Why go
- Largest city in Switzerland.
- 1 recommended spot to eat and drink.
- Served by Zürich Airport (ZRH).
History
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. As of the end of 2024, the municipality had a population of 436,551, while the urban area was home to 1.45 million people (2020), and the Zurich metropolitan area had a total population of 2.1 million (2020). Zurich is a hub for railways, roads, and air traffic. Both Zurich Airport and Zurich's main railway station are the largest and busiest in the country.
Eat & drink
Restaurant
Airports
Zürich Airport (ZRH) 11 km to the centre
Zurich, ZH, CH — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 71 airlines (Swiss International Air Lines, Air Berlin, Lufthansa Cargo, United Airlines…) · direct flights to 137 destinations incl. Lisbon, Vienna, Berlin, Istanbul, London… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 71 airlines, 137 direct destinations
- Swiss International Air Lines LX (A320, AR1, A330-300, A321, A319, A340-300…) · 94 routes: Amsterdam, Antalya*, Arrecife*, Athens, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Belgrade, Berlin, Birmingham, Boston, Brussels, Bucharest*, Budapest, Cairo, Catania*, Chicago, Cologne, Copenhagen, Delhi, Dubai, Dublin, Dubrovnik*, Duesseldorf, Florence*, Frankfurt, Fuerteventura*, Funchal*, Geneva, Gran Canaria*, Hamburg, Hannover, Havana*, Heraklion*, Hong Kong, Hurghada*, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Kiev, Larnaca* … +54 more
- Air Berlin AB (A320, A319, A321, 737-800, 737-700, Embraer 190…) · 22 routes: Alicante, Arrecife, Berlin, Brindisi, Catania, Duesseldorf, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gran Canaria, Helsinki, Heraklion, Ibiza, Lamezia, London*, London*, Madrid*, Naples, Olbia, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife, Vienna*, Westerland
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A320, A319, Fokker 100, A321, AR1, CRJ-900…) · 9 routes: Berlin*, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg*, Hannover*, Munich, Nairobi*, Nuernberg*, Stuttgart*
- United Airlines UA (A330-300, A340-300, 767-400, 767-300) · 9 routes: Boston*, Chicago*, Los Angeles*, Miami*, Nairobi*, New York*, Newark, San Francisco*, Washington
- Helvetic Airways 2L (Fokker 100, A319) · 6 routes: Bordeaux, Brindisi, Bristol, Gran Canaria, Larnaca, Marsa Alam
- Belair Airlines 4T (A320) · 5 routes: Antalya, Hurghada, Marsa Alam, Pristina, Skopje
- Meridiana IG (A320) · 5 routes: Brindisi*, Catania*, Lamezia*, Naples, Olbia*
- US Airways US (A320, A319, A380, 762, 767-300) · 5 routes: Istanbul*, Lisbon*, New York, Philadelphia, Singapore
- Flybaboo F7 (S20) · 4 routes: Florence, Geneva, Leipzig, Torino
- Intersky 3L (Dash 8-300) · 4 routes: Dresden, Graz, Marina Di Campo, Salzburg
- American Airlines AA (A319, A320, 767-300, 767) · 3 routes: London*, New York, Philadelphia
- British Airways BA (A319, A320, A321, FRJ, Embraer 190, Embraer 170) · 3 routes: Billund*, London*, London
- Croatia Airlines OU (Dash 8-400) · 3 routes: Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb
- Eurolot K2 (Dash 8-400) · 3 routes: Gdansk, Krakow, Wroclaw
- Royal Jordanian RJ (A319, A320, A321, Embraer 190) · 3 routes: Amman, Geneva, Vienna
- Scandinavian Airlines System SK (736, 737-700, A319, A320, A321, 717…) · 3 routes: Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm
- Tunisair TU (736, A319, A320, A320) · 3 routes: Djerba, Enfidha, Tunis
- Air Canada AC (330, A330-300) · 2 routes: Montreal, Toronto
- Air India Limited AI (A330-300) · 2 routes: Delhi*, Mumbai*
- easyJet U2 (A319, A320) · 2 routes: London, London
- Finnair AY (A319, A320) · 2 routes: Helsinki, Lisbon*
- Germanwings 4U (A319, A320, CRJ) · 2 routes: Cologne, Hamburg
- Iberia Airlines IB (A319, A320) · 2 routes: Barcelona*, Madrid
- Maastricht Airlines W2 (J32) · 2 routes: Bremen, Munster
- SunExpress XQ (737-800) · 2 routes: Antalya, Izmir
- TAP Portugal TP (A319, A320, A321) · 2 routes: Lisbon, Porto
- Adria Airways JP (A319, CRJ-900, CRJ-200) · 1 route: Ljubljana
- Aegean Airlines A3 (A320) · 1 route: Lisbon
- Aer Lingus EI (A320) · 1 route: Dublin
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A320) · 1 route: Moscow
- Air Baltic BT (735) · 1 route: Riga
- Air Bosna JA (ATR 72) · 1 route: Banja Luka
- Air France AF (318) · 1 route: Paris
- Air Malta KM (A319) · 1 route: Malta
- Air Serbia JU (A319) · 1 route: Belgrade
- Alitalia AZ (Embraer 175, Embraer 190, 32S) · 1 route: Rome
