Zurich; a guide to this nightjet destination.
A few months ago, I decided on a whim to take the night train from Amsterdam to Zurich. So I booked the tickets, got on the train Friday evening after work and decided to spend all Saturday in this beautiful Swiss city. My ticket back home was that Saturday evening, so I had exactly 13 hours to spend in the heart of the city. I made this trip with the purpose of taking my new camera out for a spin, so it was photo-centric, to say the least.
Why visit Zurich by train
There’s a direct line that will take you from Amsterdam to Zurich in about 12 hours, and the best part is? You travel while you sleep! I boarded the nighjet in Utrecht and went to sleep to wake up to views of fields & mountains in Switzerland. The train drops you at the main train station in Zurich from where you’re only a few minutes away from being in the city centre. The city is perfect for a little weekend away or, since you can sleep in the train, a day trip! Which is exactly what I did.
The ÖBB nightjet; how it works
You can book your tickets online on the ÖBB nightjet website, here, you’ll pick your bed & ticket flexibility for both journeys. If you have an interrail or Eurail pass, you will enter this as a discount card. After you’ve paid for your ticket, you’ll get the tickets in your email, which I advise downloading only on the day of the trip as the tickets will not be refundable as soon as you select to download them. Once you get on the train and find your room, you can sit or lay down, meet your fellow travelers if there are any in the room (in case of a couchette carriage, for example), and within 15 minutes of leaving the station someone will come by to check your ticket. They will confirm where you will be leaving the train so that they can wake you up. After all that you can basically just wind down cuz you’ll be on the train for quite some time! In the morning you’ll be given breakfast, usually some bread with tea or coffee.
How long to stay
I personally only stayed for 13 hours. I arrived in Zurich at 9:00 and hopped on the train back around 22:00, though my journey was about 36 hours. However I’d recommend staying for at least a night if you want to have the time to explore the city without rushing. Unfortunately I do not have any advice on where to stay as I didn’t stay for the night but Zurich is a popular city that has accommodation options for all budgets. When I return to the city and actually stay a night, I will certainly update this blog to reflect that!
Where to go
I’d definitely recommend entering the Grossmünster church and climbing all the way to its tower so you can get a nice view over the city. Entry to the church itself is free but to climb to the tower will cost you 5 Swiss Francs which isn’t much more than €5,- It is a bit of a climb but the views from here are more than worth it! If it’s not too misty, you can see the Alps in the distance and you get a view over the lake.
For a bit of calm while remaining close to the city centre I’d advise strolling Rentenwiese park it goes along the water and has a relaxed atmosphere. Unfortunately, I ran out of time and didn’t have the time to visit the university-run Botanical Gardens though I’d have loved to roam around there too, so if you have the time I’d definitely put this on your list of things to do!
