Zurich, our home

Zurich sits where the Limmat leaves the lake, and most of what visitors come for lies within a twenty-minute walk of that point. On the left bank, Bahnhofstrasse runs from the main station down to the water; on the right, the lanes of the Niederdorf climb past guild houses towards the twin towers of the Grossmünster. On a clear day the Glarus Alps close the view at the far end of the lake.

It is a city that starts work early and swims at lunchtime. From May to September the river and lake baths fill with people from the offices nearby, and the wooden decks of Seebad Enge and the Frauenbad become bars after dark. West of the main station, the former industrial quarter is now where the city goes for dinner: railway arches filled with shops, a market hall, and kitchens in converted factory buildings.

If Zurich is where you change planes rather than where you stay, the city is still within reach. Trains leave the station beneath the terminal for the centre every few minutes, so a long connection leaves time for a walk along the Limmat, coffee in the old town and the view from the Lindenhof before you return for your onward flight.