Attractions

Zurich has a rich history and many reminders of its past. There are 20 museums, nearly 100 galleries, and 24 archives (including one devoted to Thomas Mann). The historic buildings, religious monuments, and quays are worth discovering, as are the well-preserved homes of rich burghers, lovely parks, and gardens. Even if you don't have time to visit all those museums and galleries, a walk along the quays of Zurich shouldn't be missed.

You can also visit Uetliberg, southwest of Zurich, the northernmost peak in the Albis ridge.

The Top Attractions

The quays of Zurich, with their promenades, are among the city's most popular attractions. They're made for walking. The most famous is Limmatquai, in the center of Zurich. It begins at the Bahnhof Bridge and extends east to the Rathaus (town hall) and beyond. Many of the quays have lovely gardens. Uto Quai is the major promenade along Zurichsee (Lake Zurich), running from Badeanstalt Uto Quai (a swimming pool) to Bellevueplatz and Quai Brücke. The pool is open daily from 8am to 7pm. If you stroll as far as Mythenquai, you'll be following the lake along its western shore and out into the countryside.

An Open Sesame & Bargain Pass -- Inaugurated in 2003, the ZurichCARD offers 50% reduction on public transportation, free visits to 43 museums, reduced prices at the zoo, and a welcome drink at more than two dozen restaurants. The pass is widely available, sold at such outlets as the Zurich Main Rail Station, the airport, and at certain hotels. It costs 17F ($14/£7.30) for 24 hours or 34F ($28/£15) for 72 hours.

Zurich Street Parade by Caroline Sieg

You'll either flock to or flee from this bash, depending on your personality and music preferences. The Zurich Street Parade is one massive rave/techno dance party, filling the city streets for 1 day and night each August in an outdoor, over-the-top party. The event, meant to symbolize love, peace, freedom, generosity, and tolerance, started in 1992 with 2000 partiers and has mushroomed to attract more than half a million international visitors in 2007. Modeled after Berlin's Loveparade, the Zurich Street Parade kicks off on a Saturday in early August with a parade of floats (lovemobiles) blaring their way along city streets, each with its own dance and music theme. On my visit, my two favorite lovemobiles contained orange jumpsuit-clad revelers jamming to a hard-core techno beat and another featuring green angels swaying to trance. When I tired of dancing, I lounged at an outdoor table with a beer and enjoyed hours of prime people-watching. In three words: exuberant, energetic, and fun. And just as the party starts winding down (around 3am, when other, more bacchanalian parties move into private homes and hotel rooms), special cleaning vans sweep and clean the streets, leaving the town spotless and perfect by the next day -- only in Switzerland. If this is your thing, book early, or plan to stay in a nearby city such as Basel or Lucerne (both 1 hour away by train). If this sounds like your biggest nightmare, stay away, and if it sounds like your thing, come in and play. For dates and details, visit the Street Parade's official website, www.streetparade.ch.

Less raucous and a bit more historical and dignified, is Zurich's "Sechsenlauten" party, conducted on the third Monday of April. With origins going back to the mid-19th century, and centering around the Sechsenlauterplatz, near Zurich's Opera House, it celebrates the end of winter with as many pagan allegories as reasonably possible. It's sponsored by an association of Zurich's remaining guilds, and culminates in a parade and the symbolic "burning of the snowman," which symbolizes, perhaps somewhat unsubtly, the melting of the ice that can grip the human heart, the rebirth of life after a barren period of cold, and the beginning of spring.

Especially for Kids

There are 80 playgrounds in Zurich. For the one nearest your hotel, inquire either at your hotel or at the local tourist office. Most boat trips leave from the end of Bahnhofstrasse on the right. You may also combine a train ride with a trip to an attraction outside Zurich.

Select theaters also offer changing programs for children. Ask at the tourist office or get a copy of Zurich Weekly Official, available at most newsstands.

Several stores may be fun spots to visit with your kids. One of the largest toy shops in Europe, and one of the ones most richly stocked with high-tech American-style electronic games, is Kid's Town by Franz Carl Weber, Bahnhofstrasse 62 (tel. 044/255-78-78), which some Swiss parents criticize for too heavy an emphasis on the noisy, the computer-generated, and a sometimes violent super-heroes theme. More artfully old-fashioned is Pastorini, Weinplatz 3 (tel. 044/228-70-70). Pastorini specializes in wooden toys -- the kind your parents might have played with -- and is one of the biggest toy stores in Zurich, spread over five floors.

The best-stocked children's bookstore in Switzerland is Kinderbuchladen Zurich, Oberdorfstrasse 32 (tel. 044/265-30-00), which carries many English-language books.