- All Nippon Airways NH (A340-300) · 1 route: Tokyo*
- Asiana Airlines OZ (A320) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Austrian Airlines OS (A319, A320, A321, A320, AR1) · 1 route: Vienna*
- Brussels Airlines SN (A320, AR1) · 1 route: Brussels*
- Bulgaria Air FB (Embraer 190) · 1 route: Sofia
- Cyprus Airways CY (A320) · 1 route: Larnaca
- Czech Airlines OK (ATR 72, AT4) · 1 route: Prague
- Delta Air Lines DL (76W) · 1 route: Atlanta
- Egyptair MS (A330-300, A340-300) · 1 route: Cairo*
- El Al Israel Airlines LY (737-800, 737-700) · 1 route: Tel-aviv
- Emirates EK (A380, 777-300ER) · 1 route: Dubai
- Ethiopian Airlines ET (A319) · 1 route: Frankfurt*
- Etihad Airways EY (EMJ) · 1 route: Rome*
- Hainan Airlines HU (A319, A320, 737-800) · 1 route: Berlin
- Icelandair FI (75W) · 1 route: Keflavik
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (737, EMJ) · 1 route: Amsterdam
- Korean Air KE (777-300ER) · 1 route: Seoul
- LOT Polish Airlines LO (Embraer 170, Embraer 175) · 1 route: Warsaw
- Montenegro Airlines YM (Fokker 100) · 1 route: Podgorica
- Niki HG (A320, A321, Embraer 190) · 1 route: Vienna
- Oman Air WY (A330-200) · 1 route: Muscat
- Pegasus Airlines PC (A320, 737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Qantas QF (A380, 777-300ER) · 1 route: Dubai*
- Qatar Airways QR (787-8) · 1 route: Doha
- Royal Air Maroc AT (737-800, 737-700) · 1 route: Casablanca
- SATA International S4 (A319, A321) · 1 route: Lisbon*
- Singapore Airlines Cargo SQ (A380) · 1 route: Singapore
- Skynet Airlines SI (ATR 42, AT4) · 1 route: Jersey
- South African Airways SA (A330-300, A340-300) · 1 route: Johannesburg*
- SriLankan Airlines UL (A330-200) · 1 route: Muscat
- Thai Airways International TG (A340-600) · 1 route: Bangkok
- Travel Service QS (ATR 72) · 1 route: Prague
- Turkish Airlines TK (A320, A321, 737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Ukraine International Airlines PS (A320, 735, 73N) · 1 route: Kiev
- Vueling Airlines VY (A319, A320) · 1 route: Barcelona
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Hausen am Albis Airfield 14 km to the centre
Hausen am Albis, ZH, CH
Buttwil Airfield 20 km to the centre
Buttwil, AG, CH
Birrfeld Airfield 24 km to the centre
Lupfig, AG, CH
Wangen-Lachen Airfield 31 km to the centre
Wangen, SZ, CH
Regional airports
Further out, but often the cheapest way in — the airports the low-cost carriers use. Each links to its own town's guide for getting from there into the city.
EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg (BSL) 80 km to the centre
Bâle / Mulhouse, GES, FR — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 21 airlines (easyJet, Swiss International Air Lines, TUIfly, Air Berlin…) · direct flights to 66 destinations incl. Amsterdam, Brussels, Catania, Frankfurt, Gran Canaria… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Feeder airport · 80 km from Zürich · easyJet, Swiss International Air Lines, TUIfly · Getting around Basel →
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 21 airlines, 66 direct destinations
- easyJet U2 (A319, A320) · 45 routes: Ajaccio, Alicante, Amsterdam, Antalya, Barcelona, Berlin, Bordeaux, Brindisi, Brussels, Budapest, Cagliari, Catania, Copenhagen, Dresden, Edinburgh, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Hamburg, Keflavik, Krakow, Larnaca, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Malaga, Manchester, Marrakech, Montpellier, Nantes, Naples, Nice, Olbia, Palma de Mallorca, Porto, Pristina, Rome, Santiago, Sevilla, Split … +5 more
- Swiss International Air Lines LX (AR1, CRJ-700, A319, CRJ-900, Dash 8-400) · 9 routes: Barcelona*, Brussels*, Frankfurt*, Hamburg*, London*, Munich*, Prague*, Rome*, Vienna*
- TUIfly X3 (737-800) · 9 routes: Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gran Canaria, Heraklion, Kos, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodos, Tenerife, Zweibruecken
- Air Berlin AB (A320, A319, A321, 737-800) · 7 routes: Catania, Gran Canaria, Heraklion, Ibiza, London*, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (CRJ-700, AR1, CRJ-900) · 3 routes: Frankfurt, Hamburg*, Munich*
- Air France AF (F70, Embraer 190, ATR 72) · 2 routes: Amsterdam*, Paris
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (F70, EMJ, ATR 72) · 2 routes: Amsterdam*, Paris*
- Pegasus Airlines PC (737-800, A320) · 2 routes: Istanbul, Izmir
- Ryanair FR (737-800) · 2 routes: Dublin, London
- Scandinavian Airlines System SK (CRJ-700, CRJ-900) · 2 routes: Frankfurt, Munich
