Zurich: Hotels for culture and history

Zurich lies on Lake Zurich and has a well-preserved medieval old town. Its cultural history is reflected in the city’s collections, historic buildings and the development of its institutions. There are also neighbourhood walks, activities on the lake and the natural landscape of the Uetliberg. If you’re looking for a hotel in Zurich, you can consider which of these themes you’d like to shape your stay: art and history, routes through neighbourhoods or time by the water.

Museums: Swiss cultural history and art

The Swiss National Museum comprises more than 870,000 objects, organised into 14 collections. Its themes range from Switzerland’s cultural history and applied arts in its early days to the present. The Landesmuseum Zürich building is also a distinctive part of the cultural offering: this exceptional museum building dates from the 19th century and is a heritage site of national importance. The collection and architecture thus offer two different perspectives on a visit.

The Kunsthaus Zürich spans a broad period of time: its collection covers more than eight centuries of art history, from the Middle Ages to the present. Guided tours provide art-historical context. The Kunsthaus also regularly offers workshops for children of all ages. Alongside exploring the collection, these programmes make art history accessible through guided interpretation or hands-on activities.

Buildings and history in chronological comparison

Several historical layers come together at the Fraumünster: King Louis the German founded the church in 853, the choir features a five-panel stained-glass cycle by Marc Chagall, and the crypt museum presents more than 1,200 years of city and church history. The Rietberg Museum, in turn, brings together several historic villas in Rieterpark with the modern “Smaragd” extension, which opened in 2007. These examples highlight different aspects—from the long history of a church and art in a church setting to the combination of historic and modern museum architecture.

The history of the opera house can also be understood through two dates. It traces its origins to the Actien-Theater, which opened in 1834. The opera house building near Bellevue on Lake Zurich was inaugurated as the Stadttheater in 1891. The dates mark different milestones: the earlier history of the theatre and the inauguration of the building under its name at the time.

Neighbourhood walks and city tours

The city’s “Züri z'Fuess” programme offers 34 neighbourhood walks. You can follow the accompanying maps and do the walks independently; seven of them are also available as entertaining audio plays. Zurich Tourism offers city tours in private and public formats. This gives you different ways to find your bearings: walks you can do independently using the maps, and city tours in a private or public format. The information about the walks also helps you distinguish between a route with audio and one without an audio play.

Nature on the Uetliberg and activities on the lake

The Uetliberg, at the northern end of the Albis range, has been an important local recreation area for several centuries. This striking Molasse ridge features crests, rock outcrops, scree cones, hollows and ravines. For a specific hike, there is an easy educational trail there, about two hours long and at a scale of 1:1 billion: it passes the Sun and the eight planets on its way to the dwarf planet Pluto. The duration is approximate; seasonal conditions and access rules may vary. Check these before setting out.

Activities on Lake Zurich include swimming, sailing, boating and picnicking along the shore. Swimming and water conditions are seasonal. Unlike the educational trail on the Uetliberg, the focus here is on spending time by the water, while the neighbourhood walks take you through Zurich’s urban districts. When planning your stay, you can choose between culture, independent walks, nature and activities on the lake.

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