Switzerland Travel―Visiting Zurich

Zurich's Old Town extends about five blocks in from both sides of the river and stretches for about a mile. The right bank of Zurich, or east side, of the river has the larger cluster of old buildings and is considered the prime district for visitors. Much of your day can be devoted to exploring its many little side alleys and shops. Zurich is one of Switzerland's great cities for walking.

From ZRH to Zurich Main Station (Hauptbahnhof)

Figure 1. Train ride from ZRH to Zurich Main Station 

Figure 2.  Scenic Map provided by Hotel Alder

Figure 3.  Suggested clockwise walking tour from Main Train Station to  East Bank first and then West Bank

Figure 4. Suggested meandering walking tour going through side alleys and landmarks

Walking Tour

As suggested by Dennis Callan in his video below, you should take a clockwise walking tour from main train station towards old town (i.e. East bank of Limmat River) first.  On the way back, you will finally visit the modern side of Zurich (i.e. Bahnhofstrasse).

Figure 5. Migros/COOP Supermarket and Restaurants

Foods

For more than a century, one family has helped transform the way Europe eats. Haus Hiltl (location near main train station) is the worlds oldest vegetarian restaurant. Combining Indian, Asian, Mediterranean and Swiss influences, Haus Hiltl’s boundary-pushing menus have introduced generations of Swiss and Europeans to a rich ratatouille of vegetarian options. Diners line up at the 100-dish buffet to savour the homemade vegetarian and vegan dishes from around the world.

If you don't want to pay too much for foods, simply look for MIGROS or COOP supermarkets. These are Swiss biggest food markets which also happen to have some restaurants in many cities and the food is generally very good and quite cheap.

Figure 6.  Dishes at Hiltl (Photo from BBC Travel)

References

1. VAT: HOW TO GET IT BACK AND SAVE ON SHOPPING IN SWITZERLAND
2. 2 Days in Zurich Switzerland: The Best 2 Day Zurich itinerary