Switzerland is a country that seems designed for photography. Zurich is elegant and lake-edged. Forty minutes away, the Rhine Falls — Europe’s mightiest waterfall — roars over Ice Age rock at 373 cubic metres per second.
Zurich — beyond the banks
Before you arrive, the mental image of Zurich is serious, expensive and slightly grey. The reality is different. Zurich is a city of water, hills and life. The river Limmat runs through the historic centre, Lake Zurich opens the horizon to the south, and after dark the Langstrasse district reinvents the city entirely.
The Altstadt (old town) splits across two banks. On the right: Grossmünster, the Romanesque cathedral, founded according to legend by Charlemagne. On the left: Fraumünster, with Chagall’s stained-glass windows that genuinely silence visitors.
The Rhine Falls — the power of water
Rheinfall. The German name says it all: the fall of the Rhine. A 40-minute regional train from Zurich, near Schaffhausen, Europe’s most voluminous river plunges 23 metres over a rock barrier that has stood there since the Ice Age.
The numbers are staggering: 373 m³ per second in high season, 150 metres wide, and the sound reaches you before you see the water. What the numbers don’t capture is the sensation when you board the small boat to the central rock: water surrounds you, mist soaks everything, and the river’s force is physical.
- Best season: May–July for highest flow (snowmelt)
- Best light: morning, when the falls are backlit and the mist scatters in rainbows
- Boats: three operators run trips from both banks. The CHF 20 boat to the central rock is the one to take.
- Photography: bring a polarising filter and a microfibre cloth. The spray is constant.
The Limmatquai walk
From the Hauptbahnhof, walk south along the Limmat. The river is so clean people swim in it from May through September. Café Schober for hot chocolate, Lindenhof for the medieval viewpoint over the city, the Niederdorf for the cobblestone alleys.
End at Bürkliplatz, where the river enters Lake Zurich. The 5 p.m. light reflecting off the Limmat is one of the most underrated photographic moments in Switzerland.
The 5-day route
Day 1 — Zurich Altstadt. Grossmünster, Fraumünster, Lindenhof, Limmatquai.
Day 2 — Rhine Falls + Schaffhausen. Half-day at the falls, afternoon in the medieval old town of Schaffhausen.
Day 3 — Lake Zurich. Boat trip to Rapperswil, ice cream at Bürkli, evening swim at Seebad Enge.
Day 4 — Uetliberg. Zurich’s mountain (871 m). 30-minute train, two hours of forest hikes, panoramic city view at sunset.
Day 5 — Mountains day trip. Mount Rigi or Pilatus by train. Snow-capped peaks within 2 hours of Zurich.
Practical notes
- Currency: Swiss franc. About 1 CHF = 1 EUR.
- Cost: Switzerland is expensive. Budget €150–250/day all-in.
- Transport: the Swiss Travel Pass is worth it for trips ≥3 days. Trains everywhere, on time, comfortable.
- Tap water: drinkable everywhere. Public fountains are spring water. Carry a bottle.
Original in Spanish: Zúrich y las cataratas del Rin. More on @vidaiatzen.
