Zurich

Zurich is consistently ranked among the world's most liveable cities — a designation that visitors quickly understand. Switzerland's largest city sits at the northern tip of Lake Zurich, with the Limmat River running through its beautifully preserved medieval Old Town, and the snow-capped Alps visible on clear days to the south. It is a city of extraordinary cleanliness, efficiency, and quiet confidence, built on centuries of banking, trade, and craftsmanship. The trams run on time. The lake water is clean enough to swim in. The chocolate and cheese live up to the reputation.

The Old Town (Altstadt) spreads across both banks of the Limmat — Niederdorf on the east bank with its narrow lanes, bars, and bookshops; and the more refined western bank with the Lindenhügel hill, the medieval guild houses of Bahnhofstrasse, and the Fraumünster church, whose five stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall are among the most beautiful works of 20th-century art in any European church. The Kunsthaus Zurich, expanded in 2021 with a spectacular new wing by David Chipperfield, is now among Europe's finest art museums — Giacometti's complete oeuvre, Monet's water lilies, and an outstanding contemporary collection all under one roof.

What makes Zurich exceptional as a base is the unmatched access it provides to the rest of Switzerland. Lucerne and its lake (50 minutes), the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen (50 minutes), Bern the federal capital (1 hour), and the Jungfrau region — Interlaken, Grindelwald, and the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks — all within two hours by Swiss train. The Swiss Travel Pass, allowing unlimited rail travel and museum entry, makes these day trips straightforward and cost-effective. In December, the city transforms for some of Europe's most atmospheric Christmas markets on Wienachtsmarkt at the main station.