The main point of arrival is the
giant
Hauptbahnhof (HB) in
the city centre, served by trains
from all over Europe and every
quarter-hour from the
airport
, 11km northeast. The international
bus
station is 50m north of the
station on Sihlquai. The
tourist
office on the station concourse
(Mon-Fri 8.30am-7/8.30pm, Sat &
Sun 8.30/9am-6.30pm; tel 01/215 40
00,
www.zurichtourism.ch )
sells maps and transport tickets,
books rooms for free, and offers
guided tours on foot (Sfr18) or
inline skates (Sfr20) as well as
river and lake cruises (from Sfr13).
Pick up the useful
listings
booklet
Zurich News (
www.zuerich.ch
).
You can cover most sights by
walking, but the public transport
system is easy to use. The most
important hubs are the city squares
of Bahnhofplatz and, on the east
side of the river, Central and
Bellevue. Buy tickets from machines
at every stop: choose between the
green button (Sfr7.20; valid for
24hr); blue button (Sfr3.60; 1hr);
or yellow button (Sfr2.10; a short
one-way hop). All tickets are valid
on trams, buses, some boats and
local city trains (not to/from the
airport). The tourist office sells
Welcome 24 and 48 tickets
(Sfr10.80/25), valid for 24/48hr
citywide, including the airport.
Hostels pack the
Niederdorf district, on the east
bank of the river, including the
excellent SB City Backpacker
, Niederdorfstrasse 5 (tel 01/251 90
15, www.backpacker.ch ; £10-15/$16-24),
and Martahaus , Zähringerstrasse
36 (tel 01/251 45 50, www.martahaus.ch
; £15-20/$24-32), which also has a
women-only annexe. The institutional
HI hostel Jugendherberge ,
Mutschellenstrasse 114 (tel 01/482
35 44, www.youthhostel.ch ;
£10-15/$16-24), is way south; take
tram #7 to Morgental, from where
it's a five-minute walk.
Niederdorf's good-value budget hotels
include comfy, colourful and
laid-back Otter ,
Oberdorfstrasse 7 (tel 01/251 22 07,
www.wueste.ch ; £20-25/$32-40),
the plainer Splendid ,
Rosengasse 5 (tel 01/252 58 50; £15-20/$24-32),
and Villette , Kruggasse 4 (tel
01/251 23 35; £20-25/$32-40). Rothaus
, Sihlhallenstrasse 1 (tel 01/241 24
51; £15-20/$24-32), is on the hip
Langstrasse - its clean, spacious
rooms are a bargain, if you can
overlook the neighbourhood's
red-light tendencies. Campers
should head for lakeside Seebucht
, Seestrasse 559 (tel 01/482 16 12, www.camping-zurich.ch
; closed Nov-April; bus #161 or #165
from Bürkliplatz to Stadtgrenze).
