The Limmat, the Grossmünster and the old town, seen from across the river.

Where to stay in Zurich

Stay in Zurich for a lake and river you can actually swim in, with free public baths a few minutes from the main station and an airport 10 to 15 minutes away by train. For an old town built around two mountain railways instead of a lake, stay in Lucerne.

10-15minutes by train from Zurich Airport to the main station400metres of free swimming channel in the Limmat, at Flussbad Oberer Letten178steps up the Uetliberg observation tower, 70 m tall

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Hotels in Zurich, live prices

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Zurich at a glance

Why Zurich

Because you can swim in the middle of a Swiss city: free river and lake baths sit minutes from the main station, and the Zürich Card turns a stay here into one ticket covering the whole transport network, plus free entry to the Grossmünster tower and the Swiss National Museum.

Where to sleep

First stay or a short city break: Niederdorf and the old town, three minutes on foot from the main station. Here for the lake and the baths: Bürkliplatz and the quays. Looking for a quieter, converted setting instead: Zurich West or the Hürlimann Areal.

Watch out

Exact opening dates for the lake and river baths are set by the city’s sports department each year and are not published by the tourist office, so confirm them locally before you plan a swim around your stay.

Zurich, before you book

Zurich sits at 408 metres, where a lake narrows into a river, and that water shapes almost everything else about a stay here: the Limmat splits the old town in two, and free public baths sit minutes from wherever you land. The airport train reaches the main station in 10 to 15 minutes, with departures every 5 to 10 minutes from 05:00 to midnight, so the city starts almost as soon as the plane does. Unlike the car-free villages on this site, Zurich allows cars too.

Three areas decide where to sleep. Around Niederdorf and Rennweg, the old town keeps you three minutes on foot from the main station, among shops by day and bars by night. Along Bürkliplatz and the lake quays, a waterside park and the public baths put swimming at the centre of a stay rather than at its edge. Further out, Zurich West and the Hürlimann Areal trade the old streets for a converted industrial quarter and an old brewery site with its own rooftop spa pool.

The choice of hotels runs from the Baur au Lac, opened in 1844 in its own lakeside park, and the nine historic buildings of the Widder on Rennweg, to family-run addresses like the Marktgasse and the Adler in the old town, and a youth hostel south of the centre. Our dated price samples show the two grand hotels costing noticeably more in summer than in winter, while the two mid-range old-town addresses vary little between the seasons; of those four, the Adler comes out least expensive.

The lake and river baths are the main event in summer, alongside the Street Parade on 8 August 2026, while spring brings the guild parade and the Böögg of Sechseläuten, on 20 April 2026. Winter trims the Grossmünster tower to shorter hours, 10:00 to 17:00, but the ZSG boats keep sailing from Bürkliplatz all year. Whenever you come, the trip itself is short: about 10 to 15 minutes by train from Zurich Airport to a station in the middle of it all.

Summer or winter?

Pick a season, or set your dates above: prices and advice follow.

Summer in Zurich

Where to stay this season

Sleep near Bürkliplatz or the lake quays this season, so the Flussbad Oberer Letten, the Seebad Enge and the women-only Frauenbad are all a short walk rather than a tram ride, and allow extra time if you are here for the Street Parade in August, when the lake basin fills with crowds.

400 m

free swimming channel in the Limmat at Flussbad Oberer Letten

CHF 8

entry to Seebad Enge, with 44 m lanes on Mythenquai

8.8.2026

Street Parade, around the lake basin

Sources: zuerich.com, checked 16 September 2026.

8 hotels in Zurich, from budget to top end

Mid-range

Hotel Marktgasse

Marktgasse, old town · 4 stars

From

CHF 356/ night

Summer average CHF 355

Marktgasse 17 sits in a restored fifteenth-century building the hotel calls one of the oldest inns in Zurich, with 39 individually furnished rooms running from a Tiny Room up to a Historic Double Room. The same group runs Molino, Le Lacustre and Frascati, and in our dated samples a night here costs about the same whether you come in winter or summer.

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Mid-range

Hotel Adler

Rosengasse, Niederdorf · 3 stars

From

CHF 355/ night

Summer average CHF 355

In the middle of the old town at Rosengasse 10, the Adler offers ten room categories, from Standard Single to Grand Family Room, all air-conditioned. Its restaurant, Swiss Chuchi, began as the first fondue parlour in Zurich’s old town, and of the four hotels in this guide with a dated price sample, the Adler is the least expensive.

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Top end

Storchen Zürich

Weinplatz, on the Limmat · 5 stars

From

CHF 898/ night

Summer average CHF 900

Right on the Limmat at Weinplatz 2, with the Grossmünster across the water, the Storchen has 64 rooms and suites and a rooftop bar, THE NEST. Its river terrace opens from May to October, so a summer stay puts you at the water’s edge without ever leaving the hotel.

