Zurich handles being expensive better than almost any city in Europe. The prices are real and there is no arguing them away, but the things that define a summer here cost nothing. Locals swim in the river that runs through the middle of the city, entry to the riverside bathing places is free, and more than a thousand public fountains pour drinking water clean enough that nobody buys bottles. One correction while we are here: this is not the Swiss capital, whatever visitors assume.
The airport reaches the main station by train in about ten minutes, and that station is one of Europe's busiest, with fast services across Switzerland and into Germany, Austria and Italy. Hotels are where the money goes, and trade fairs and events push them higher without warning. Compare flights and hotels for Zurich at https://destination.chat and treat the room as the budget, because much of the rest is cheaper than you expect.
The old town straddles the river in two halves of stepped lanes and guild houses. The Grossmünster raises its twin towers on one bank, with a climb inside for the rooftop view, and the Fraumünster answers from the other with stained glass by Chagall. Saint Peter carries an enormous clock face above the lanes, the national museum sits beside the station, and north of the centre the old industrial quarter has filled its viaduct arches with shops and bars.
Where you stay sets the tone. In the old town around the Niederdorf lanes, boutique hotels sit within sight of the Grossmünster. Near the main station, mid-range and business hotels suit early trains and day trips. Out in the old industrial west, design hotels and apartment rentals stand among the viaduct arches, while along the lake in Seefeld, quieter hotels and apartments open onto the shore path and the bathing areas.
Trams and trains do everything and one ticket covers them, including the little railway up the city's own mountain for a view over lake and Alps. Boats cross the lake from the quay, guided walks explain the guild houses, and the day trips almost pick themselves: Lucerne, the broad falls on the Rhine and the painted village of Stein am Rhein. You can check guided tour and day trip prices at https://destination.chat and let public transport handle the rest.
Save a warm afternoon for the water. Walk upstream, get in, and let the current carry you down to a wooden platform where half the city is sunbathing, then stay as the bathing house turns into a bar at dusk. Mind the marked zones near the lake bridges, where boats and locks make swimming dangerous, and note that the river baths close for winter.
Q: Can you swim in the river in Zurich?
A: Yes, and locals do it daily in summer. The riverside bathing places are free and open seasonally, though some stretches near the lake bridges are closed to swimmers because of boat traffic and locks.
Q: Is Zurich the capital of Switzerland?
A: No. Bern is the capital, while Zurich is the largest city and the financial centre, which is why it is so often mistaken for it.
Q: Is Zurich very expensive?
A: Hotels and restaurants are, yes. Public fountains give free drinking water, the river and lake baths are free, and the lake paths and the local mountain cost little or nothing.
Q: What are the best day trips from Zurich?
A: Lucerne for its lake and covered bridge, the Rhine Falls for sheer volume of water, and Stein am Rhein for its painted facades, all reachable by train.
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