ZURICH IS A REAL HEAD-TURNER
PERFECTION COMES AT A COST, AS CLAIRE SPREADBURY DISCOVERS ON A TRIP TO SWITZERLAND’S SCENIC FINANCIAL CAPITAL BEFORE THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
I’VE been in Zurich for less than an hour and am talking about Tina Turner for the third time. I have so far met three different people, and each and every one of them has told me that the 80-year-old singer has a house here.
She also apparently goes shopping without bodyguards – because it’s so safe.
Clearly she’s a big deal in these parts, but chatting about Tina isn’t the only thing to surprise me on a weekend break I enjoyed in Switzerland’s largest city before the world went crazy.
Sandwiched between Germany, France, Italy and Austria, Switzerland isn’t a place I’ve really thought of coming to before.
I thought it was only for skiers and hugely expensive – which it is – but there’s a captivating charm here that’s worth exploring.
Known for being the financial capital, Zurich has a great transport system and is impeccably clean.
The city centre’s main shopping street, Bahnhofstrasse, links the train station to beautiful Lake Zurich, where everyone swims in the summer. The closer you are to the lake, the more expensive the shops, and minutes after climbing off the public boat, I suck in the sights of Dolce & Gabbana, Chloe and Tiffany.
But, as you continue into the city, there are designer labels around every twist and turn of the cobbles.
Apparently it’s like Oxford Street come the weekend, but on a fresh and wintry Friday, I almost have the shops to myself.
It feels quiet and safe as I explore the views from Lindenhof, a tree-covered park in the city, looking out over the River Limmat.
Green spires, church domes and colourful facades flank the doubletowered Grossmunster church, the technical school where Einstein studied, and the university.
Quaint shuttered buildings housing extortionate flats lead us back down to the squares in Zurich’s centre.
My favourite is Munsterhof, which gets all lit up for a festive market come Christmas, and the beautiful Fraumunster church, with its Chagall and Giacometti stainedglass windows, overlooks a funky double fountain, the smallest of which can be adapted to spurt out free-flowing wine for incredibly important people and parties.
It’s easy to forget how delicious Swiss chocolate is, but Switzerland is, of course, home to Lindt – a must-buy while you’re here. And the Luxemburgerli mini macarons at Spruengli are simply sublime. Bite-sized and beautiful, though not cheap, at £1.20) each, they’re the perfect mouthful.
Swanky department store Globus is worth a wander, too. Head down to the food hall and watch the rich do their weekly shop as you ogle glorious displays of fruit and veg, half of which I have never seen before, from all over the world.
Home-made pasta, decadent flowers, stunning breads and delicacies are yours if you can afford it.
A tiny pot of olives costs £5.60 and a generous serving of dried mango will set you back £20, but it’s a perfect spot for people-watching.
Art lovers can happily amble around the 100-odd galleries here, and you can even take a seat in Zurich’s first coffee shop in the edgier old town, where you can legally buy cannabis.
It’s here, in Swiss Chuchi, where I taste my first Swiss fondue.
Traditional wooden cuckoo clocks coo on the hour, while I’m warned I will both stink and need a lie down once I’ve finished my food.
We opt for the traditional Moitie-Moitie fondue (£23.85 per person), into which we dunk and swirl chunks of rustic bread and boiled potatoes, and wash it all down with a Turbinen Brau Start – a fresh and zesty wheat beer from Zurich (£5.30). We should apparently be drinking white wine with it (not red), but the beer is so good here, and I’m heeding my warning about needing a lie down afterwards.
For vegetable lovers, a reservation at Haus Hiltl restaurant is a must.
Founded in 1898 and managed by the Hiltl family since 1904, it’s the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world.
Renowned for its huge a la carte selection, and the buffet, where you can fill up your plate to be charged by weight – £4.29 per 100g, or all you can eat for £47.70 – with starters,