Zurich EURO 2008 Travel Guide

Zurich Euro 2008 City Profile

Population: 1,000,000

Switzerland’s largest city is also its most exciting and cosmopolitan. Zurich offers not only history and culture in the form of the quaint medieval old town, but also all the attractions of a modern metropolis with great clubs, museums and entertainment opportunities.

Zurich is also one of the most scenic cities in Switzerland, looking out on a perfectly clean lake and snow covered mountains. The quality of life in Zurich has been measured as the highest in the world by several prominent international surveys.

Zurich City History

Founded: Unknown

Zurich has been a center of commerce since Roman days, and today is the home of several large banks. The city has also had a somewhat violent history and in 1440 went to war with the other members of the Swiss confederation over a territorial dispute. The forces of the city were soon overpowered and Zurich was reincorporated into the Swiss confederation in 1446.

Zurich was one of the few Swiss cities bombed by the allies in 1945. The USAAF later claimed that this had been an accident and that the target had been Freiburg.

Zurich City Culture

Official Language: Swiss German

As the biggest and most cosmopolitan city in Switzerland, Zurich offers an exciting cultural experience to EURO 2008 travellers. Not only is there the usual array of top quality art and history museums, but the city also hosts street parades and outdoor parties.

Zurich is famous for its cuisine, and particularly its veal and potato dishes. No visit to Zurich is complete without sampling Zürigschnätzlets (veal with cream sauce) and Rösti (fried potato cakes).

If clubbing is your thing, then Zurich is the place to be. Clubs operate every night of the week, and cater to every taste. In fact Zurich has more nightclubs per capita than any other city in Europe.

Zurich City Travel

Closest Airport: Zurich International Airport

For Euro 2008 travellers visiting Zurich by plane Zurich’s international airport caters to all the major carriers, and also operates an efficient bus transport service from the airport and into the city every quarter hour. If you wish to use a discount airline, hop on an EasyJet flight to Basel and from there take a train to Zurich.

For Euro 2008 travel by train Zurich’s Hauptbahnhof station provides rail access to the city from Switzerland’s neighbours as well as other Swiss cities. The station is located in the city center and provides an array of public and private transport options to other parts of Zurich.

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