Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. It is a leading global city and among the world's largest financial centres. There are many museums and art galleries to be found in the city, among them are the Swiss National Museum and the Kunsthaus. Zurich also hosts one of the most important theatres in the German-speaking world.

Most of Zurich's sights are located within the area on either side of the Limmat river, between the Main railway station and Lake Zurich. The churches and houses of the old town are clustered here, as are the most expensive shops along the famous Bahnhofstrasse. The Lindenhof in the old town is the historical site of the Roman castle, and the later Carolingian Imperial Palace.

Things to see and do

* Landesmuseum
* Lake Promenade
* Niederdorf – Old town
* Bahnhofstrasse – well known shopping street
* Take the Polybahn up the Lindenhof (hill)

General Information

Cruise Season – Oct - April
Currency – Swiss Franc (CHF)
Language – German, French, Italian, Romansh
Population – 2,000,000 approx
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time – GMT plus one hour
International Country Telephone Code – + 41

Transport Links – Zurich Airport is Switzerland's largest and busiest airport. Most major airlines fly to Zurich but SWISS is still the Swiss flagcarrier and covers the biggest part of the international traffic at the airport.

Regular trains to and from other Swiss and European cities leave from and arrive at Hauptbahnhof, the main train station, conveniently located in the city centre at the end of Bahnhofstrasse, with easy access to mass transit. The Zurich Hauptbahnhof (HB) is served by the local S-Bahn commuter trains, InterCity (IC and ICN) connections throughout Switzerland, Italy's Cisalpino Germany's ICE, France's TGV and various other direct night train services to/from as far as Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Lecce, Barcelona, Budapest and Beograd.

The main bus station is next to the main train station, where the river Sihl flows into the river Limmat. Many buses arrive there from other European cities, mainly southern destinations like the Western Balkans or Spain. There is a bi-weekly bus to Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.