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Top end

Widder Hotel

Rennweg, old town · 5 stars

From

CHF 1'042/ night

Summer average CHF 1'040

Assembled from nine historic buildings on Rennweg, the Widder has 49 rooms and suites plus five residences, and enough addresses of its own to fill an evening: the Widder Restaurant, the Boucherie AuGust, the Widder Bar, Soï 28 and the Widder Garden. Among the hotels with a dated price sample in this guide, it is the one where summer nights cost the most.

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Baur au Lac

Talstrasse, lake basin

No price collected on our sample dates

Opened in 1844 and still run by the seventh generation of the same family, the Baur au Lac stands in its own park on the shore of the lake, at Talstrasse 1. Dinner can mean the Marguita or Baur’s Brasserie & Bar, and the hotel even runs its own wine shop, Baur au Lac Vins.

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B2 Boutique Hotel + Spa

Hürlimann Areal

No price collected on our sample dates

On the old Hürlimann brewery site at Brandschenkestrasse 152, the B2 Boutique Hotel has 60 rooms and suites, a library of 33,000 books and direct access to the Hürlimannbad & Spa and its rooftop pool. It suits a stay where the spa is part of the plan rather than an afterthought.

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25hours Hotel Zurich West

Pfingstweidstrasse, Zurich West

No price collected on our sample dates

In the former industrial quarter of Zurich West, at Pfingstweidstrasse 102, the 25hours Hotel has 123 rooms and suites designed by Alfredo Häberli around a sport theme, with sports equipment in every room. Dinner is Italian, at the in-house Ribelli, or a drink at the Maxi-Bar.

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Zurich Youth Hostel

Mutschellenstrasse, Wollishofen

No price collected on our sample dates

Run by the Swiss Youth Hostels association at Mutschellenstrasse 114 in Wollishofen, south of the centre, the hostel has its own restaurant and bar, a 24-hour reception and barrier-free access. It is the practical choice for a stay built around budget rather than the old town or the lake quays.

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Prices: lowest and average nightly rate seen on Booking.com for 2 adults and 1 room, on 2 winter dates and 1 summer dates, collected on September 16, 2026. They are indicative, the real price depends on your dates. Hotel facts come from each hotel’s own website. Some hotel links are affiliate links.

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Where to stay, area by area

The Old Town: Niederdorf, Lindenhof, Rennweg

597 m, about 3 minutes, from the main station

This is the compact core you reach first from the station, the pedestrian Niederdorf busy with shops by day and bars by night, with the Grossmünster and the Swiss National Museum both within a few minutes on foot. It suits a short stay built around the old town and its sights, with everything close enough to cover without transport. In exchange, you are a walk away from the lake itself and the baths along its quays.

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The lake basin: Bürkliplatz and the quays

Mythenquai, Utoquai, Seefeld

Here the city turns towards the water: a lakeside park runs along the quays, with Bürkliplatz as its centre and the departure point for the ZSG boats, and the lake baths line the same shore. It suits anyone building a stay around swimming and the water, from the Baur au Lac in its own lakeside park to the public baths a short walk away. The trade-off is distance from the shops and bars of the old town.

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Zurich West and the Hürlimann Areal

Pfingstweidstrasse and Brandschenkestrasse

Zurich West is the former industrial quarter along Pfingstweidstrasse, and the neighbouring Hürlimann Areal turns an old brewery site into a hotel with its own rooftop spa pool. It suits a stay built around contemporary design and the Hürlimannbad & Spa rather than the old town’s streets, and the youth hostel sits further south again, in Wollishofen. In exchange, both the lake quays and the old town sights are a longer walk or a tram ride away.

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What to do in Zurich

Zurich is not short of things to do, but a handful of places give a stay its shape, on the water, above the rooftops or behind the old town’s walls. These are the ones we would plan a day around, with the figures published by Zürich Tourismus and the ZSG boat operator themselves.

On foot

Two short walks

The Planet Trail on the Uetlibergabout 2 hours · scale 1 metre to 1 million km
An easy family walk laid out at a scale of one metre to one million kilometres, running from the sun to Pluto past all eight planets. Zürich Tourismus counts about two hours for the full route, so it fits into a half day without crowding the rest of your plans.
Niederdorf, the old town promenade597 m · about 3 minutes from the main station
A pedestrian route running parallel to the Limmatquai, through Niederdorf and Oberdorf as far as Bellevue, 597 metres and about three minutes from the main station. It is the natural way to link a hotel near the station to an evening in the old town’s bars.

Up the mountain

On the water

The lake cruisesfrom Bürkliplatz · mini cruise 1 h to long cruise 4.5 h
ZSG runs cruises of very different lengths from Bürkliplatz, from a one-hour mini cruise up to a 4.5-hour long cruise with catering on board, plus a three-hour upper-lake cruise on weekends and holidays. Pick the short or standard cruise if the point is simply to see the shoreline, and the long one if you want a meal included.
The Limmat river cruisefrom the Landesmuseum · about 1 hour
A shorter option along the river itself, about one hour, departing from beside the Swiss National Museum rather than from Bürkliplatz. It suits a stay in the old town, where the boat is a few minutes on foot rather than a tram ride away.

