Hi again! The final leg of our Switzerland trip took us to Zurich. Even though this city felt much bigger than Lucerne, it was still filled with plenty of Swiss charm.
A lot of our time in Zurich revolved around soccer, or as our European counterparts call it, football. Not only is it home to FIFA headquarters, but it was also where we watched the World Cup final! Our first point of business was to visit the FIFA Museum. It was actually one of the more fun museums we had ever visited! With interactive exhibits to learn about past World Cups, the origin of the rules of the game and a history of the sport, we learned quite a bit about soccer.
They even have an area where you can play games by using your soccer skills to knock down objects or score in different parts of the net. This was a huge hit with the kids at the museum, but even Mark and I (and other adults) were playing too! It costs 24 CHF to visit (or can be free with the Swiss Travel Pass). For more information on tickets, click here.
There was one restaurant in particular that was on our radar in Zurich, which didn’t disappoint. You can try traditional Swiss food at Zueghauskeller. This restaraunt was once an armory. Built in 1487 (before Columbus had even discovered the Americas), it was meant to store weapons and ammunition. The theme of medieval weaponry is still present in the restaurant. We were drawn in particular to Zueghauskeller because of their flaming beer (beer flambé), where they set liquor on fire in a glass and put the flame out with a large beer! Since this is a popular spot, we recommend making reservations online prior to going. (See our video below to catch the flaming beer in action!)
For our last full day of the trip, we decided to treat ourselves to a morning at a spa. After doing some research on Zurich, we discovered Thermalbad & Spa was once an old brewery. Now, you can bathe in the hot baths made from the barrels of wood used to keep the beer. If you are looking for a spa package, you should pre-book online. If you are simply looking to go for the day, you don’t necessarily have to purchase your tickets before going. You have a few choices of packages but we recommend doing the Irish Thermal Ritual which includes a step by step route to take you through saunas and baths to purify your skin and help you relax. (Beware, the instructions are in German so we were only able to follow the numbers). The spa even has a rooftop pool, with great views of Zurich. We spent the whole morning relaxing here, which was well worth it after such a busy trip! To view their packages online, click here.
For our last evening in Zurich, we needed to find a place to watch the World Cup final between Croatia & France. Mark did some research and found an amazing outdoor sports bar called Frau Gerold’s Garten. It had plenty of TV’s, bars and seating so it was the perfect spot for a big game. We arrived almost 2 hours early for kick off and still struggled to find a good seat.
Since Switzerland has such a big French population, it seemed like the French fans dominated, though there was representation for Croatia as well. In the end, we had a blast watching the game there. It seemed like the whole city was celebrating France’s victory afterwards too.
Our time in Zurich was short (about 1.5 days) but we definitely got a feel for the city. One evening, we spent almost 2 hours walking around old town, deciding where to get a drink. Each corner you turned was more picturesque and alluring. In the end, we were so tired from walking around, I don’t even think we managed to get a drink! Here are some pictures from our walk:
Switzerland is a place we will definitely be heading back to! Check out our video blog documenting our time in Lucerne & Zurich. Thanks for joining us for this Swiss journey, stay tuned for some upcoming posts about Germany.
Adieu, Amanda
