Back in 2020, my friends and I had a trip planned to Switzerland in the spring. We usually do an annual girls’ trip and Zurich was going to be our destination. Then the world shut down. And while my friends were optimistic that we’d still get to go. I knew it wasn’t happening. I ironically watched a pandemic documentary in January before Covid happened, very weird timing.
The trip was fully canceled, and I moved Switzerland to my “wishlist”. I have an ongoing travel wishlist in my Notes app and Switzerland was added and I just never knew when I’d have a chance to go. Then a long weekend opened up and my friend and I found great flight deals to visit. Off we went to Switzerland to finally check it off the wishlist.
3 Day Zurich Itinerary
My trip to Zurich was a long weekend. Very short and sweet. And during one of the coldest months, February. Winter in Switzerland is well, cold. I’m not a skier and our goal was to just explore Zurich and take a day trip to Lake Lucerne since our time was so limited. Even though this was just a long weekend, I feel like we saw quite a bit, ate some great meals and got a true taste of Switzerland.
Day One – Arrival Day & Zurich
We arrived in the morning to Zurich after taking an overnight flight from NYC. We walked around the city popping into shops, grabbing lunch at Babu’s and dinner at Trattoria Sempre. A quick nap before dinner is my trick for fighting jet lag. This city was compact and easy to walk around and explore so we saw quite a bit.
Day Two – Lake Lucerne, Mount Pilatus, Dinner In Zurich
For our first full day, we took a 40 minute train ride to Lake Lucerne and also went to the top of Mount Pilatus. While we could have stayed in Lucerne longer to explore more of it and eat dinner there, we opted to get back to Zurich to finish the day there with dinner at Sweet Basil.
Day Three – Rhine Falls and Exploring Zurich
Rhine Falls is one of Europe’s most powerful waterfalls, about an hour train ride from Zurich. There’s not much else to do here so I’d personally skip it if I went back. I would’ve rather visited somewhere else like Bern or Interlaken. We came back for a late lunch, more walking around the city and trying fondue.
Day Four – Departure Day
Before heading to the airport, we had one last breakfast. It was enough time to enjoy a slow morning and then head to the train. It’s only a 10 minute train ride to the airport which was a breeze.
Where To Stay In Zurich
Ruby Mimi Hotel
Just one block from the Zurich train station, Ruby Mimi Hotel was the perfect spot to call home for this short trip. The rooms were small but sufficient and very cute. The lobby offers a large bar and seating. You can opt in to their breakfast buffet which looked pretty extensive. And the vibes are
Getting To Zurich From ZRH Airport
Getting to Zurich from the airport is super easy. Just take the train from the airport to Zurich HB. It costs about 10-20 Francs and only takes about 10 minutes. The trains in Switzerland were really easy to use. If you plan on spending a lot of time on the trains, I’d suggest getting the Swiss Travel Pass. It helps to reduce the cost of your trips.
Where To Eat In Zurich
Confiserie Sprüngli
This beautiful chocolate shop and bakery has the most stunning sweets to choose from. We opted for the macarons and loved that they had minis. They were delicious, the lemon was a favorite.
The Matcha Club
For a little caffeine pick me up, try one of the several matcha latte options at this coffee shop. All they serve up are matches. From strawberry to vanilla, there are several options to choose from and they’re fantastic.
Babu’s
Loved this spot so much, it reminded me of Tatte Bakery in Boston. Salads, sandwiches, and a beautiful assortment of pastries and baked goods.
Swiss Chuchi Restaurant
You can’t go to Switzerland and not eat fondue. It’s simply the best. Hotel Adler is the home of the Swiss Chuchi Restaurant since 1953. We ordered the “half & half” fondue which is a bit less stinky than the rest. The bread was delicious dipped into the melty cheese, but the steamed veggies were my personal favorite. It was a lot and we just ordered one for two people.
Trattoria Sempre Zürich
This little Italian spot had fantastic Italian small plates. Loved the meatballs and the pesto pasta. The portions were small so definitely order a few things to share.
Läderach
This seems to be one of the favorite chocolate artisans in the area. Bought a few things to sample and to take home as gifts. Everything was so impressive.
