Independent hotels in Zürich

Zurich, Switzerland's most populous city, boasts one of the world's highest living standards. Zurich's history dates back to Neolithic times and is concentrated in the city's Old Town. There are no fewer than 50 museums and 100 art galleries. The Old Town is the hub of the city's Zürcher Verkehrsverbund public transport network. Zurich's Hauptbahnhof, situated just 12 minutes from Zurich Airport, handles over 2,900 trains per day and is one of more than 20 rail stations in the city. Zurich's other public transit options include trams, electric buses, Lake Zurich water taxis and Limmat River cruises.

Picasso and Monet are among the famous artists with works displayed in Zurich's Fine Arts Museum, but younger tourists may be more interested in the 1,200 vintage toys on display at the Zurich Toy Museum. Another family friendly Zurich attraction, Zurich Zoologischer Garten, was originally established in 1929 and contains more than 2,200 animals today. Zurich’s Chinese Gardens is themed on temple gardens and features Oriental pavilions and flora spread around a small lake. The gardens are a lovely sight when flowers blossom pink in spring or the autumn leaves turn gold. The garden is a part of Zürichhorn, one of the city's most popular parks, while the Swiss National Museum stands at one end of another Zurich park, Platzspitz. The Uetliberg Mountain is an impressive Zurich viewpoint where people can hike or cycle in summer or go sledding in winter.

Zurich's main eating, drinking and shopping district is Bahnhofstrasse, a bustling street near Zurich's Hauptbahnhof. A veal dish named Zürigschnätzlets is prepared with cream and wine sauce and is the city's signature dish. Raclette and fondue are two more typical Swiss meals which appear on the menus of Zurich's over 1,500 restaurants alongside countless international offerings. Cüpli wine is one of the must try drinks and is served at the majority of Zurich's 500 bars. Zurich West is the main nightlife district in a city which boasts a large number of bars and nightclubs.

Many of the world's costliest clothing boutiques and Swiss chocolate shops line Zurich's main shopping street, Bahnhofsstrasse. Shoppers on smaller budgets, however, will find better bargains in Löwenstrasse's budget shops or Niederdorf's trendy boutiques. Augustinergasse is a street on which antique and souvenir shops sell some of Zurich's authentic clocks, watches, knives and other typical Swiss souvenirs.

Luxury hotels with creature comforts including fitness centres and multiple restaurants can easily be found throughout Zurich. These range from the Movenpick Hotel Zurich Airport to the more centrally located Zurich Marriott Hotel. The Flag Zürich is among the city's most affordable places to stay.