Zürich is a compact, picturesque city that’s perfect for exploring on foot, especially the historic Old Town district.
In just an hour or two, you can stroll through charming cobblestone lanes, cross scenic bridges over the Limmat River, and take in some of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
This self-guided walking tour visits Zürich’s most popular highlights and a few hidden gems, with a route designed to keep things interesting for both adults and kids. Along the way, you’ll find family-friendly stops like playgrounds, peaceful parks, and even chocolate shops.
Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a local looking to rediscover your city, this walk is a delightful way to experience Zürich in any season.
Contents
| Location: | Zurich City |
| Address: | Start & End: Zurich Hauptbahnhof (Main Station) |
| By car: | parking available at Mythenquai 21, 8002 Zürich |
| By transit: | start at Zurich HB |
| Trail: | 5 km loop, can be easily shortened |
| Condition: | paved, some stairs (with alternative for strollers) |
| Skill: | easy |
| Open: | year round, best April through October |
Walking Tour Route
The Zürich old town district is a relatively small area on both sides of the Limmat river, stretching from the Zürich HB train station south to the lake.
My suggested route below visit the main highlights, covering similar areas as most guided walking tours.
This route starts at the Zürich main station and ends at the lake. It takes about one hour, walking 3.4 km (2.1 mi). But feel free to wander off route, exploring any side street that looks interesting.
See route on Komoot • OutdoorActive
If you want a longer route to visit more landmarks and viewpoints, see my Zurich Old Town Loop route, which takes about 2-2.5 hours.
Guided walking tours
If you want more historical and cultural info for your tour, there are lots of Zurich walking tours online, many available as phone apps.
- Free Walk Zurich – excellent free walking tour, but please tip
- Zurich tourism lists many Zurich city apps here.
- My Switzerland City Guide App
- GPSmyCity has a Zurich app with walking tours
Photo story of walking tour
1. Start at Zürich HB train station
When you leave the Zurich main station, you’ll be on the busy Bahnhofstrasse, where there are lots of shops and trams going by. Don’t worry, this is the busiest part of the walk. Most of it is in pedestrian-only zones.
Follow the map to turn east on Uraniastrasse and walk to the bridge over the river. When you reach the bridge, turn south on Henri-Steg right after Schweizer Heimatwerk, as shown below.
*Stroller detour: If you have a stroller and need to avoid stairs, turn on the street just before the Schweizer Heimatwerk, head up the hill on the cobblestone street, veering left and following signs up to the Lindenhof. It should look like this.
Follow the path along the river for a bit. Along the “Schipfe” there is a nice area with benches and cute boutiques.
2. Lindenhof
Near these benches, take a right and head up the hill on these stairs.
On your right behind a gate, you’ll find a small playground, park, and free toilets.
Turn left and walk up to the Lindenhof, a big park
Walk over to the wall to get a a lovely view of the Limmat river and Zurich old town.
To the south, you can see the Grossmünster and sometimes the alps in the distance.
Across the river, you can see the University of Zürich and ETH on the hill.
There is a swing set and big chess board at the back of the Lindenhof.
3. Augustinergasse
Leave the park and walk down this path back into the old town.
Turn right and walk over to Augustinergasse, one of the most photographed streets in Zurich with the fun multi-colored buildings lining the street.
Walk to the end of this lane to get a nice pic going the other direction.
Then walk back up to continue your walk to St Peter’s church.
4. St Peter’s Church
From Augustinergasse, turn left and follow the narrow lane south to St. Peter’s church, with the biggest clockface in Europe.
Walk down the alley on your left towards the river. Cross the Rathausbrücke bridge to visit the Niederdorf neighborhood on the east side of the river.
5. Niederdorf & Hirschenplatz
Head up to Hirschenplatz, a lively square and heart of this neighborhood.
The Swiss Chuchi restaurant is popular with tourists for trying traditional Swiss food, like raclette and fondue.
This wall has this interesting painting of old Zurich.
Lots of cafes and bars in this area.
6. Predigerkirche
This street ends at the Prediger nice church with a cute sundial.
After the church, walk down the narrow Predigergasse lane.
Turn right and walk down Spielgasse passing this nice fountain.
If you need a break, stop at Cafe 1842 for a delicious hot chocolate.
Then turn left and walk through the Niederdorf streets towards Zwingliplatz and the Grossmünster.
7. Grossmünster
Here is the most famous landmark in Zürich, the two towers of the Grossmünster cathedral.
You can enter the cathedral for free. If you want to climb the tower, it’s a small fee.
There is a nice open space in front of the Grossmünster.
This small model of the Grossmünster was created so visually impaired people can experience the architecture of the building with their hands.
Next, walk down the stairs in front of the Grossmünster and cross the river to the Fraumünster. From the bridge, you can get nice pics of the Grossmünster.
I also suggest walking just below the bridge so you can have the Grossmünster and bridge in the photo.
8. Fraumünster cathedral
This is the Münsterhof square and Fraumunster cathedral. For a fee, you can enter the cathedral and see the famous Chagall stained glass windows.
This square has a few cafes, nice coffee at ViCafe, and lots of chairs for a rest.
Make sure to walk through the courtyard next to the Fraumünster that is filled with murals that tell the story of this place.
Detour: For chocolate, it’s a 2 min walk from Fraumünster, it’s a short walk to the Sprüngli at Paradeplatz.
From Fraumünster, walking along the river towards the lake.
Just before reaching the lake, the Bürkliplatz plaza is on your right. On Tuesday and Friday mornings, you’ll find a farmer’s market here.
9. Sechseläutenplatz & Opera House
Turn left and walk across the bridge towards Bellevue. You can get some really nice pics of the cathedrals from the bridge.
Cross through the Bellevue tram stop to end up at the Sechselautenplatz plaza in front of the Zürich opera house.
If you’re hungry, grab a Bratwurst at Sternen Grill and eat it at this plaza.
If you are done walking, you can catch a tram at Bellevue back to the Zürich HB train station.
Extra credit
For a nice view of the city, go to the Central tram stop and cross the street to the Polybahn funicular, which will take you up to the Polyterrasse viewpoint. If you already have a city tram ticket, it works for the Polybahn too.
At the top of the Polybahn, turn right and walk to the ETH Polyterrace for another great view of Zurich, this time looking west. Plenty of room for the kids to run around safely.
Ride back down the Polybahn and walk back to the Zurich main station. Hope you enjoyed the walk!
4 responses
Thank you for writing this tour article. Looking forward to walking it tomorrow !
This was a wonderful walking tour for our family of four with two young kids. You wrote it very clearly and the directions were quite easy to follow even through we were not from this country. Thank you for making this free and publicly available to visiting parents.
Glad you had a nice time!