Globe Corner Blogs

Notes from Zürich:

I have one serious recommendation for visitors to Zürich: eat as much chocolate as you can. Since waking up to a Toblerone on the empty seat next to me on the airplane, to the Swiss chocolate ice cream I just had at the Mövenpick, to the shared café mocha from this afternoon, every taste has been simply amazing. Take every opportunity you have to eat this stuff. They really know what they are doing here in Switzerland.

Also recommended: checking out the Freitag flagship store, located just past the hipster Züri-West neighborhood. Made of stacked shipping containers to create a 7-story building, after browsing their awesome bags, you can climb up to the rooftop. Enjoy a great view of Zürich and an even better glimpse of the Alps through the binoculars provided.

The Old Town fulfills every dream I’ve ever had of strolling around a Central European town: tiny squares nestled between earth-toned stone houses, medieval-sized lanes, enigmatic emblems of ancient guilds on every door and wrought iron sign. Be sure to check out the Marc Chagall windows in the Fraumünster church–beautiful and unusual in their mark making as well as in that each of the four windows focuses on one color.

If you are here in the summer, walk along the eastern bank of the river to catch sight of the locals doing their thing–which, as far as I can tell, includes volleyball, sunbathing and openly smoking marijuana.

But please, do eat the chocolate. Tomorrow I plan to stash up on Ragusa, my all-time favorite.

Here are a few more recommended places to stay and eat:

Hiltl: Europe’s oldest vegetarian restaurant, Banhofstrasse area

Saint Lucia: fabulous pizza and calzone, Josefstrasse, Züri-West

Hotel Seegarten: cute rooms, excellent breakfast and free wifi

Read more: Art & Architecture, Central Europe, Chocolate, Food & Wine, Shopping, Switzerland, the Alps, Travel, Travel Tips and Resources, Zurich


Kate lives and works in Chicago, IL. Her interests include fine arts, food and wine, and baseball.

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