Zürich
Alone

SAMPLE

Arrival and First Impressions

Walk out of Zürich HB and you immediately encounter Bahnhofstrasse, one of the world’s best-known shopping streets and your first true sense of the city’s character. Bahnhofstrasse is extraordinarily well-organized. The buildings that line it are impressive without being ostentatious. The shops are world-class (Bucherer watches, Gübelin jewelry, flagship stores for luxury brands), but the overall impression is one of quiet confidence rather than display. This is how Zürich shows its wealth: with precision and restraint. The street stretches downhill toward the lake, and if you walk straight, you will reach the water in about fifteen minutes.

A few streets to your left as you walk down Bahnhofstrasse runs the Limmat River, which flows out of Lake Zürich and through the city. The Limmat is narrower and smaller than the lake, but it possesses an appeal that the larger body of water doesn’t. Its banks are lined with buildings whose foundations are practically in the water, creating an almost Venetian look. Zürich looks lived-in because it is: a working city rather than a preserved one.

A free excerpt from Zürich Alone.