Zürich & North Switzerland
Where the Rhine meets the rooftops, and the lake holds the city still.
Zürich is the entry point for most visitors to Switzerland, and for good reason. The city sits at the northern tip of its own lake, with the Alps visible on clear days and the old town within walking distance of the main station. But the region extends well beyond the city limits. To the north, the Rhine forms the border with Germany and passes through Schaffhausen, a medieval town most travellers skip on their way to the falls. The falls are worth the trip. So is everything in between.
Destinations in Zürich & North Switzerland
Slow travel in Zürich & North Switzerland
Most people arrive in Zürich and move on within a day. That is understandable. It is also a mistake. The city has a rhythm that takes time to notice. Morning swimmers at the Seebad Utoquai before the commuters arrive. The Kunsthaus, one of Switzerland's largest art museums, quiet on a weekday afternoon. A boat from Bürkliplatz to Rapperswil, 1 hour 45 minutes on the water, the city fading behind and the lake opening ahead. These are not highlights in the tourist-brochure sense. They are the texture of a place. North Switzerland is different in register. The Rhine defines it. From Stein am Rhein, a medieval town where the river leaves Lake Constance, the water moves west through Schaffhausen and over the falls at Neuhausen. The falls are loud and close. A boat runs to the base of the drop between April and October. The rock in the middle of the river has a Swiss flag on it, planted there as if the country needed to claim even its own waterfalls. Winterthur sits 25 kilometres northeast of Zürich, 25 minutes by train, and most visitors never go. That is a miscalculation. Oskar Reinhart assembled two extraordinary art collections here over a lifetime. One is in his former home on a hill outside the city, the other in a museum in the centre. Both are free of charge. The pedestrian old town has pastel facades, a street market on Saturdays, and a pace that bears no resemblance to the city nearby. Baden has Roman baths beneath its streets. The hot springs were documented by Roman soldiers in the 1st century AD and still flow at 47 degrees Celsius. The spa quarter on the left bank is compact and unhurried. The old town on the hill across the river is worth the climb. This is a region that works at different speeds depending on where you stand. Zürich is efficient and full of things. The north is slower, less visited, and in parts still mostly overlooked. That, for now, is an advantage.