- SunExpress XQ (737-800) · 2 routes: Antalya, Izmir
- Air Mauritius MK (ATR 72) · 1 route: Paris*
- American Airlines AA (A319, A320) · 1 route: London*
- Austrian Airlines OS (Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Vienna*
- Belair Airlines 4T (A320) · 1 route: Hurghada
- British Airways BA (A319, A320, A321) · 1 route: London
- Brussels Airlines SN (A319, AR1) · 1 route: Brussels
- Germanwings 4U (CRJ) · 1 route: Duesseldorf
- Meridiana IG (A320) · 1 route: Catania*
- Tunisair TU (A320) · 1 route: Djerba
- Turkish Airlines TK (737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Bodensee Airport Friedrichshafen (FDH) 82 km to the centre
Friedrichshafen, BW, DE — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 6 airlines (Intersky, Air Berlin, Germania, Germanwings…) · direct flights to 12 destinations incl. Palma de Mallorca, Antalya, Berlin, Cologne, Duesseldorf… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Feeder airport · 82 km from Zürich · Intersky, Air Berlin, Germania · Getting around Friedrichshafen →
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 6 airlines, 12 direct destinations
- Intersky 3L (ATR 72, Dash 8-300) · 6 routes: Berlin, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Marina Di Campo, Olbia, Zadar
- Air Berlin AB (A320) · 2 routes: Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca
- Germania ST (737-700) · 2 routes: Antalya, Palma de Mallorca
- Germanwings 4U (A319, CRJ) · 1 route: Cologne
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (CRJ-700) · 1 route: Frankfurt*
- Turkish Airlines TK (737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Bern Airport (BRN) 92 km to the centre
Bern, BE, CH — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day. ✈ 1 airline (SkyWork Airlines) · direct flights to 12 destinations incl. Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Feeder airport · 92 km from Zürich · SkyWork Airlines · Getting around Bern (Berne), Switzerland →
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 1 airline, 12 direct destinations
- SkyWork Airlines SX (D38) · 12 routes: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Ibiza, London, Marina Di Campo, Munich, Olbia, Palma de Mallorca, Vienna
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Getting there by ferry
Zürich Bürkliplatz (See)
Ferry terminal · 1.3 km from the centre · ZSG
Zürich Bellevue (See)
Ferry terminal · 1.5 km from the centre · ZSG
Zürich Storchen
Ferry terminal · 1.7 km from the centre · ZSG
Zürich Limmatquai
Ferry terminal · 1.8 km from the centre · ZSG
Zürich Wollishofen (See)
Ferry terminal · 1.9 km from the centre · ZSG
Zürich Landesmuseum
Ferry terminal · 2.3 km from the centre · ZSG
Bürkliplatz - Wollishofen
Ferry route
Bürkliplatz - Zürichhorn
Ferry route
3731: Minirundfahrt
Ferry route · ZSG
Zürichhorn - Tiefenbrunnen
Ferry route · ZSG
Tiefenbrunnen - Zollikon
Ferry route · ZSG
Wollishofen - Zollikon
Ferry route · ZSG
Wollishofen - Kilchberg
Ferry route
Kilchberg - Bürkliplatz
Ferry route
Where things are
Local search powered by Geoverts and geo-intelligence by Better Mapping
base map © OSM
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
Tourist season
May – September
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Shoulder season
April, October
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Worth avoiding
Deep winter
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Zürich Airport (ZRH); 5 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: ZRH has direct flights to 137 destinations on 71 airlines (incl. Lisbon, Vienna, Berlin, Istanbul, London…). By water: 6 ferry terminals within 20 km (nearest: Zürich Bürkliplatz (See), 1.3 km); routes include Bürkliplatz - Wollishofen, Bürkliplatz - Zürichhorn, 3731: Minirundfahrt.
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Zürich, Switzerland. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Local transit
Bus · Schedules & GTFS data (official feed)
Trains & rail
Rail operator
National rail
National rail
Coaches & shuttles
Intercity coach
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Charter, management · Large-cabin & VIP airliners · Geneva-based operator known for large-cabin and VIP airliner charters.
Charter, management, FBO, MRO · Managed fleet worldwide · General Dynamics company: charter, completions and FBOs in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.
Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.
Tours & experiences
Sightseeing
Sightseeing · from CHF 35/pp