With its 400,000 or so inhabitants, Zurich is Switzerland's most populous city and the country's economic and financial centre. Rich and cosmopolitan, the world city is a holiday destination renowned for its quality of life, as evidenced by the 160 nationalities that live here! Refined, Zurich also stands out for its exceptional natural setting, a glacial valley surrounded by Alpine mountains.
‘If God loves a Swiss, he'll give him a house in Zurich’.
This saying from the 1960s sums up Zurich's prosperity.
The world's sixth-largest banking and financial centre, Zurich has often been ranked as one of the world's most expensive cities. Sometimes described as a boutique city, famous for its luxury districts such as Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich is far from being just that.
Situated on the shores of Lake Zurich, the city is crossed by the River Limmat and surrounded by mountains. As the heir to Switzerland's multilingualism, many languages are spoken here every day. Although German is the official language, the local population speaks Zurichese, an Alemannic dialect.
A city marked by the Protestant Reformation of 1519, to which it owes much of its economic prosperity, Zurich has a remarkable historic centre. The old town, built to straddle the river, is symbolised by its emblems, the Grossmünster cathedral and its twin neo-Gothic towers, all three located on the right bank. On the other side, you won't want to miss the Fraumünster, a former abbey whose stained glass windows were created by Marc Chagall and Augusto Giacometti.
Climb the steps of the Charlemagne Tower for a breathtaking view of the whole city. As you run through the narrow streets lined with medieval houses, you'll reach the Lindenhof esplanade, an ideal vantage point overlooking the River Limmat, the Predigerkirke bell tower and St Peter's church.
City of Art
In many ways, Zurich is a city of culture, creativity and innovation. In particular, it is famous for being the birthplace of the Dada movement, founded by Hugo Ball at the Cabaret Voltaire in the early 20th century.
The Swiss metropolis is also a city of museums, with almost 50 listed. The Kunsthaus, the Museum of Fine Arts, has one of the largest collections in Switzerland. The Landesmuseum, opposite the main railway station, is the ideal place for local history buffs. Less traditional is the Museum fur Gestalstung, which focuses on design and architecture, as does Haus Konstruktiv, a museum devoted to the building arts housed in a former industrial power station. Nicknamed the culture line, tram line 4 takes you to 15 of the city's most famous cultural and design venues, including the Le Corbusier pavilion.
Less conventional, themed museums such as the Museum of Digital Art and the Fifa World Museum will delight the most passionate.
Trendy gastronomy
Zurich West is where the pioneers of alternative culture settled. Developed on a former industrial site, the district is one of the city's trendiest. As you walk along the wasteland, you'll come across creative restaurants, second-hand clothes shops and boutiques of all kinds. It's also home to the Food Zurich festival, a real foodie's paradise!
Zurich is also renowned for the refinement of its gastronomy, and boasts a large number of Michelin-starred restaurants.
Take the Ramistrasse and you'll pass the Kronenhalle, one of Europe's oldest and most prestigious breweries.
For a lunch on the go, Zurich has some of its tastiest specialities: Bradwurst, a veal and pork sausage cooked in hot dog buns.
For a sweet touch, try Luxemburgerli, macaroons imported by Swiss confectioner Sprüngli, or Leibacher Biber gingerbread.
Between lake and mountains
Nestling in the heart of a wild natural setting, Zurich is admired for its splendour. Within the city itself, 30% of the land is given over to green spaces.
During your run, take a little altitude towards the Uetliberg hill. Located around twenty minutes from the city's main station, the hill offers a magnificent panorama of the city, lake and mountains.
Lake Zurich, with its unparalleled purity of water, is particularly popular with the people of Zurich, who come here in the summer to swim and enjoy the beaches. The same goes for its river, where a variety of water sports are practised!
Run, walk or cycle with JOOKS from the Old Town to the trendy Zurich West district!
Find the routes in Zurich and over 1400 others on the JOOKS app.
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