Zurich at night
We were fortunate enough to spend a couple of weeks in Europe in December of last year, starting in Amsterdam and winding our way up the Rhine River, with a final stop in Zurich. The trip had its ups and downs, starting on a high in Amsterdam for three days, then swinging low as our Viking River Cruise struggled with flooding river banks, but then finishing on an incredible high with three glorious days in Zurich. The river cruise got so bad we actually left the boat a day early and extended our stop in Zurich. We were so glad we did. The old town area of this city is beautiful, friendly and inviting. It is a bit pricey, as is all of Switzerland by report, but we thought it was well worth it.
Let’s start with our hotel, The Storchen. This is a grande dame of a hotel, perched on the river bank in the middle of the old city. A large bridge crosses the river right outside the entrance, making this an incredibly convenient location from which to explore both river banks. There is a smallish but elegant lobby, a bar and lounge area to the left as you enter, and a restaurant on the next level up. We spent some very enjoyable time at the bar, and had lunch there one day. It was excellent, and the portions were much larger than we would have expected. My caesar salad was uniquely
Outside terrace at The Storchen
imagined, and delicious. Cheri’s chicken club was large and tasty. This bar has an outside seating area as well, right on the river bank. Even though it was December, that area was almost filled, and that was an occurence we noted throughout the city. The people here embrace the cold in wintertime, dress accordingly, and get out there.
We had two rooms here as the added night was not available on our base reservation. That
Balcony view
first night’s room had a beautiful, large balcony which looked up at a giant tower clock, surrounded by older structures and narrow streets. It was quiet, secluded and lovely in all respects. Our second room was somewhat larger, with a view into the plaza and the bridge area. A huge, lighted Christmas tree stood right outside our windows.
We would heartily recommend the Storchen and will stay there again when we next visit Zurich. It is going to cost more than many other hotels in the city, but the location, staff and overall quality are unbeatable. You can see more about this wonderful hotel here: https://storchen.ch/en.
The Storchen is on the right side of the river as you look toward Lake Zurich, which is not far from the hotel. The old 
town on this side has the high end shopping, spreading out betwen the hotel and the train station to the north. Many restaurants are interspersed among the narrow side streets. As you walk toward the station, you get to a more modern and busy section. You’ll find some large department stores, including Globus, which had the most remarkable luxury food market in it’s lower floor. You could buy anything food or drink related, and it all looked perfect. Also, at this time of year, you’ll find all of the streets adorned with lights strung across them and running throughout the old town. It is a strikingly beautiful place at night in December.
Across the river you will find block after block of smaller stores, restaurants and specialty shops. We took a guided tour on our second day there, and the guide was incredibly informative. To keep the small shops in business, and the character of the old city intact, city ordinances required that any person owning a building and living in this central area had to have a retail shop on the first floor. It makes for a fascinating place to just wander through, as the variety of places to stop into is unending. We bought Christmas ornaments in one, chocolate in another, and a lovely old print of a town on the lake in an antiquarian shop.
Christmas Market near the Opera House
Then there are the Christmas Markets, and there are many of them. Mulled wine and Christmas trinkets are everywhere. Most are more focused on food, but you can find a few with more merchandise if that is what you are looking for. The best market that we found, by far, was the one in front of the Opera House. This had lots of merchandise, and it seemed to be of high quality. They also had a Christmas Store, constructed in the middle of the market, offering genuine handmade ornaments and nutcrackers. This had been Cheri’s one crusade on this trip, to bring home an original, handmade German nutcracker. We found it here, on the last day of the trip, in the last market of the trip, and the one she picked out was also the last one in the store. It must have been fate. Klaus now presides over Christmas at our house.
As you wander the old city you’ll find these markets everywhere. Some are just a few stalls, some are large, some are strung out along a length of street, interspersed between the blocks. In the train station is a quite large Christmas Market, although this one did not really strike a chord with us. We think you’re better staying outside.
Another thing you will find no shortage of is grand cathedrals and churches. Many have clock towers, a very noticeable feature on the city skyline. Some are ancient, some newer, but all have a story to tell. As in most European cities they will also have crypts, and we have found those subterranean spaces to be the most interesting in many cases. Look for a staircase leading down from the main floor.
We mentioned a few restaurants in our previous, quick look article on our trip. You can read that here. We recommend three, as we really spent more time walking than eating, and went to our favorite italian restaurant twice. Here they are:
Vallocaia
Ristorante Vallocaia – this lovely, small Italian restaurant is located on Niederdorfstrasse 15, which winds its way parallel to the river on the same side as the Opera House and the Kunsthause Art Museum (which we’ll get to next). We liked this place so much we went twice for dinner, and both times were exceptional. Service is top notch and the experience is slow and relaxing. The wine list is good as well, and we had a beautiful Super Tuscan both times. Cheri’s boar ragut was the best she has had since we were in Piemonte, Italy. My beef tenderloin was to die for. This is a great place to enjoy a fine meal and revisit the highlights of our day.
Widder Bar – while we stayed at the Hotel Storchen, a wonderful, elegant hotel right on the river, a sister hotel to the Storchen is the Widder, in the middle of the old town on the same side of the river, and more edgy. Attached to the Widder Hotel is the Widder Bar.
This is a popular spot, and while we were there a constant line of people were lined up waiting for a table. It’s a cozy bar, with good food options. We split a burger and had some drinks. It is a lively place.
Brasserie Schiller – located right next to the opera house, on the left side as you face the entrance, is a warm and
Mussels @Brasserie Schiller
very European brasserie. It is elegant, lower key and a great place to have a relaxing drink and a meal. We went almost in the middle of the afternoon, so it was not busy. Our waiter was impeccable, with a gregarious personality. We had an outrageous shrimp cocktail, comprised of many huge shrimp with a mayonaisse based sauce and lettuce in a huge glass. It was really a shrimp salad, and delicious. We both shared it for an appetizer. I followed that with mussels, also excellent. We droped in for a quick bite and ended up staying over an hour and a half. This is a relaxing spot.
There is so much more to talk about, but we’ll end this article with a quick review of the Kunsthaus, Zurich’s museum of fine art. This might have been the best stop on the whole trip, which is saying a lot as there were more castles, cathedrals, museums and markets than we could list. The 
collection here was staggering, and beautifully presented. Then there was a special exhibit, which brought together the works acquired by arms manufacturer and art patron Emil G. Bührle. This wealthy industrialist made his fortune selling arms to whoever would have the funds to pay for them. Many went to Nazi Germany. It was during this period that many of the works of art were purchased under “questionable” circumstances, as old manors and estates were looted across Europe. It raises a social question: what to do with the collection? We can tell you it is amazing, and seeing all of it in one place truly inspiring. But what is the right thing to do? You can cast your own vote for one of the presented alternatives before leaving the exhibit.
Yet even more amazing was the choir that spontaneously appeared while we were getting ready to leave. Comprised of all women, they filed out from a back room, dressed in black, and proceeded to sing several hauntingly beautiful songs in a cappella. It was mesmerizing. When they finished we again turned to leave, when a very nice woman informed us that they were just moving to a new location in the museum and would continue the concert there. We followed. This actually occured three more times, in very different backdrops throughout the building. We would have paid the proce of admission (and more) just to see this.
Zurich is a lovely town to visit and experience for several days. We look forward to returning, maybe in the summer months this time so we can enjoy the lake and the surrounding area. It was a great way to end our trip, and made us sad to be leaving.
A votre santé!
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