This easy walk strolls along the eastern banks of Lake Zurich, a popular promenade for both city dwellers and out-of-towners. Along the way, you’ll find cafes, food stands, benches, a playground, and grassy lawns for lounging.
We like this walk for the lovely views and people watching on weekend afternoons or any nice evening when all of Zurich comes out to stroll and enjoy city life.
| Location: | Zurich City |
| Address: | Start: Zurich Bellevue End: Zurihorn |
| By car: | parking available at Opernhaus |
| By transit: | 10 mins from Zurich HB |
| Trail: | 3 km one way |
| Condition: | paved |
| Skill: | easy |
| Open: | year round |
Trail Map
We typically start our walk at Zurich Bellevue, near the Opera house, and end at Zurihorn, about 30 mins (1.8 km). You can walk back the way you came or catch a boat, bus or tram back to the city.
The whole area is a pedestrian only zone, so kids can run around freely. There are several cafes, drinking fountains, street vendors, and toiles along this walk.
The kids love the big playground near China Garden and the fun stepping stones hidden behind the trees. At about halfway, there is a big playground and park with large grassy areas for lounging and sports. Outside summer, you can walk through the Tiefenbrunnen Strandbad, aka swimming area.
See the map to see all the stuff I’ve marked for kids on the map, like the playground, stepping stones, ice cream stand, etc.
Getting There
By public transport: If you are already in the city, simply take a tram to Bellevue. The closest train station is Stadelhofen, from which you can simply walk over to the lake front. If you arrive at Zürich main station, take tram 11 to Bellevue.
By car: If you are driving to Zurich, it’s probably easiest to park in the Opernhaus parking garage. Or you could park at the end of the walk at Zurich Chinese Garden parking near Tiefenbrunnen (near Bellerivestrasse 181, 8008 Zürich). Or Hafen Enge metered parking (Mythenquai 88, 8002 Zürich).
On the walk
The walk starts at Bürkliplatz and crosses the bridge with a nice view of the city to the north.
And a nice view of the lake to the south.
Even nicer at sunset.
The swan gather near the bridge. My kids love to feed them bread, but the swans can get really aggressive so watch out.
On weekends and evenings, this area can be very crowded with rowdy groups and street performers. So keep little ones close until the crowds thin out a little further down the lake.
In summer, you can rent Pedalo boats and motor boats.
These trees near the Utoquai swimming area are nice all year round, but we love the colors in fall. There is a drinking fountain and public WC here.
Continue walking down the lake under the tree canopy.
On weekends and nice evenings, lots of street vendors line the path, including ice cream stands like this one. In colder weather, you’ll see roasted chestnut stands.
Here is the big grassy field near China garden. Bring a ball to kick around.
We love this enclosed playground at China Garden that has a fence around it to keep little one contained and strangers at bay. In summer, it has a splash pad that randomly sprays water in the air to delight and soak the kids.
At the southwest corner of the grassy field, there is a little pond hidden behind the trees with these fun stepping stones. The kids love running back and forth on these. We’ve only had one kid fall in, but don’t worry, it’s very shallow.
At the south end of the park, there are lots of benches along the lake for enjoying the lake view.
Sometimes you’ll find art or concerts or even outdoor movies at Zurihorn.
Want more? Check out the other Zurich City Walks for Families.
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