Tours in Zurich

Start at the lake, on a weekday evening. Office workers peel off their shoes and sit on the stone steps, swimmers climb out by the little wooden bathing houses, and nobody seems to be in a hurry. That is Zurich. It is a tidy, calm city that gets its pleasure from water and from doing things properly.

Walk up from the main station along the Limmat and you reach the old town, where narrow lanes climb away from the river and the twin towers of the Grossmünster watch over the rooftops. Cross to the other bank and look at the guildhalls. Wander Niederdorf for its small bars and bakeries, then find Lindenhof, a quiet terrace where locals play chess and the whole river bends below you. The Fraumünster, with its stained glass, is worth stepping into when the light is right. Bahnhofstrasse is the famous shopping street, and it is pleasant to stroll even if you buy nothing. Try a Zürcher Geschnetzeltes with rösti, and finish with a coffee somewhere with a view of the water.

What many visitors miss is how close the mountains feel. On a clear day the Alps sit on the horizon, and the trains here make them easy to reach. That is where our tour goes. You head out toward Saas-Fee, a car-free village ringed by high peaks, and ride the Metro Alpin, an underground funicular that carries you up into glacier country. At the top there is a revolving restaurant with a long slow view of snow and rock, and a guide beside you who can tell you what you are looking at.

If there is a museum, a lakeside route, or a part of the old town you would rather explore on foot, ask. A local guide can build a day around it.