A LAYOVER IN ZURICH
This was a very short layover in Zürich, but we decided to take our chance and step out the airport and see this beautiful city. The airport is not very big so the exit was very fast, especially arriving early in the morning from USA.
As soon as we passed the passport control, we headed towards the main terminal, the central hub for all transportation from the airport. After a quick research, we found out that there is a short train ride from the main terminal to the city, but we were not sure how often the trains run. We followed the train signs and found the automatic ticket machine where we purchased round trip tickets for approx. $14.00 for 2nd class seat.
We bought the 24-period ticket, which will include also public transportation rides within the city. The trains are on the lower level and they run every 10-15 min towards the city. For the train time table, please go to www.sbb.ch Quick tip: Do not go down without buying the ticket, as there is no machine at the lower lever. Make sure you are on the right track as there are 4 tracks at the airport train station. The sign above the track would display time for the train heading to Zürich HB (main city terminal). You can take any train toward Zürich HB, as the ticket does not specify the exact train, as long as you board the 2nd class (signs on the train doors, and usually cars in the back).
The main terminal is very close to Bahnhofstrasse, the part with very narrow passageways and few interesting bridges over Limmat River. This is the closest and most interesting area to explore, due to time limitation. Points of interest are: Muhlesteg bridge, a pedestrians only bridge with a really nice views of the city; Lindenhof Park overlooking the city, St. Peter’s Church, Fraumünster Church and Grossmünster. Bahnhofstrasse is filled with tons of cute boutique shops, charming restaurants, and cafes. The whole city already started putting up its Christmas decoration, which made the experience even better. Walking around with ornaments and bows hanging in the display windows mixed in the cold air placed us in a really giddy mood.
The highlight of the Zürich visit, was definetely the little chocolate shops, where you can taste some amazing Swiss chocolate. Rows of chocolate of different shapes and sizes made our mouths water just by looking at the displays. We could not leave without buying some of it. We ended up visiting a shop across from the Main Terminal Zürich HB, Läderach at Bahnhofstrasse 106.
