2 hours might not seem too much for a wonderful city like Zurich, but you can actually see a lot in that time. And maybe you like it so much that you return for a longer visit. In this article, I put together an easy yet enjoyable tour for you. Let’s dive into what to see in zurich in 2 hours.
I figure most people start their Zurich 2 hour tour in the main railroad station, Hauptbahnhof, as that’s where you arrive either by train or from the airport. So let’s do our tour starting there, and also finishing in the same spot.
What to See in Zurich in 2 Hours on a Map
I put every place that I suggest you to visit in your 2 hours in Zurich on this interactive map. I hope this makes it easier for you to follow this wonderful city tour.
Just a quick advice: this 2 hour Zurich tour is doable and enjoyable, yet you have to walk in a normal tempo and can’t really spend too much time at any of the places.
Bahnhofpl., 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Bahnhofstrasse, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Zentralhof, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Bahnhofstrasse 9, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Tram Bürklipl., 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Mythenquai 9, 8002 Zürich, Switzerland
Quaibrücke, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Falkenstrasse 1, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Münsterbrücke 8001, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Zwinglipl. 7, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Münstergasse, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Lindenhof, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
St. Peterhofstatt 1, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Bahnhofstrasse
Bahnhofstrasse is kind of the main street of Zurich. Luckily it doesn’t have car traffic anymore, only trams. It is the most stylish shopping street leading from the main station (Bahnhofstrasse literally meaning Station Street in German) all the way to Lake Zurich.
Start your 2 hour tour in Zurich here, heading from the station to the other end. Give yourself some time for window shopping, or enter one fancy store that you like for a couple of minutes.
Zentralhof
Just after you cross a small square, called Paradeplatz, where trams are turning, kind of opposite the famous Sprüngli café, at the left hand side of Bahnhofstrasse, you can enter the building through a passage to see Zentralhof.
This literally translates to Central Court in English, and indeed it is a very nice court inside the city block. Spend 2 minutes here of your 2 hours to enjoy the nice fountain with the flowers and also the inside facade of the surrounding buildings.
John Baker Bahnhofstrasse
When you leave Zentralhof through the same entrance where you came in, cross Bahnhofstrasse and turn to the left, following the same direction that you followed before.
Right before the end of Bahnhofstrasse, there is a bakery called John Baker on the right hand side of the street. You can find really good quality, organic pastry and coffee here for much less than in many other places in the city. 4.5 Swiss Francs might seem a lot for a double espresso, but believe me, this is cheap coffee here in Zurich!
So I strongly suggest you to steal 10 minutes of your 2 hours and sit down on the street at John Baker to enjoy the colorful trams going by and all the city vibe that you can experience here.
Lake Zurich
At the other end of Bahnhofstrasse you’ll bump into the city’s most iconic geologic feature, Lake Zurich.
A 2 hour tour is of course not enough to deeply explore the lake. But at the end of Bahnhofstrasse, in a square called Bürkiplatz, you can go right until the shoreline and enjoy the impressive looks. This is also the place where you can see Zurich’s famous lake fountain, Springbrunnen Aquaretum.
Turn left and follow the lake shore line through the bridge while taking pleasure in the sight the immense water offers. Also make sure to turn to the other side on the bridge, your left, to see the Limmat river, the small boats and both sides of old town Zurich.
Zurich Opera House
Once at the other side of the bridge, take a quick 5 minute detour to the right to see the wonderful neo-baroque building of the Zurich Opera.
Just a quick reminder: in order to finish this wonderful Zurich tour in 2 hours, this is kind of the middle point. You should be at the 1 hour mark when leaving the Opera House and heading to the next point of interest.
Grossmünster
Head back to the bridge where you crossed the river, stay on the same side (right) and follow the Limmat upstream up until the second bridge which is called Münsterbrücke (Münster Bridge). At your right hand side you will see probably the most iconic building of Zurich, featured in almost every city photo, Grossmünster Church.
You need to take some stairs to reach the church, and you can enter for free. It is magnificent from the inside, though when we visited it was heavily scaffolded do to renovations. Even if you don’t want to visit the church from the inside, come this way as we will follow our What to see in Zurich in 2 hours tour on this side of the river.
Münstergasse
At the upper end of the square in front of Grossmünster, to your left there is a street called Münstergasse. Yes, everything is called Münster here around the church. But I digress.
Just follow this narrow street to enjoy the archaic buildings of old town Zurich. You can also see a lot of restaurants here, people enjoying their meal outside during warmer days. This is a great street to immerse yourself in Zurich life.
Münstergasse becomes Marktgasse then Stüssihofstatt then Niederdorfstrasse, but just follow the same old town street. It’s a narrow but straight route, up until you bump into the first street with car traffic that intersects it, Mühlegasse. Turn left, cross the bridge and turn to the left again on the first street (not alongside the quay) to head up to one of Zurich’s most famous parks.
Lindenhof
Right in the middle of old town, at the top of a small hill there is a park called Lindenhof. It offers a great view of the Limmat river and the other side of the city, with the university, Grossmünster etc.
Spend a couple of minutes here, enjoy the view of the other side where you’ve just come from. This is by the way also a very good spot to make some selfies with the old city buildings and the river in the background.
St. Peter Church
Probably the other most iconic church of the Zurich skyline is St. Peter. It is just two blocks away from Lindenhof, going down from the park. This again is worth visiting just from the outside, but once here why not take a look at it from the inside. Also don’t forget to sit down and relax for just a couple of minutes on the bench around the big tree in front of the church.
Old Town
Your 2 hours are almost over, it’s time to head back to the main station. On your route you will still enjoy the wonderful streets and buildings of old town Zurich. You can also spot out that the buildings or even just the vibe on this side of the river is quite different from the other side.
What to See in Zurich in 2 Hours
We hope that you enjoyed your quick city tour and explored everything there is to see in Zurich in 2 hours.
If, after seeing so many great places, you fall in love with the city, just browse our tips on what to do in Zurich for 2 days and make sure to come back soon. Also don’t forget to check out our guide on how to eat cheap in Zurich.