11.
La Stanza
La
Stanza, the popular espresso bar, just off Pradeplatz, brings an Italian flavor
to the heart of the financial district
This popular espresso bar, just off Pradeplatz, brings an
Italian flavor to the heart of the financial district. Many locals say it
serves the best espresso in town. Sit on a cosy window bench, share a table on
the small outside terrace or get your caffeine fix standing at the
marble-topped bar. Small snacks (pizza bianca, daily soups), classic cocktails,
beer and wine are also served. Bleicherweg 10 (00 41 43 817 6282; www.lastanza.ch). Open 7am Mon-Fri, 10am
Sat/Sun; to 11pm Mon-Wed, midnight Thurs, 1.30am Fri/Sat, 10pm Sun
12.
Restaurant Fischstube
Restaurant
Fischstube
You’ll have to hurry if you want to visit this lakeside bar,
lounge, restaurant and beer garden: it is to be torn down in late autumn to
make way for new, winter-proof premises. The present building, dating from 1939
and set on stilts at the tip of Zurichhorn headland, is open only in summer.
It’s a great spot for a sundowner and the perfect place to try local fish after
a stroll along the lake. Bellerivestrasse 160 (00 41 44 422 2520; www.fischstube.ch). About SFr160 ($165) for
two without wine.
13.
Freitag Tower
Freitag Tower
Snap up one of Zurich’s famous Freitag messenger bags, made
from recycled truck tarps. The company’s cleverly designed flagship store is
built from 17 freight containers meticulously balanced on each other and
soaring 26 metres into the air. After your purchase, enjoy the rooftop outlook
over the rapidly evolving industrial district in which the store is located and
watch the trains winding smoothly in and out of the main station below.
Geroldstrasse 17 (00 41 43 366 9520; www.freitag.ch)
14.
Oberer Letten lido
Oberer Letten lido
Unwind at Zurich’s most happening daytime lido, on the
Limmat River. Cool down in the river and hang out with the young and trendy
crowd at the neighbouring Primitivo bar, which serves drinks and food until
midnight. With vast sunbathing areas, two beach volleyball grounds and even a
petanque court, the lido exudes an urban but down-to-earth charm that is
typical of Zurich, Lettensteg 10 (00 41 44 362 9200). Open daily, 9am – 8pm
(closing time may vary according to the weather)
15.
Maurice de Mauriac
Maurice de Mauriac,
Zurich
Visit Zurich’s first and only watchmaker’s workshop, a
worthy (and affordable!) alternative to the watch boutiques lining nearby
Bahnhofstrasse. Each timepiece is designed and handmade in Zurich by the
brand’s passionate founder Daniel Dreifuss (pictured with his son, Massimo) and
his small team. You can customize your watch by choosing from a wide range of
materials, finishes, dials, bezels and straps. Todistrasse 48 (00 41 44 280
0112; www.mauricedemauriac.com).
Price start at SFr1.450 (about $1500)
16.
Helvetia hotel
Helvetia hotel
You’ll feel right at home in this central, stylish and
affordable family-run hotel. Its 14 rooms and two luxury business apartments
provide everything you need for a comfortable stay in the heart of Zurich; and
the interiors, by the renowned local design company Atelier Zurich, give
classic Art Nouveau elements a modern twist. The ground-floor bar,
affectionately known as the “Helvti”, is a popular meeting spot, and the
first-floor restaurant (which has 14 Gault-Millau points) serves regional
cuisine and Swiss gourmet classic. Stauffacherquai 1 (00 41 44 297 9998; www.hotel-helvetia.ch). Doubles from
SFr 250 (about $265)
17.
Jules Verne bar/ Urania-Sternwarte
Urania-Sternwarte
Enjoy the 360-degree view from the Jules Verne bar, on the
tip floor of Zurich’s century-old Urania-Sternwarte observatory. Then, when
night falls, head up to the observation deck to gaze at the stars. A 12-ton
Zeiss telescope, installed on the top floor of the 51-metre-high tower, lets
you see celestial objects magnified up to 600 times. Enter on street level
through Brasserie Lipp and take the lift to the top. Uraniastrasse 9. Jule
Verne bar open Mon-Thurs 11am – midnight, Fri/Sat to 1am, Sun 11.45am – 11pm
(00 41 43 888 6666; www.jules-verne.ch).
Observatory tours (about 90 minutes) Thurs-Sat 9pm (www.urania-sternwarte.ch)
18.
Masoala Rainforest at Zurich Zoo
Masoala Rainforest
at Zurich Zoo
Experience the tropical climate of Madagascar’s Masoala
rainforest – one of the earth’s most diverse and species-rich habitats – in
Zurich’s 11,000-square-metre reproduction. See bright birds, chirping frogs,
camouflaged chameleons, exotic insects and bats up close, along with several
hundred plant species. The display is housed in a 30-metre-high glasshouse with
approximately 80,000 litres of rainfall per day. Zurich Zoo (www.zoo.ch) open daily from 9am: Masoala
Rainforest from 10am. Adult SFr22 (about $23), children SFr11 (about $12)