Sternen Grill
A fast-casual spot serving up incredible grilled bratwurst with a large roll on the side. It was such a great experience and so flavorful. The spicy mustards are very spicy so be careful when you try them!
Sweet Basil
We had heard that Thai food was supposed to be good in Zurich, so we checked out Sweet Basil. A few minutes away from the heart of where we stayed. The food was good, not my favorite Thai food I’ve ever had. And it was fairly expensive. However, the portions were quite large.
Things To Do In Zurich
Stroll Augustinergasse
This picturesque street is lined with buildings that look like they are straight out of a Disney fairytale. Painted buildings, colorful shutters and beautiful flower boxes. What I loved about this area was that it didn’t feel insanely touristy. Everything in Zurich felt like a normal city without all the kitsch of a tourist trap. Great shopping and cafes, with a handful of Swiss themed gift shops if you do want to bring home a little souvenir.
Visit Chocolate Shops
You can’t visit Switzerland without visiting chocolate shops. There were so many of them. One was more beautiful than the next. Try a few at each place to find your favorites. And definitely bring home chocolate for gifts. It’s such a special thing to give someone and they really are so insanely delicious.
Day Trip To Lake Lucerne
One activity I knew I wanted to do on this trip was to visit Lake Lucerne. It was only a 40-minute train ride to get there making it the perfect way to spend the day. When you arrive, the town is right there and you can start exploring right away. Walk around the charming streets and pop into stores.
Gondolas To Mount Pilatus
Be sure to also explore Mount Pilatus when you’re at Lake Lucerne. To get to the top, you’ll first take a 10-minute bus ride from the train station to the base where you get the gondolas. The tickets are about $75 and the ride is roughly 45 minutes long. You can buy your tickets ahead of time at the train station and then swap them for the actual ticket once you get to the gondolas.
When you take the gondolas, there are two you take. First one is a small 4 person one that takes you most of the way. Then you can get off, and take in the views. It’s beautiful. Be sure to spend a few minutes here before getting onto the next gondola. Photos above of the views.
Then you get on the larger gondola which takes you all the way to the top. This gondola is quite large and holds about 20+ people. It’s a short ride to the top. Once you arrive, you are welcomed with stunning views. You can walk outside to take it all in as well as sit indoors with a coffee or hot chocolate to stay warm. This was truly one of the most breathtaking places I have ever seen. It was wild to be on the ground just an hour prior with no snow, and then to be up here in the mountains looking out at the snow covered Alps.
Visiting Rhine Falls
Another day trip to take is to Rhine Falls. This was not personally my favorite and wish we skipped it after seeing what it was. It was a beautiful waterfall, but there was just nothing else to do or see in the area. It’s about an hour from Zurich and costs around $50. To get up close to the falls you’ll have to pay $5 to enter to take the walk down.
Explore The Shopping
I really loved the shopping in Zurich. So many cute little home and gift shops. And there were several great boutiques and department stores as well as favorite notable brands like MANGO and & Other Stories as well as high end shopping. I loved Søstrene Grene for fun home gifts and soñho which had beautiful homeware as well but much pricier. Also stopped into The Gallery which had a nice variety of brands and GLOBUS was a cool department store too.
Views At Lindenhof
Lindenhof is a lookout point in Zurich with incredible views of the city. You walk through the charming streets of Augustinergasse to get there so it’s worth the walk.
Grossmünster
A stunning Romanesque cathedral in the city of Zurich. These twin towers are beautiful so be sure to walk past it to take it in.
Lindt Home of Chocolate
If you’re a fan of Lindt chocolate, there is a museum and factory you can visit. I personally didn’t visit this and heard it’s a bit expensive for what it is. Plus, it’s about a 30 minute train ride or 15 minute car ride to get to it. I think there are plenty of wonderful chocolate shops to check out, so unless you’re a big fan or looking for something to do on a rainy day, I’d skip this.
If you’re looking to visit Switzerland, I hope this 3 day itinerary to Zurich will help you maximize your time and enjoy the charming destination as much as I did. While the weather was cold, it was still a great getaway. For tips on what to wear in a walking city in the winter, check out my tips here.