Typical here

A tower and three baths

Grossmünster, Karlsturm187 steps · CHF 5, free with the Zürich Card
The church stands on the graves of the city’s patron saints, Felix and Regula, and its Karlsturm climbs 187 steps to a platform with six large panoramic windows. Inside, look for the stained glass by Sigmar Polke and the choir windows by Augusto Giacometti, and remember the climb is free if you carry a Zürich Card.
The lake and river bathsFlussbad Oberer Letten, Seebad Enge, Frauenbad Stadthausquai
Three baths line the water: the Flussbad Oberer Letten gives free access to a 400 m channel in the Limmat, the Seebad Enge on Mythenquai has 44 m lanes, and the art nouveau Frauenbad at Stadthausquai is reserved for women except on the three evenings a week it becomes the Barfussbar. Pick the Flussbad if the budget matters and the Frauenbad for the setting, and check hours locally since neither publishes a fixed season on the tourist office page.

Where to eat

Restaurant Bar Seebad EngeMythenquai 9
Zürich Tourismus lists this address among the city’s bars and lounges, right at the Seebad Enge on Mythenquai, with a sauna running outside the swimming season. It works as a stop before or after a swim, or on its own once the lake bath itself has closed for the year.
Swiss Chuchi, at Hotel AdlerRosengasse 10 · Mon-Fri 11:30-23:15, Sat-Sun 12:00-23:15
By the hotel’s own account, this began as the first fondue parlour in Zurich’s old town and now serves Swiss cheese and meat specialities, at Rosengasse 10. It opens daily, Monday to Friday 11:30 to 23:15 and weekends from noon, so a late lunch is easy to fit in.

Times, fares and figures come from Zürich Tourismus and ZSG, checked on 16 September 2026. We publish no ratings and no route descriptions: check conditions on the spot before you set off.

Found your area? Check what is still free in Zurich.

Prices and availability change daily in the Alps, especially in July, August and over Christmas.

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Airport, card, network

The Zürich Card

The Zürich Card buys unlimited second-class travel on the whole city transport network for 24 or 72 hours, the airport transfer included, plus free entry to the Grossmünster tower and the Swiss National Museum. Buy it at the airport station itself, so the very first ride into town is already covered.

From the airport

Trains run every 5 to 10 minutes between 05:00 and midnight and reach the main station in 10 to 15 minutes, for CHF 7 single or CHF 14 on a day pass that also covers the rest of your day. Tram 10 takes about 35 minutes at the same fare, and a taxi runs CHF 45 to 70 for 10 to 20 minutes, worth it mainly with heavy luggage or a late landing.

One ticket for everything

The Zurich Transport Association, ZVV, unifies trams, buses, trains, boats, funiculars and cable cars under a single ticket, so one purchase covers a day that mixes a tram to the old town, a boat from Bürkliplatz and a cable car up the Uetliberg without buying separately for each leg.

Parking

Unlike several of the car-free villages on this site, Zurich allows cars, but no official page describes a dedicated visitor parking scheme for the city. Arrange parking directly with your hotel before you arrive, rather than counting on finding a space nearby.

Driving on from Zurich? Compare rental prices and check the vignette, the winter rules and the passes before you book.

Car rental in Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

How do I get from the airport into town?

By train in 10 to 15 minutes, with departures every 5 to 10 minutes from 05:00 to midnight, for CHF 7 single or CHF 14 on a day pass that is free if you already hold a Zürich Card. Tram 10 takes about 35 minutes at the same fare, and a taxi costs CHF 45 to 70 for 10 to 20 minutes, worth it mainly with heavy luggage.

Can you really swim in the city?

Yes. The Flussbad Oberer Letten has a free 400 m swimming channel in the Limmat, less than a kilometre from the main station, and the Seebad Enge on Mythenquai has 44 m lanes for CHF 8. Sleep near Bürkliplatz or the lake quays if a daily swim matters to your stay, since both baths are then a walk rather than a tram ride away.

What is the Frauenbad?

An art nouveau open-air bath for women at Stadthausquai, first built in 1837 and rebuilt in 1888, which turns into the Barfussbar three evenings a week, when men are also admitted. Plan a women-only swim outside those three evenings, and check the current schedule locally since opening dates for the season are not published by the tourist office.

Is the Zürich Card worth it?

It gives unlimited travel on the city network for 24 or 72 hours plus the airport transfer, and free entry to the Grossmünster tower and the Swiss National Museum, which otherwise cost CHF 5 and CHF 13. Buy it at the airport station if you plan to use the transport network on your first day, so the transfer into town is covered from the start.

What happens at Sechseläuten?

On the Monday after the vernal equinox, around 3500 guild members parade from 15:00 and the Böögg, a 3.40 m snowman packed with fireworks, is burned at 18:00; in 2026 it falls on 20 April. Book an old-town room well ahead of that date if you want the parade route on your doorstep, since it runs from Bahnhofstrasse to Sechseläutenplatz.