How to spend the perfect day in Switzerland's underrated financial capital

Switzerland’s largest city, straddling the Limmat River and facing the pristine shores of Lake Zurich, has long been best known for its financial clout and Swiss efficiency. But these days its cultural scene is also booming, with everything from ‘blackout’ dining concepts to fashion co-ops set beneath railway arches. Here’s how best to take in the city in just 14 hours.

7am: Swim at sunrise at Seebad Utoquai

The combination of the lake’s glassy water and this swimming club has made such an impression on locals that it’s kept them rising at dawn for more than 130 years. The Seebad’s two-floor wooden bathhouse debuted in 1890 with curtained changing rooms, ladders directly into the lake and diving boards, and it’s been eulogised ever since by bathers and those who’d rather soak up the sun on the timber terraces. Alternatively, Frauenbad at Stadthausquai is an art nouveau cabana exclusively for women’s swimming (both April to October only).

8am: Breakfast at the Odeon

A home for the city’s gay community long before the first Swiss laws legalising same-sex relationships were passed in 1942, Cafe Odeon is a Viennese-style coffee house par excellence. Expect to see eggs served in a wide variety of styles, including, as this is Zurich, in the form of truffle omelettes with a side of Champagne.

10am: Go to a gallery

Zurich is home to around 50 museums and around double the number of art galleries. Certainly the most generous with the big names is the Kunsthaus. Plenty of highlights on display come from the likes of Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso, while Switzerland is represented by Alberto Giacometti and the world’s largest collection of Dada, the absurd counterculture art movement born nearby at cafe-gallery Cabaret Voltaire on Spiegelgasse.

12pm: Explore under the bridges

The railway arches of the city’s Industriequartier once housed hundreds of stonemasons and mechanics. These days, they survive as Im Viadukt, a future-focused co-op of fashion shops, restaurants, venues and a food market replete with bars and takeaway counters. This is where to go for a classic Swiss lunch, whether you’re looking for Alpine picnic supplies (typically cheese, pickles and breads) or some bratwurst.

3pm: Get a chocolate fix

There’s an extraordinary array of chocolate ateliers in Zurich, but among the best are Läderach, Max Chocolatier and truffle-specialist Sprüngli on Bahnhofstrasse. These days, macarons are the speciality, while ruffled chocolate nests and bite-sized batons come topped with gold-leaf.

5pm: Time for a sky-high cocktail

It’s worth seeing the city and all of its church spires from the rooftops. One of the best viewpoints is at 1838, an exquisite destination bar atop the Mandarin Oriental Savoy that snuggles up to the Fraumünster and overlooks Paradeplatz, a square that’s perenially popular with locals. On a clear day, the entire lake and the Alps to the south can also be seen on the horizon. An Aperol spritz or Eichhof lager will help temper any giddiness.

7pm: Eat in the dark

Switzerland helped pioneer many life-changers — wristwatches, the world wide web, instant coffee. It’s also the home of the first restaurant in the dark. The blackout dining concept was created in 1999 by a non-profit foundation and born to create jobs for the city’s visually impaired people. The focus isn’t just the surprise three- or four-course menu (it could be spätzle, lake fish, Swiss beef), but on fostering conversations.

10pm: Go bar-hopping

If anywhere has an edge in Zurich, it’s Langstrasse, a long street of late-night bars and clubs in the heart of the red-light district. Resistant to change, it’s the city at its most unbuttoned, with Bar 63 and Ole Ole the most popular venues. For something classier, albeit with negronis on tap, try Bar Sacchi in trendy Lochergut.