Top 10 Things to Do in Zurich on a Backpacker’s Budget
Where the ballers at? Zurich, apparently. Famous for its super secret Swiss banks and having the world’s best quality of life, Zurich’s beautiful nature, polished culture and utopian transportation comes with a huge price tag. Don’t dwindle your wallet like an unmerry Mormon during holiday season, OTP’s here to help put some of Zurich on sale for your broke ass.
If you’re traveling by train, hop off at Hauptbahnhof (central station) and stroll down Bahnhofstrasse. The street opens with statues before the clutter of fashion boutiques. Gucci, Prada, and Chanel provide drive-by views for Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Bentleys. If you’re gonna window shop, might as well visually splurge. When you check into budget reality, there’s an H&M to funnel your fashion frustrations and fresh-water fountains to wash out the dirt from under your nails.
Museum Musts
A great way to fake intellect, museums are affordable (around $10) and give you a legitimate take-home conversation. The Rietberg is filled with awesome works collected from lands outside of Switzerland while The Landesmuseum covers the opposite end, showcasing everything Swiss. For the finer of the arts, check out The Kunstmuseum. After a gruelingly intellectual day of educative enrichment, head to the Zurich Toy Museum to unleash that snotty-faced kid.
Get a new perspective of the city by steaming straight through it on Lake Zurich. The longest tour lasts four hours roundtrip to the southeastern most point of the city and runs about $30. To cut down the tourist price, look for a cheapie chugboat ride for about $10 bucks. The bottom end of Bahnhofstrasse has a pier where you can settle all your booking needs.
Rich bitches love to party and don’t care what it costs. As such, nightlife in Zurich gets expensive. If you can’t afford to make it rain, Zurich West, the former industrial quarter, is a much cooler scene where you can play out an eventfully forgetful night of boozin’. Indochine has an Asian flair, Supermarket is a new spot fit to rival the trendiest of NYC nightlife and Club Q–the Queen of nightlife–is the go-to music spot. You’ll empty your wallet trying to keep your glass full wherever you go so prep a flask of your favorite stuff and keep it close to the chest.
Soak in some scenic Swiss nature at one of Zurich’s parks. Because nobody likes to get raped at the park, bring your own snacks and fill up a free fountain water beforehand to avoid inflated park prices. Zurichhorn, stretching along the lower side of Lake Zurich, is most famous for its Chinese Gardens. Crazily cool Swiss artist, Bruno Weber, will trip you out at his Skulpturenpark, where you can climb his larger-than-life masterpieces. If you wanna stay central (note: this comes with suits talkin’ biz on lunch breaks), visit the Old Botanical Gardens in the middle of the city.
Roam the Old Town
Masses of tourists, inflated prices and an ungodly amount of churches, European old towns are not usually a backpacker favorite. Luckily, Zurich throws something a little more modern into the mix with cool shopping, restaurants, bars and clubs. Get lost as you crawl through cobble stone streets lazily looking for nothing in particular. Save a quick glance for the twin-towered Grossmünster church, Zurich’s most famous piece of architecture.
Clean off that shoulder strap-induced sweat by going for a freshwater swim. Don’t let its landlocked position fool you, Switzerland’s lakes and rivers are the perfect way to get wet during stiflingly hot summer months. Letten, north of the River Limmat, allows you to smoke, drink, barbecue, and play volleyball in between dips. Take bus 32 to Holzerhurd just on the outskirts of Zurich for a more local experience on Lake Katzen, or dive into Lake Zurich wherever you can–the water’s clean enough to double as a shower.
Even trusty McDonald’s does you wrong here–the dollar menu is closer to the five dollar menu. Kill the pangs at the two big supermarket chains, Coop and Migros. Stock up on sandwiches, soups, salads and snacks from their take-away section. Wash it all down with Switzerland’s prided Rivella (gives you cocaine-like wings).
OTP Tip: Do the ‘due! You may need to put in a few days at the supermarket, rationing your purchases to stretch your budget but you CANNOT skip out on Swiss fondue. Blow your savings at Café du Midi, where they’re damn skilled at melting a pot of cheese.
Zoo Within a Zoo
Zurich out-zoos America by a long shot. The Zurich Zoo is a tropical oasis set up with a free-flowing environment, at just over $20, you won’t mind spending a day there. Included in your admission is entrance to the Masoala Rainforest, which is a ginormous conservatory project to help fund the real Masoala Rainforest National Park in Madagascar. Cuddle a lemur, spank a zebra, try to smuggle a rhesus monkey, or just enjoy the wild scenery; whatever it takes to get your money’s worth.
OTP Tip: When it’s cold (below 50°F), catch a penguin parade, waddling every day at noon.
Swiss transport is easily the world’s best. You’ll probably experience it en route to your pre-planned destinations, but take some time off to bum it on your tram, train or bus until the end of its line. From there, transfer to another line. After that, transfer again. Zurich’s network is so easy to navigate that it’s actually fun, and while you’re hopping on and off like a hesitant virgin, you’ll get a free tour of the whole city.
Zurich is a progressively trendy city that has a lot to offer despite its commercialist core. But believe the rumors: shit’s expensive here. Save your money for room and transport and explore the city with our broke ass tips– return to take on the rest when you’re rich and famous.
A mind and body traveller who thrives on recollection and anticipation, all the while decorating the crossroads.
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mmm…interesting article..but I keep asking myself…how does this article fit a backpacker’s budget, exactly??? What you’ve come up with here are pretty much only mid-range suggestions. Coop and Migros take away certainly is not cheap, Zurich nightlife is expensive (and you often have to pay admission prices) and museums are not’budget’ at 10 CHF a pop. 10 things to do in Zurich would have been a more appropriate title. Just my two cents.
Hey Denise. Granted, your two cents certainly would be more backpacker budget-friendly, but we’re trying to create a realistic image as to how a money-conscious traveler can still enjoy a few days in Zurich. Sure, nightlife is expensive (especially in Zurich) but many bars and even larger clubs in Zurich West are decently affordable. A luxury, yes, but still certainly doable/// Coop and Migros seemed to be our cheapest way of eating in the city. 7 CHF for a sandwich seemed like a steal in comparison to the rest. Again, not the cheapest but we care about keeping our readers’ stomachs full/// A backpacker’s budget of course varies on the backpacker, but we feel that 10 CHF won’t put such a huge dent in anybody’s wallet. And in the event that you don’t have 11 bucks to spare, maybe museum meandering isn’t your best way to spend the day; we do include free options for when that cashflow starts dangerously dwindling (we all get there from time to time).
Love the art of slow travel! Peace and stay well.