurich boat trips. The other boat trips do not have a surcharge – this is noted on the Swiss Travel Pass Validity page.
- I know Zurich but not Luzern for chocolate shops. Try Sprüngli cafe at Paradeplatz tram stop or at Zurich HB and Cafe Schober along Niederdorfstrasse.
Frey, Cailler and Lindt spring to mind as good chocolate to buy at grocery stores – you can’t go wrong 😉 - I think you have the main sights to see on a half-day visit – are you trying to see these sights just in the one evening or part of the next day as well?
- 8:30pm is correct for sunset here in Zurich. It is 8:40pm as I write this and the sun is down but it is still light out…probably at least until 9pm.
>> I will arrive in Zurich around 5pm from luzern and below is my itinerary
>> Bahnhofstrasse-lindenhof-st peters church-fraumunster church-grossmunster church0-niederdorfstrasse-Train station
Arriving so late will limit your options a bit:
—St Peter’s Church, the Fraumünster and the Grossmünster close at 6:00 pm. On weekends, St Peter’s Church closes even earlier (4:00 or 5:00 pm).
—Café Sprüngli, on the corner of Bahnhofstrasse and Paradeplatz, and not far from the Fraumünster, closes 6:30 pm Mon-Fri and 6:00 pm Sat. Their shops in the railway station are open later for buying chocolates, but I don’t think they have any seating there.
—The Café Schober off Niederdorfstrasse closes at 7:00 pm Mon-Wed and Sun, 11:00 pm Thu-Sat.
Otherwise, the route you have chosen is a good one, taking in the best of the old town on both sides of the river. Niederdorfstrasse is a great place to have dinner – plenty of restaurants in an attractive cobblestone pedestrian street.
>> I will take tram or bus from central to Zurich HB. Tram 3/6/10 is what i have found goes to hauptbahnhof. Please let me know what will be the direction on tram line 6 and 10. Any other bus or tram from central to HB. PLease let me know
As Lucas mentioned, Central is very close to Zürich Hauptbahnhof (main station) – only one stop.
If for some reason you did want to take the tram for one stop, here are the details:
There are three tram stops outside Zürich Hauptbahnhof:
—Bahnhofplatz (outside the southern end of the station)
—Bahnhofquai (outside the eastern end of the station)
—Bahnhofstrasse (in Bahnhofstrasse, across the road from the southern end of the station)
Trams from Central to Hauptbahnhof stop at different stops, e.g.
Trams 3 (direction: Albisrieden) and 10 (direction: Bahnhofplatz) stop at Bahnhofplatz
Tram 4 (direction Werdhölzli) stops at Bahnhofquai
Trams 6 (direction: Enge) and 7 (direction Wollishofen) stop in the Bahnhofstrasse
Alpenrose
Thank you guys for your prompt response.Your suggestions are always in detail which is so so helpful for first time tourist. Much appreciated.
@alpenrose666-loved your detailed explanation for the tram route 🙂
Visiting churches is not a must for us. Incase we happen be there during the open hours , we will visit else no issues.
Please can someone suggest best scenic route on Lake lucerne for boat ride with swiss pass. Hope its covered with the pass.I know there are many boat rides but if you could suggest any one .
Hi Snehap,
I think you will enjoy any boat cruise on the lake – perhaps the option is better decided by any time limits you have. They last roughly 1 to 3 hours. Have a look here for more details on Luzern boat cruises (we also have a link to the Lake Luzern timetable there so you can see which trip is best for you (how much time do you have and when do you want to depart).
Lucas
If you have boat trips other places like Lucerne and Interlaken, rather I would suggest walking around bahnhofstrasse, personally I did not enjoy the boat trip on Zurich after the other boat trips I had on Brienz since you have only half day.
- The thread ‘Zurich half day itinerary suggestions’ is closed to new replies.
