Altstadt (Niederdorf)

A look around

What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.

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Where it sits

The circle is Altstadt and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.

How far is everything?

From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.

• Bahnhofstrasse5 min walk422 m
• Swiss chocolate & Luxemburgerli5 min walk457 m
• A Lake Zürich cruise7 min walk609 m
• Swiss National Museum10 min walk850 m
• Swim in the lake16 min walk1.3 km
• The Chinese Garden & Zürichhorn24 min walk2.0 km
• Im Viadukt & Zürich-West26 min walk2.2 km
• Frau Gerolds Garten8 min taxi2.7 km

On your doorstep

What you’re living next to if you stay here.

• 1.Grossmünster — The twin-towered Romanesque church that is Zürich's symbol, where Zwingli launched the Swiss Reformation — climb the Karlsturm tower for the best view over the old town, the river and the lake to the Alps. Spare, powerful, and the heart of the city.
• 4.The Niederdorf lanes — The car-free tangle of the east-bank old town — steep cobbled alleys, fountains, tiny squares, secondhand shops and wine bars, buzzing after dark. The most charming wander in Zürich, and the antidote to the buttoned-up banking district across the river.
• 5.Fraumünster & the Chagall windows — A slender-spired church on the west bank whose plain interior holds an astonishing set of stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall — five soaring panels of jewel colour that light up the choir. Small, quiet, and quietly breathtaking.
• 7.Lindenhof viewpoint — A tree-shaded terrace on the site of the Roman fort, high over the river with the old town rooftops and the Grossmünster's towers spread below — locals playing giant chess under the limes. The best free view in the centre; go at golden hour.
• 10.Kunsthaus Zürich — Switzerland's finest art museum — a deep collection from Monet's water lilies and a hall of Giacometti's spindly figures to Munch, Picasso and the Dada that was born in this city. Recently doubled in size; a serious couple of hours for anyone who loves painting.
• 12.Zürcher Geschnetzeltes — The city's own dish — thin-sliced veal in a creamy mushroom-and-white-wine sauce, with a crisp golden rösti to soak it up. Hearty, old-school and everywhere in the old town; the plate to order when you want to eat like a local Züricher.