A Short Walk through Zurich
Pick up a street
map at the Tourist Office in the main station, Zürich HB.
Take
Bahnhofstrasse opposite the Hauptbahnhof
(main station). Just after the Orell Fuessli English bookshop take the left
fork along Rennweg (which marks the
point of entry through the old city wall) and bear round to the left at the
end. Take the steep steps to the left up to Lindenhof to admire the views of the city. Descend the steps and
continue, bearing right towards St
Peter's church with its huge clockface.
With the church
to your right take Thermengasse
which passes over the excavated remains of a Roman bath to Storchengasse: turn
right and continue to the square at Munsterhof.
At the Zunfthaus zur Meisen in 1946
Sir Winston Churchill gave a famous speech coining the phrase 'the United
States of Europe': the building is now part of the Swiss National Museum and
houses a ceramics collection.
Make a detour to
see the Chagall and Giacometti stained glass windows in the Fraumunster.
At this point you
can follow the river straight along to the lake at Bürkliplatz where you can either catch a boat or walk along the
lake in either direction. The excellent Kunsthaus (Art Gallery) is directly up the hill from Bellevue if you cross the river to the left. If you walk along the
left bank promenade of the lake for 15 minutes, passing a 1964 Tinguely
sculpture ‘Heureka’ and a work by Henry
Moore entitled ‘Sheep Piece’, you come to Zurichhorn
Park and Casino where there is a good café overlooking the lake. On the way you
will pass the slightly bizarre China
Garden which was a gift from Zurich’s Twin Town of Kunming. 
Otherwise, cross
the river at the Fraumunster and visit Zwingli's Grossmunster. Then turn left and wander through Zurich’s old town along
Munstergasse/Niederdorfstrasse with
its multitude of shops and restaurants. After a while take any left turn down
to Limmatquai and cross the river on
the Rudolf- Brun (road) bridge.
Immediately after doing this take the steps down left on to Schipfe (just before the Swiss
handicrafts shop). Continue until you come to Weinplatz and the Hotel Storchen where Mozart once
stayed. This used to be Zurich's main thoroughfare. Follow Wühre along the river to the Fraumunster and then turn right across
Munsterhof, continuing straight on until you hit Bahnhofstrasse. Turn right and return to the station. If you have
time to spare, the Swiss National Museum
is directly behind the Hauptbahnhof
building. (Allow 2 hours)
Sue Poolman. May 2007. Updated by Julia Newton August 2011 and April 2016.
(With particular
thanks to Bill Hovey for a memorable Guided Walk in November 2003).
