Zurich · CH
Zürich Old Town Highlights
Churches, cobblestones and the shimmering Limmat — Switzerland's liveliest old town on foot.
What's the walk about?
Welcome to Zürich, Switzerland's largest city and its most spirited old town. On this walk we trace the cobblestoned lanes and church-lined banks of the Limmat, the river that splits the medieval heart in two. You'll climb the leafy Lindenhof for the classic rooftop view, listen for the great clock of St. Peter's, and stand before the glowing Chagall windows of the Fraumünster and the twin towers of the Grossmünster. Between the sights you'll stroll the elegant Bahnhofstrasse, wander the buzzing Niederdorf lanes, and finish where the river slips into shimmering Lake Zürich. Everything sits within a tight, easy-to-walk cluster, so all you need to bring is your curiosity.
What you'll see
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1
Lindenhof
Viewpoint
A leafy hilltop terrace offering one of Zurich's finest views across the Limmat to the Old Town's rooftops and church towers. This quiet, tree-shaded square is also the very birthplace of the city.
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2
Church of St. Peter
Church
Rising above a hushed old town square, St. Peter's is the oldest parish church in Zurich and wears the largest clock face of any church in Europe. Its vast 8.7 metre dial once set the official time for the entire city.
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3
Bahnhofstrasse
Street
Zurich's glittering shopping boulevard, a mile of luxury boutiques and discreet banks running from the main station to the lake. It ranks among the most expensive retail streets on the planet.
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4
Fraumünster
church
A slender, blue-green spired church rising over the Münsterhof, once the seat of Zurich's most powerful abbesses. Inside glow five luminous stained-glass windows created by Marc Chagall.
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5
Bürkliplatz
Square
The lakeside square where the River Limmat pours out of Lake Zurich, framed by promenades, market stalls, and departing pleasure boats. It is the city's open front door onto the water.
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6
Wasserkirche
church
A slender late Gothic church that seems to rise straight from the Limmat, the Wasserkirche once stood on its own tiny island in the river. It marks the legendary spot where Zurich's patron saints, Felix and Regula, were said to have been martyred.
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7
Grossmünster
Church
The twin towers of the Grossmünster are the enduring emblem of Zurich, rising in solid Romanesque grandeur above the eastern bank of the Limmat. From this great church, Ulrich Zwingli ignited the Swiss Reformation.
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8
Rathaus
Landmark
Zürich's stately Baroque town hall, built out over the Limmat so that its foundations rise straight from the flowing river. For more than three centuries it has been the beating heart of the city's political life.
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9
Niederdorf
Street
A maze of car-free medieval lanes on the east bank of the Limmat, where cobblestones, guildhalls, and hidden courtyards form the beating social heart of Zurich's old town.
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10
Swiss National Museum (Landesmuseum)
Museum
A fairytale castle of turrets and towers rising just behind Zurich's main station, the Swiss National Museum holds the largest collection of Swiss cultural history in the country. Its romantic 1898 halls now open into a bold concrete extension added in 2016.
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