48 Hours in Zurich Switzerland

48 Hours in Zurich

Happy Wanderlust Wednesday! If you’ve been reading our site for the past few weeks (or years!) you know that Jason + I were in Europe this past fall. I already shared about our 48 hours in London, the Lake Como workshop we were a part of, our week in Puglia, our Florence & Siena Italy Guide, and today I’m sharing the last part of our trip – starting with a 48 hour stay in Zurich, Switzerland!

We combined this stop in Zurich with a stay in the Alps (coming next week) which I thought was a great mix of a fun city vibe and the gorgeous Swiss landscape. I think Zurich would be great to mix in with other Swiss cities or Austria or Germany. Swiss Air has a hub in Zurich, so lots of flights in and out here – plus trains of course :)

One important thing to note – esp if you plan to just spend a short time in Zurich, the town pretty much closes on Sundays. No shops are open and very few restaurants. Just something to keep in mind – esp if you are planning a short stop here like we did :)

25hours Hotel Zurich Langstrasse

25hours Hotel Zurich Langstrasse

25hours Hotel Zurich Langstrasse

25hours Hotel Zurich Langstrasse

Where to Stay

We stayed at the 25hours Hotel Zurich Langstrasse in the Langstrasse part of Zurich. Think Ace Hotel but with a bit more colorful design elements. We LOVED our room and the overall vibe of the hotel – plus great food at their restaurant (more on that later!). It’s right next to the train station which was fun to watch all the trains come in – plus loved they have a record player in the room. Something about playing records in a hotel room on a rainy morning …. :)

It’s an easy 15 min walk from the train station (we took the train from the Zurich airport), so getting here is easy. You can also walk to lots of shops and restaurants right in this area. The Old Town of Zurich is just a 20 min walk which we did the one day – really nice walk, but it was a bit rainy while we were there.

Where to Eat

NENI – This is the restaurant at the 25hours Hotel Zurich Langstrasse and was SO GOOD! I love when the hotel has a great restaurant! Just makes some of the travel easier – esp since we were traveling with our 1 year old and 4 year old. :) The breakfast was one of my faves in Europe – breakfast bar with overnight oats and lots of toppings (chia seeds, nuts, fruit), plus they had eggs and GREAT coffee. My perfect breakfast. :) We also had dinner here the first night. It was SO good (and after almost 2 weeks in Italy was nice to have something totally different!) The food is described as eclectic, eastern Mediterranean cuisine. We had (all of which I recommend!) – the hummus plate, the Korean Fried Chicken Salad (SOOO GOOD!) and the Jerusalem Teller. YUM! The bar at the hotel also had lots of great cocktails.

Zeughauskeller – While in Switzerland, we wanted to experience some of the more traditional food, and this place came highly recommended – plus was open on Sunday which was great since as I mentioned a lot of restaurants weren’t open on Sunday! This restaurant has total Germany-Swiss-artillery vibes and reminded me of the beer tents in Germany. Great for a beer and sausage – also very busy, so expect to wait a bit but the atmosphere is very fun + lively.

Jack & Jo – This cute place described itself as “slow fast food”. Lots of great options for a healthy meal – as well as fresh juice + cocktails. It was right down the street from our hotel.

Zurich Switzerland

Zurich Switzerland

Pinecone Wall in Zurich

Zurich Switzerland

Zurich Switzerland

What to Do

Zurich is a great city to just walk around and explore. Our first day we explored the Langstrasse area (where our hotel was). This is a creative area of town – always my fave part of town to stay in since they typically have the best food + cutest shops! And Langstrasse did not disappoint! We popped in and out shops and grabbed a drink at one of the cute cafes on Langstrasse.

Our second morning, we woke up to rain (which was nice), but a bit chilly to walk around, so we got a late start to the day and then walked over to the Old Town (Altstadt). That is where all the photos above are from. Loved looking at the different color homes and this area is great to just stop and enjoy a coffee outside and take it all in. Since it was Sunday, all the shops were closed but there are cute shops in this area as well (and this is where Zeughauskeller is located). If the weather had been nicer we were going to take a boat ride on the river – I think that would be a fun way to enjoy the city!

Zurich Switzerland

Have any of you been to Zurich? What did you do and love? I’d love to hear in the comments! And sharing the second part of our Swiss adventures next Wednesday :)

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