It just doesn't get any better than spending summer by a lake in the mountains, and Zürich happens to be just the place for it. It is teeming with outdoor attractions, so if you are heading there for a summer break, you're sure to enjoy some of the best the city has to offer.
A Lakeside City
Zürich is situated on a lake – Lake Zürich to be precise – and there are an abundance of facilities that allow you to go swimming with plenty of boat trips and tours available if you prefer to stay on top of the water. There's even a lakeside sauna!
You can go kayaking and canoeing here too, with other water sports also available. You've got Alpamere, a giant water park with ten slides and a thermal spring, as well an indoor wave pool and iodine-brine pool.
What's more, Zürich has water fountains everywhere so you'll never go thirsty. Whatever you choose to do in the water, you're sure to be wowed by the splendour of the Swiss scenery.
The Swiss Mountains
The mountains and countryside lend themselves spectacularly to mountain biking, hiking and walks. Catering for both the energetic and gentle rider, the routes that line the lake enable you to take in the best of summer in the shadow of the Uetliberg, while hiking routes take you through those unmistakeably Swiss hills.
A City of Culture
Zürich's myriad open air bars and restaurants lend themselves perfectly to summer weather, and they lie interspersed among some fantastic resources of culture, like the Kunsthaus art gallery and the Rietberg Museum.
Zürich Zoo is a great attraction if you've got a family in tow, and it features a rainforest ecosystem spanning 11,000 square-metres. Over the year Zürich hosts a great number of festivals and attractions, such as the Street Parade music festival and the Zürich festival itself.
If you need to hit the shops, Im Viadukt in the west is a shopper's haven with its food market and regional goods. And whatever you do, don't miss out on the opportunity to take a more unusual tour of the city and its Old Town district with a segway tour!
An International Centre
Zürich is easy to reach – you can book flights quickly and easily online, and the airport has connections to over 150 locations and lies a ten minute train hop away from the centre. The station itself is regarded as a railway hub of Europe, and the public transport system in Zürich is one of the best anywhere.
