Where to stay in Zurich: best neighborhoods and hotels

If you are in Zurich for one or two nights and arriving by train, stay in the Altstadt or within a few minutes of Zurich HB. You can walk to the lake, the Limmat, the old town and the main station, and you do not need a tram pass for the core sights.

If you are staying longer, or your budget matters more than your walk to the lake, look at Kreis 4 and Kreis 5: Langstrasse and Zurich West. Rooms are cheaper, the bar and restaurant choice is wider, and trams reach the centre in 10–15 minutes.

If you want quiet nights and lake views, pick Kreis 2 (Enge) or Kreis 8 (Seefeld) on the lake shore. You trade a 15–25 minute walk or tram ride to the old town for calmer streets.

Zurich is small and its districts (Kreise) are numbered. The river Limmat runs north from the lake, with the old town on both banks; Zurich HB, the main station, sits just north-west of the old town. Almost everything a short-stay visitor wants is inside a 30-minute walk of the station.

The Altstadt (Kreis 1) covers both banks of the Limmat: the Niederdorf on the east side, the Lindenhof and Bahnhofstrasse shopping street on the west. It is the most expensive and the most convenient. Expect small rooms in old buildings, some with shared bathrooms.

Kreis 4, around Langstrasse, is the traditional red-light and immigrant quarter, now full of bars, cheap eats and small hotels. It is lively at night and not the quietest choice. Kreis 5, Zurich West, is the former industrial area around Hardbrücke, with converted warehouses, design hotels and clubs.

Kreis 2 (Enge) and Kreis 8 (Seefeld) run along the lake. Enge has its own station, one stop from HB, and is close to the FIFA Museum and the lake ferries. Seefeld is quieter and greener, with the China Garden and lake promenades.

Kreis 6 (Unterstrass) and Kreis 7 (Fluntern) sit north and east of the university. They are residential, cheaper than the old town, and still on tram lines into the centre.

Zurich is one of the more expensive cities in Europe for accommodation. Rates rise sharply during trade fairs and major events, and in the June–September high season. Booking two to three months ahead helps; booking the same week rarely does.

Hostels in Kreis 4 and Kreis 5 are the cheapest beds. Mid-range chain hotels cluster near Zurich HB and along Langstrasse. Lake-shore hotels and old-town boutique properties are the top of the range. Many hotels include a Zurich Card or a local transport ticket; ask before you buy a separate pass.

Book early for June to September and around major trade fairs; the city fills and prices jump.

If you arrive by train, a hotel near Zurich HB saves a tram ticket and a luggage haul. If you arrive by plane, the airport train reaches HB in roughly 10–15 minutes, so an HB-area hotel works for a short stop.

Trams and buses are frequent and run late; a hotel 15–20 minutes out is not a problem if it is near a tram line.

Check whether your room has air conditioning if you are travelling in July or August; many older buildings do not.

Ask about the city transport ticket or Zurich Card at check-in before buying one separately.