I’m sooooooo excited to tell you I’m heading to Zurich next week! Yep, that tiny country in Europe that’s referred to when trying to say you are neutral on a subject — Switzerland!
I’m going with a few other bloggers. Follow my Instagram and Snapchat (user: megbiram) for updates while I’m there! I’ve never been to Zurich, so I am beyond excited. The weather is looking warm, just like it is here in DC. For two of the days it’s supposed to be sunny with a high of 92 and a low of 66, one day it says rain with a high of 79, and another is partly cloudy and 83. So basically hot and possible rain.
Packing is now on my mind. Obviously comfy walking shoes are a must. Might have to take one pair of heels for dinners. I’m going to aim for packing in a carry-on like I did for China.
I’ll be staying at the Hotel Ambassador à l’Opéra, which looks amazing. Prepare for a ridiculous amount of photos!
I want to say that I am really grateful that this blog that I’ve built over almost 8 years, has started to include a lot of travel. It is honestly a dream job for me, and I’m so grateful that it has become a reality. I was lucky to have been able to travel a lot when I was growing up (all over the US, Mexico, Colombia, Ireland, England) and after college I’ve been all over the US and to the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mexico — and while that is a lot of travel for some people — I’m really a vagabond at heart (not in the job sense, but in the wandering the world sense). I want to go almost EVERYWHERE. When people ask me where I want to go, I literally say everywhere. There’s just so many amazing places I haven’t been or experienced and I want to try to see them all!
If you have any tips about Zurich or Switzerland, I’d love to hear them!
Where’s your favorite place you’ve ever been? What’s next on your travel list?
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Photo is actually not of Zurich (I don’t know where it is from and I obviously don’t have photos from there yet!) but it’s by Alberto Restifo via Unsplash, graphics added by moi!
Awesome Meg! I’ve definitely wanted to visit Switzerland; a lot of my mom and dad’s side of my family are from there so I got a lot of that in me! I can’t wait to hear more about your trip and have safe, fun travels!!! 🙂
You must eat at Hiltl! It’s Europe’s oldest vegetarian restaurant, and though I’m not a vegetarian, is the best place I’ve ever eaten. I ordered their pesto pasta and they offered seconds…for free. I was convinced there was some catch or that something was getting lost in translation. Nope, second helping. Anyway, it’s delicious, everyone in my group loved it. Zurich is beautiful, but very expensive, so be prepared for high prices.
http://www.hiltl.ch/en/
Perfect, it’s already in the plans!
Dear Meg, you are coming to my hometown! I agree with Tessa K. the buffet at the Hiltl is great and the à la carte dishes are amazing. Definately try the fake beef tartar. You can make reservations online because it can be very crowded, depending on when you go. Your hotel is in the center. Bahnhofstrasse/Limmatquai and Niederdorf Shopping is very near and definately worth it! Please also see Rennweg/Strehlgasse for http://www.ensoie.com, lots of brand stores until you get to Fraumünster Kirche with the Chagall windows http://www.fraumuenster.ch. To really see Zurich you will have to leave the Kreis 1 district tough. You can have free bikes, nearest “rental” station to your hotel would be the Bürkliplatz location. We call them Velo and there is a Velo route planner for download here http://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/aoz/de/index/shop/veloverleih/standorte.html. Please be careful, even though Zurich is not a mega City, the traffic can be quite heavy. You can also use the public transportation, it is very good http://www.zvv.ch one pass for all, even the Limmat Boats. Zürich might be expensive to live, but there are many things you can do and see, without having to spend too much money. It tepends on what you are looking for. So if you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact me once you are here. In Switzeland only some public places have air conditioning, so you will be happy about the many places a “Zürcher” can go and cool off in the Zürichsee or the Limmat. The weather is going to be very hot from monday until thursday so check out one of the many river and lake lidos and some of them are free! If you are an early bird I recommend the Flussbad Oberer Letten. You can bring your food and drinks but it also has a bar/restaurant and even a beach volley ground. In the evening some of the lidos become bars like the Seebad Enge, so you can spend a whole day and an evening there. I assume you will have breakfast at the Hotel, but there are two sister restaurants that serve a lovely and not too pricey breakfast http://www.bebek.ch and http://www.maison-blunt.ch. They are great for lunch an dinner too if you like morrocan food. The area around Maison Blunt is very interesting and multicultural. Lots of restaurants, bars and shops.Check out http://www.einzigart.ch and http://www.lilli-tulipan.ch. At the moment there is the http://www.rundfunk.fm pop up outdoor bar with great music at the Geroldstrasse. Also right there is the freitag.ch flagship store. Following the Viaduktstrasse you can find fine shops and boutiques until you arrive at the http://www.restaurant-markthalle.ch. Furniture and Accessoires stores in the Nüschlerstrasse I always liked the http://www.imperial-interiors.com. On the corner you can find the legendary Kaufleuten Club, Restaurant, Lounge & Bar http://www.kaufleuten.ch. More furniture here http://www.moebelfactory.ch. If you stay until the weekend go to http://www.theaterspektakel.ch it starts on the 6. August and even if you do not go to see a show, the precincts with reataurants and activities are worth a visit. Seeing the city from the rooftop pool http://www.thermalbad-zuerich.ch. Having drinks in the highest swiss building primetower.ch. There is so much more you can do and see here, so please let me know what you are looking for and I will definately get back to you. Have fun in Zürich!
Freundliche Grüsse
Irena Graf
Wow! This is the best comment ever! Thank you for all the tips!!!
Awesome!!!
I’m headed on a big trip this week! Have fun in Switzerland!
Alyssa
http://www.feathersandstripes.com