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.

• 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.

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.