On Swiss Time: A 3-day Itinerary for Zurich
On Swiss Time: A 3-day Itinerary for Zurich
still dreaming about Switzerland....
Zurich, you are something out of a dream. No, literally, I dream about Switzerland almost nightly now. If Switzerland isn't on your bucketlist, it should be! Zurich was a dreamy mix of young, vibrant urban culture and deep-rooted history in its jaw-dropping rural mountain villages. Trust and believe, I will be coming back to Switzerland again.
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Lufthansa!
This was my first ever international trip in my adult life. Sure, my family and I did the Disney Cruise to the Bahamas when I was 8, but I've never had my passport stamped! Imagine that, a girl with a degree in international affairs with a clean passport, no creases or stamps. And, to top it all off, this was my first trip ever with a boyfriend, my first baecation! I think you can only imagine my excitement as I walked through John F. Kennedy International. My boyfriend and I flew Condor into Zurich and got a pretty good deal out of it (shoutout Expedia!). From New York City, we had a layover at Frankfurt International. Our flight was so smooth, except it was completely booked, and my boyfriend and I didn't get seats together. Fortunately, my very kind German seatmate was more than willing to do a quick swap so we could enjoy our very first flight together! With this being my very first international flight, there were so many things I wish I had known. So, GTG, here are two tidbits that I didn't know that are probably common knowledge for avid travelers:
1. Most airlines will check one bag free. I unknowingly packed for a 2-week European trip in a single carry-on.
2. Your passport won't get stamped nearly as much as you think. In total, mine was stamped twice by the end of my trip despite traveling through four different countries.
Despite some awkward fumbles with my bag trying to pull out my passport and my backpack rolling down a flight of stairs, this trip was off to a great start!
Gutentag, Zurich
Our first day in Zurich ended up being a bit of a wash. We landed in Zurich at around 8:30am local time, which was about 2:00am EST. From Zurich International Airport, we attempted to conquer Switzerland's rail system, SBB. This turned out to be more of challenge than we thought. You know, as residents of New York City, we expected to acclimate to this transit system quickly. Luckily, my boyfriend speaks some German and was able to ask some of the SBB attendants for directions. After some confusion and some amazement about how smooth and quick European rail transit is, we made it to our quaint, little AirBnB. To say we were jetlagged is an understatement. We napped for about 6 hours before freshening up and hitting the town!
I just LOVED this day. Not because we saw anything spectacular or amazing, but because it was my first day in a foreign country and our first day of our first vacation as a couple. We wandered, we laughed, we explored, and eventually ended up a yummy Indian spot for dinner. As we walked dinner off and explored Zurich as the sun went down, I couldn't help but think that I could spend forever like this: exploring new cities with my loved ones. Sappy, I know, gag me.
We're not at home anymore, Todo.
Now, I wouldn't consider Zurich a super tourist-y city. Sure, there was plenty of see and ogle at, as there is in any new city, but Zurich is very much a residential city. Let me put it this way: if you knew you knew, and we didn't know. But, like I said, Switzerland is definitely in my list of favorites, so I'll get back there eventually! From random parks to small cafe's to just random street corners, we ooh'd and ahh'd at all of Zurich's nooks and crannies. In fact, we might have flown too close to the sun when we found ourself walking through Zurich's redlight district. And, for such an uppity kind of city, we were quite surprised to see dozens of *working women*. Our momentary surprise led us to Zurich's rich nightlife. Taking inspiration from neighboring Germany's robust EDM scene, Zurich had multiple nightclubs for us to celebrate our first trip together in...
But, wait. We are definitely not at home anymore.
The club we went to was called Kanzlei Club. And for a Saturday night, this place was not jumping. Kanzlei Club was a cute vibe. Young, hip, with old school RnB? When I tell you these DJs were spinning tracks from the late 90s and early 2000s, I'm not kidding. A room full of young Swiss belting out lyrics to RnB tracks only our parents know was so amusing because when America's sweetheart, Sexxy Red, came on not a peep from the crowd. Me, though? BOW BOW BOW. A look into Zurich's nightlife and seedy areas only added to the charm of the city. So much to explore, such little time!
Lucious Lucerne
Our time in Zurich was cut short because we couldn't pass up a day trip to Lucerne. The 1-hour long train ride from Zurich to Lucerne was simply gorgeous. Cows, snowcapped mountains, the cutest villages, and lake views made only added to the charm of SBB. We HAD to at least go up into the Swiss Alps or our Swiss trip didn't happen. Lucerne boasts two stunning mountain peaks: Mt. Rigi and Mt. Pilatus. We made the trek up Mt. Rigi to see the most jaw-dropping views I think I had seen since visiting Yosemite as a child. I'm being a bit dramatic; the journey up the mountain wasn't at all a trek. After getting off the train from Zurich, we headed toward Lake Lucern to catch the ferry that took us to Vitznau. From Vitznau, we took the cog train up to mountain to the peak, Mt. Rigi Kulm. Now, girls, tell me why we were standing up while sitting down? That's how steep the track was up the mountain! At the peak, you can walk a little further up for a higher vantage point, but we found that the train stop gave us amazing unobstructed views. To get back down the mountain, we caught the next train down about three stops where we got off to catch the cable car the rest of the way down to the ferry stop. It was cold and snowy at the top of the mountain, yes, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. When I said I dream about Switzerland, I dream about this day trip, Mt. Rigi, and the adorable cabins and homes dotting the mountainside. I won't lie to you, this trip was expensive. For two roundtrip tickets, we spent about 260 euros in total. There are certainly other mountain trips to take in Lucerne, but Mt. Rigi, the Queen of the Alps, is crowned royalty for a reason.
Our trip up to Mt. Rigi took around 5 hours total, so we had plenty of daylight to keep exploring Lucerne. As we walked around Lucerne, we couldn't help but notice the amount of watch shops lining the streets. As we window shopped, we realized we hadn't gotten any souvenirs for our trip! This led us into a few kitchy watch stores where we picked up some matching Swiss made watches. So cute!
Wait, it's over?
Three days was absolutely not enough time to see all of what Zurich had to offer. While I wouldn't recommend staying solely in Zurich for a full week, spending a week in Switzerland and day tripping seems like the right way to visit this mountain country. Zurich, being on the German side, has a completely different feel than Geneva does, being on the French side. If you're looking to travel to Switzerland, you're in for a treat! But, be prepared to do a lot of walk, some hiking, and some occasionally shivering. This country is definitely one you need to plan for! Do yourself a favor and book advance to avoid and unnecessary charges and confusion. While I didn't get a Swiss passport stamp, Switzerland is a must-visit in my (passport) book!
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