Willkommen in Switzerland #2 : Zurich

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Let’s get back on tracks to discover the rest of our weekend in Switzerland with a second stop in Zurich.

After the charming city of Basel we fell in love with, Anne and I took the train for Zurich. Aren’t these vintage-looking trains beautiful?

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Unfortunately, we arrived in Zurich under the rain and it never stopped, not even for a minute! You can easily imagine how nice and practical it is to visit a city under an umbrella and how taking pictures becomes an uphill battle. We had to be “smart” and stick our umbrella in our scarfs so we could have both hands free (but of course we looked stupid and stupid for stupid, why not wear a hat with a small umbrella on it like Inspector Gadget).

Anyway, let’s go discover the city!

The city :

The old town :

In the old town you can find again the charm of Basel and its colorful facades, its medieval houses, and its narrow paved roads which invite you to stroll even though if “stroll” is not exactly the right word to describe walking under heavy rain.

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Zurich west :

When you go to Zurich west, you witness a complete change of scenery and atmosphere, like you were in a different town. This former industrial area is currently undergoing total modernization and is becoming the trendy place in town. Here the warehouses and factories have been transformed into trendy places (mainly fashion and design shops). It’s very nice but super expensive! This is not surprising when you know that Zurich is the most expensive city in the world.

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Do you know the brand Freitag ? It’s a Swiss brand very famous in Switzerland which sells bags and accessories made of recycled plastic sheets. The concept is very original, the design is cool and it’s the perfect bag for rainy days.

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Frau Gerolds Garten is a very special place between an open air café and a brocante where there’s a bar/restaurant and some cool designer shops. During the summer it’s crowded because it’s the perfect place to listen to live music and have a drink or to eat outside on big tables.

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Restaurants :

Hiltl :

According to the Guiness World Records, Hiltl is the first vegetarian restaurant in the world! They serve 500 different vegetarian dishes from all over the world and includes, in addition to the à la carte restaurant and Hiltl buffet, self-service and takeaway. I’m not very used to vegetarian cuisine (I like meat too much) but I must say that it was so delicious that I even forgot I didn’t have any meat on my plate!  The restaurant is very big but the atmosphere remains friendly. This restaurant is a true institution in Zurich that you must try!

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Hiltl – Sihlstrasse 28, 8001 ZURICH

Markthalle :

Markthalle is a restaurant located inside an indoor market under the arches of the viaduct. The food is made of fresh and local ingredients. Here again I had another very good vegetarian dish. After the sausage and the burger in Basel, a day of vegetables can only do me some good.

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Markthalle – Limmatstrasse 231, 8005 ZURICH

The hotel :

Like in Basel, we were welcomed in a wonderful hotel : the B2 Boutique Hotel & Spa. The building that combines industrial and urban charm used to be a brewery which explains the chandeliers made of beer bottles. And look at this amazing library where you have the choice between 33 000 books! I love being surrounded by books so I just was in paradise! Regarding the rooms, they were trendy and very confortable.

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But the best part was of course the spa under the vaults of the foster brewery and the outside pool on the rooftop. The fabulous view on the whole town was the icing on the cake! Dreamy isn’t it?

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B2 Boutique Hotel & Spa – Brandschenkestrasse 152, 8002 ZURICH

Zurich is a surprising city with multiple facets which can be at the same time historical and trendy and close to nature. Unfortunately because of the horrible weather we couldn’t appreciate it for its true value. I feel very frustrated, especially when I look at pictures online of Zurich during the summer or even covered by snow during the winter, it seems like a complete different city from the one we saw…  Oh well, it’s a good excuse to come back. :)

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If you want to go to Switzerland as well, you can participate to a contest on the website of My Little Paris and maybe win a weekend there. So what are you waiting for? :)

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