Glidd? Anyone else on here in Switzerland? Know Zurich? I'm going to be there all next week - Mon, Tues and Friday on a training course - evenings and Wed/Thurs free with my family. Any recommendations of things to do, places to see, restaurants etc. Anything bike related would be a plus ;-)
If you've got a couple of days free, I'd be heading into the mountains for some Skiing, biking related stuff can wait 'till you're home and it's warmer...
OK the following isnt from me but from a friend in Zurich. A rough 'what to do' in Zurich off the top of my head. Probably the first place to see in Zurich is the Altstadt and more specifically 'Niederdorf' Altstadt (Zurich) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Niederdorf is a section of traditional shops and restaurants and the best place for a fondue or a raclette meal. Any of the restaurants along here will serve these. Personally Im more of a fan of a schnizel and chips and a pint of swiss beer but the choice is yours and plentiful in this area. In order to get here from the main train station in Zurich the Hauptbahnhof or HB, go as follows: From the front entrance of the HB looking on to Bahnhofstrasse go left and walk over the bridge. Once over the main bridge to your right you will see cobblestones. This is the 'entrance' to Niederdorf Altstadt and you will find all the restaurants along here. My advice is to have a look at all down the street and go back to the ones you fancy. Following on from here if you follow the path it should bring you down to the lake. On a nice evening this area is good to sit down on and relax. Also down here you will see ferries berthed and these will take you on a trip around the lake and serve food also. This must be booked however but there are sightseeing ferries also. Schifffahrten auf dem Zürichsee - ZSG One of the big attractions in Zurich is the Ice hockey team. The season however is finished. The soccer teams are FCZ and Grasshoppers. They both play in Letzigrund but the standard is terrible and the tickets are massively overpriced. So needless to say I dont recommend this. If you have an afternoon free one place I highly recommend you visit is the museum of the Swiss air force in Dubendorf Flieger Flab Museum - Dübendorf - Switzerland This is a very comprehensive history of Swiss aviation from timber planes right up to a fighter jet recently decomissioned. You can sit in all of them and the exhibits are excellent. To get here you must take the train to dubendorf from the HB on the s9 or s14 and walk from the station to the museum. Entrance is only around 10chf so good value too. One other place I can recommend is the blind restaurant. blindekuh Zürich This is basically eating in the complete dark. All waiters/waitresses are completely blind and you choose your food from the menu in the lobby before you enter. This is a very interesting experience and one I highly recommend. Booking is necessary but can be done in English. Should you get bored of Zurich, I highly recommend you take the train to Luzerne (1 hour away). Luzerne is a very historical town with beautiful buildings and lots of culture. Trains leave every half hour from HB on platform three. A word of warning: One of the problems with Zurich is that its quite expensive. Theres no real getting around that unfortunately. Prices for food are probably 25-33% ore expensive than in the UK. A pint in a bar ranges from 7-10chf or 4.90 - 7.00 sterling. If I think of anything more Ill get back on it. Otherwise enjoy!!
Went to Zurich a few times when working with last employer. Can confirm eating is expensive. Did £120 on an average chicken fondue for two, with a couple of drinks. Good job it was on expenses! stroll down bahnhofstrasse is amusing for watch shops/high prices. a stroll down the right side of the lake is interesting, pleasant footpath and some good looking outdoor swimming complexes-might be a bit chilly.. a train trip to and climb up the radio mast thing at Uetliberg is interesting for nice view over/down the lake and of the town a nd a stroll through a bit of countryside. That's the left side of the lake, trains to uetliberg go from HB, then it's a bit of a walk up to the top. must say I struggled to find things to do, even looking in travel guides for "top tens to do" was a bit limiting. Strolling around the old town, where the restaurants and bars are, was interesting Architecture is nice if you like that sort of thing , clock towers etc. iirc has largest clock face in Europe, or summat like that. boat trip on the lake is worth doing. struck me that Zurich is pleasant to walk around, and less ' doing' . Very clean city, no rubbish lying around - very striking how well looked after. There is a museum of some sort just north of HB, but never went in it, so can't help on that one I'm afraid. did I say I found it expensive?! have a nice time.
I worked there for about six months (2 x 3 months) in winter.........I hope for your sake it is better than when I was there.....all that sticks in my mind were the soaking wet shoes we got every day, but the unbearably hot hotel rooms. AL
Reminds me of a guy I used to work with who came over from the Isle of Wight every day. One of the girls in the office asked him what there was to do on the Isle of Wight. Quick as a flash he said "Me?"
Went to blindekuh this evening - a very interesting experience. I have the day around Zurich with my family tomorrow and then we are off to Luzerne on Thursday
Blindekuh was great fun. You choose your food in the light in the lobby - Mrs H and I went for the surprise menu so we didn't know what we would get. You leave all your coats, phones, luminous watches etc. in a secure locker and your blind waitress then takes your party in to the restaurant in a crocodile train, holding on to each others shoulders. You pass through a couple of curtains into the restaurant and it is pitch black as you weave left, right, left etc. to your table. It is quite noisy with all the other diners - they have 70-odd covers - but it is hard to get a sense of the size of the place and the number if people with just your hearing. Your waitress puts your hand in your chair, and you sig down and feel around the table for your cutlery and napkin. When they bring your drinks they put your hand on the wine bottle and your glass but then you have to judge how much to pour or put your finger into the glass as you do so to ensure you don't overfill. You might think that your eyes would get accustomed to the dark, but they don't. It is pitch black and even at the end of the meal after a couple of hours you can't see your hand in front of your face! Eating with knife and fork from a plate that you can't see is easier than you might think. Once you have outlined the edge of the plate with your fingers, your innate spatial awareness is very good. Finding the food is a little hit and miss, and you have little idea what you have picked-up with your fork. Eating takes longer than normal as you tend to pick-up less and your savour the textures and flavours - especially if you don't know what you are eating and are trying to identify the taste. If you are there with kids then there is also lots of fun to be had by moving each others cutlery, drink, bread roll etc. All in all it was great fun and gave us a fascinating insight into how it would be to be blind. Highly recommended.
That sounds fascinating. I bet your kids had fun, so much potential for it! Would make a great theme for a dinner party!
