Zurich Old Town

Zürich Altstadt

Historic heart of Zurich with old-world charm and modern energy.

Zurich’s Old Town (Altstadt) is an open-air museum where centuries of history come alive. Guild houses, cobbled streets, churches, and towers dating back up to 800 years have been beautifully preserved.

As you walk through the Old Town, you’ll feel the spirit of medieval Europe blended with Swiss precision. This area is home to the city’s top landmarks – from the Grossmünster church to Lindenhof hill – as well as cozy antique shops, designer boutiques, and cafes overlooking charming historic facades.

Transport

How to Get There

Ways to get to the attraction

On foot from Zurich center 24-36 min.

From Lucerne by car ~44 min.

From Basel by car ~1 h 11 min.

From BRN airport (Bern) by car ~1 h 48 min.

From SIR airport (Sion) by car ~3 h

Open in Google Maps

Attraction

Description

Detailed information about the attraction

What is this place

Zurich’s Old Town (Altstadt) is the historic core on both banks of the Limmat and corresponds to administrative District 1. A compact area of medieval lanes, guild houses, and the city’s principal churches.

Key features

Administratively this is District 1 – the pre-1893–1934 city footprint, comprising the quarters of Rathaus, Hochschulen, Lindenhof, and City.
Two riverbank halves – right-bank Niederdorf with Limmatquai and left-bank Lindenhof and Schipfe, ideal for a loop on foot.
Three signature churches – Grossmünster, Fraumünster, and St. Peter define the skyline and narrate the Reformation.
St. Peter’s clock, ~8.6–8.7 m across, is the largest church clock face in Europe.
The Town Hall on Limmatquai was built in 1694–1698, a late-Renaissance block set directly over the river.

What to see

Lindenhof and Schipfe – calm terraces and riverside craft shops.
Niederdorf and Limmatquai – pedestrian zone, alleys, guild houses, and lively evenings.
Churches and embankments – Karlsturm climb at Grossmünster, Chagall and Giacometti windows at Fraumünster, viewpoints by bridges and squares.

History

The first settlement, Turicum, occupied Lindenhof in the 1st–4th centuries, with a Roman fort guarding the crossing where today’s bridges stand. In the Carolingian era a residence stood on the hill, and St. Peter is attested from the 9th century, anchoring the left bank.

In the late Middle Ages the city expanded behind stout walls; in 1351 Zurich joined the Swiss Confederation. In 1520–1524 Huldrych Zwingli launched the Swiss-German Reformation here, giving the churches their austere look and leading to the closure of monasteries.

Baroque ramparts of the 17th–18th centuries survive in fragments such as the Schanzengraben and Bauschänzli; the main lines were removed in the 1830s–1870s, making way for boulevards and riverfronts. Today’s District 1 mirrors the old city within the former walls.

Practical information

Location: central Zurich on both banks of the Limmat; ~10–15 minutes on foot from the Main Station to the Town Hall.

Getting there: trams 4 and 15 run along Limmatquai (Helmhaus, Rathaus, Rudolf-Brun-Brücke stops); S-Bahn at Zürich HB and Stadelhofen.

Access: mostly pedestrian; cobblestones. Churches may close briefly for services.

Visiting hours: outdoors all day; church interiors generally 10:00–17:00/18:00 depending on season.

Visit duration: 2–4 hours for a walk plus churches and the tower climb.

Best time: morning for the Fraumünster windows and quiet streets; warm season for viewpoints; late August brings the Dörflifäscht in Niederdorf.

Notes: Grossmünster’s Karlsturm – 187 steps, no elevator; ticket ~CHF 5, free with Zürich Card. Fraumünster entry ~CHF 5; Zürich Card holders free; seasonal hours.

Tours