Zürichsee Bootsfahrt & Rapperswil — Die Stadt der Rosen
The Lake Zurich boat trip (from the Bürkliplatz in central Zurich south along the entire length of the lake to Rapperswil — the medieval town at the southern end of the lake known as the 'City of Roses' for its rose garden on the castle hill, 1.5-2 hours each way by scheduled lake steamer): the Zürichsee boat services (operated by ZSG — Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft, with a fleet of historic Belle Époque paddle steamers and more recent motor vessels) are one of the most pleasant ways to experience Lake Zurich and the surrounding landscape of rolling hills, vineyard slopes, and the distant Alps.
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Rapperswil — The Rose Town at the Lake's Eastern End
Rapperswil (the medieval town at the upper end of Lake Zurich, 37km southeast of Zurich, accessible by ZSG boat from Bürkliplatz (1.5 hours, ¥24 one-way, the most scenic approach) or by S-Bahn S5/S7 (50 minutes, ¥12.40)) is built around its 13th-century castle (the Schloss Rapperswil, 1200s, the three pink towers above the lake, the castle houses the Polish Museum — one of the most significant Polish exile collections outside Poland — ¥8 adults, Tuesday–Sunday) and the Rosengarten (the rose garden on the castle hill, 15,000 rose bushes, 600+ varieties, free, peak bloom June–July, one of the largest rose gardens in Switzerland); the old town (the medieval market square, the wooden causeway across the lake to the Hurden peninsula) is the lakeside heritage destination.
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ZSG Lake Zurich Boat Services — The Full Day on the Water
ZSG (Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft, the Zurich Lake Navigation Company) operates the regular boat services on Lake Zurich — the Zurich–Rapperswil express boat (the fastest connection, 1 hour 10 minutes, ¥22 one-way) and the round lake tour (the full circuit of Lake Zurich including the Upper Lake to Schmerikon, ¥55 adults, 5.5 hours) are the principal routes; Swiss Travel Pass covers all ZSG regular services; the upper lake (the Obersee, the eastern extension of Lake Zurich from Rapperswil to Schmerikon, narrower and surrounded by farmland and apple orchards rather than suburban development) is the least-photographed and most peaceful section; the boat services operate April–October, reduced schedule November–March.
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Swiss Food Culture — Rösti, Fondue, and Raclette
Swiss cuisine (the three distinct regional traditions: the German-speaking majority tradition of rösti, Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, and Emmentaler cheese; the French-speaking tradition of fondue, raclette, and wine; and the Italian-speaking Ticino tradition of risotto, polenta, and grappa) is most accessible in Zurich restaurants — the Kronenhalle (Rämistrasse 4, the Zurich restaurant established 1924, the walls hung with original Picasso, Braque, Miró, and Chagall paintings that regular guests left as payment, the Geschnetzeltes Zürcher Art — veal strips in a cream and white wine sauce served on rösti — the benchmark version, ¥55 main) and the traditional fondue experience (the Zeughauskeller, Bahnhofstrasse 28a, ¥28/person, the medieval arsenal cellar, the fondue and raclette menu year-round) are the reference points.
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Zurich's Banking District — Bahnhofstrasse and the Vaults
Bahnhofstrasse (the 1.4km pedestrian shopping boulevard from Zurich HB to Bürkliplatz on the lake, the most expensive retail street in Switzerland and one of the most expensive in the world at ¥350–450/m² annual rent) is the commercial spine of the Swiss financial industry — the UBS and Credit Suisse (now absorbed by UBS) flagship offices, the private bank buildings (Julius Bär, Pictet, Lombard Odier — the Swiss private banks managing ¥3 trillion+ in assets collectively), and the Zurich Gold Exchange (the Swiss National Bank, Börsenstrasse 15) are the financial institutions; the surface of Bahnhofstrasse (the underground vaults beneath the street are rumoured to contain 40% of Swiss banking gold reserves, though this is unverified) is the Zurich heritage walk; the Sprüngli Confiserie (Paradeplatz, the most famous chocolate and coffee establishment in Switzerland, the Luxemburgerli — the Swiss macaron — ¥2.50 each, established 1859) is the essential stop.
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Swiss National Museum (Landesmuseum) — 6,000 Years of Swiss History
The Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum (Landesmuseum, Museumstrasse 2, directly behind Zurich HB, ¥10 adults, Tuesday–Sunday 10am–5pm, Thursday to 7pm, the new wing opened 2016 by Christ & Gantenbein architects) is the principal museum of Swiss history and culture — the permanent collection (prehistory including the Pfahlbaumuseum lake dwelling artifacts, the medieval armory — the most complete medieval Swiss armory in any museum, the 15th–17th century weapons, armor, and tournament equipment — the Reformation room documenting Zwingli's Zurich Reformation, and the applied arts from 1700–1950) covers Swiss history from the first lakeside settlements 6,000 years ago to the mid-20th century; the Schloss Wildegg (the 15th-century castle near Aarau, a satellite museum with the original 18th-century domestic interiors intact) is the complementary heritage site 40 minutes away.
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Stein am Rhein — The Medieval Town of Painted Facades
Stein am Rhein (the medieval town at the western end of Lake Constance, 50km north of Zurich, 50 minutes by S-Bahn S9 to Schaffhausen then S33, the town where the River Rhine exits Lake Constance) is the finest example of a completely preserved medieval townscape in Switzerland — the Rathausplatz (the town square where every building facade is painted with elaborate figurative frescoes — the armored knight of the Gasthof Sonne, the biblical scenes of the Weisser Adler — the painting tradition from the 16th–17th century, maintained and repainted by each building owner) and the Hohenklingen Castle (the medieval castle above the town, 15-minute walk, free exterior access, the interior a restaurant) make Stein am Rhein the day-trip alternative to Schaffhausen's Rhine Falls.