Two things decide a short trip: how much free time your arrival and departure times really leave you — something no guide can work out for you — and which area is the best base for you.
Tell us when you arrive and when you leave. We will tell you how many hours you really get to enjoy the city, day by day, once the transfers and your own breaks are set aside.
These are free hours, not a list of sights. We do not know your flight, the queues, opening times or how long it takes to get from one place to another.
Rank what matters most to you, from one to three things, and tick anything you want to avoid. We compare the areas the guide describes and explain why each one fits, catch included.
It sorts what the guide says; it does not score neighbourhoods. It does not look at hotels, today’s prices, safety or accessibility, and it only knows the areas the guide describes.
Every rating comes from what the guide’s table says in words, and the sentence is shown next to it. What the guide does not say is not scored.
Who each one is for and what the catch is, in the guide’s own words.
The sights, the lanes and the river on foot, and the evening in the old town.
The catch: Very expensive, and noisy around the bars of the Niederdorf.
Day trips by train, the airport and the shops, with trams to everywhere.
The catch: Busy, with business hotels and little character.
A calm, elegant district on the eastern shore, near the lake baths and the opera.
The catch: Among the dearest areas, and quiet at night.
Nightlife, the best bars and restaurants, and somewhat lower prices.
The catch: Noisy at night, and the street of the red-light district runs through Kreis 4.
Cheaper modern hotels near the exhibition centre and the airport, minutes from the centre by train.
The catch: Outside the old town, in a plain district.
How much daylight there is in Zurich each month
Sunrise and sunset in Zurich, on its own clock and with the seasonal time change already applied. It is what decides how much fits into a day, and it swings far more than people expect.
The longest day is in June — 15 h 55 min of daylight — and the shortest in December, with 8 h 29 min. That is a 7 h 26 min swing between them.
2–3 days in May / June / July / August / September come to roughly 25 h 16 min to 47 h 45 min of daylight, depending on the month you pick and how long you stay.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 08:08 | 17:00 | 8 h 52 min |
| February | 07:32 | 17:48 | 10 h 16 min |
| March | 06:40 | 18:29 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 06:38 | 20:13 | 13 h 35 min |
| May | 05:50 | 20:54 | 15 h 5 min |
| June | 05:28 | 21:23 | 15 h 55 min |
| July | 05:43 | 21:19 | 15 h 36 min |
| August | 06:21 | 20:39 | 14 h 18 min |
| September | 07:02 | 19:40 | 12 h 38 min |
| October | 07:43 | 18:39 | 10 h 57 min |
| November | 07:29 | 16:51 | 9 h 22 min |
| December | 08:06 | 16:35 | 8 h 29 min |
Worked out for Zurich from its position and its time zone (Europe/Zurich). The times are approximate — the sun shifts a couple of minutes from one year to the next — and they leave out twilight, which adds some light before and after. Each month is worked out from its 15th, the day that looks most like the month as a whole.
Give it the days you have just worked out and Joru builds the whole trip: what to see each day, in what order, and how long it takes to get between them. With real places and real forecasts, not invented ones.
Free for one destination of up to three days, on Android and iPhone.
