Do you need to rent a car in Zurich?
To visit the city of Zurich itself, you do not need to rent a car. In fact, it is usually more of a hindrance than an advantage. The centre, the Old Town, the lake, Bahnhofstrasse, Niederdorf, Lindenhof and many of the most interesting neighbourhoods are well connected by tram, urban train, bus or simply on foot.
A car only really starts to make sense if you are planning a wider route through villages, smaller lakes, less accessible mountain areas or several places in Switzerland over just a few days. Even then, it is worth thinking twice: Swiss trains are excellent, frequent and comfortable, and many classic day trips from Zurich can be done without driving.
Public transport in Zurich: the best way to get around
Public transport is the most convenient way to move around Zurich. Trams, buses, S-Bahn trains, boats and a few special transport services all operate within a zone system managed by ZVV. In practice, you buy a ticket valid for specific zones and, during that period, you can combine different modes of transport within those zones.
For a short stay, the easiest option is usually to use single tickets, 24-hour tickets or the Zürich Card if you plan to move around quite a lot and also want to visit museums or take advantage of discounts. The Zürich Card includes unlimited second-class travel for 24 or 72 hours on trams, buses, trains, boats and some mountain transport services within the zones covered by the card.
The city feels especially elegant from the tram: wide windows, clean streets, sober façades, the shimmer of the Limmat and that very Swiss blend of silence, order and urban life. Zurich is neither chaotic nor difficult; it simply requires a little initial effort to understand the zones, and then everything flows.
How to get from Zurich Airport to the city centre
Zurich Airport is very well connected to the city. The fastest and most practical option is usually the train or S-Bahn to Zürich HB, the main station. Trains run very frequently and the journey usually takes between 10 and 15 minutes; the airport itself indicates connections to the main station roughly every 10 minutes.
There is also the tram option, especially line 10, which takes longer — around 35 minutes to the centre — but can be convenient if your accommodation is close to one of the stops on that route. For most travellers, however, the train is more direct, faster and easier.
A taxi from the airport can be useful if you arrive late at night, have a lot of luggage, are travelling with small children or if your hotel is in an area that is not very convenient by public transport. But for getting into the centre, it usually is not worth it: the train is fast, clean, frequent and much more reasonable.
Can you explore Zurich on foot?
Yes, and you should. Zurich is not a city you understand only through its transport system: you understand it by walking along the Limmat, crossing bridges, climbing up to Lindenhof, slipping into the narrow streets of the Old Town and slowly making your way down to the lake.
From Zürich HB, you can walk to Bahnhofstrasse in just a few minutes, to the Old Town in around 10 minutes and to the lake in about 20 or 25 minutes, depending on your pace and how often you stop. The city is not huge, but it does have hills, cobblestones and small climbs that can be tiring if you try to see everything in a single day.
For a first visit, the ideal approach is to combine walking with trams: explore the historic centre on foot and use public transport for areas such as Zürich-West, Enge, Riesbach, Oerlikon or to reach Uetliberg.
Parking in Zurich: best avoided if you can
Parking in Zurich is not impossible, but it is rarely pleasant for visitors. The rules are restrictive, parking is mainly allowed only in marked spaces, and fines can start at around CHF 40 if the rules are not respected. Zurich Tourism recommends using the city’s covered car parks rather than trying to find improvised street parking.
If you arrive by car, the most sensible option is to book accommodation with parking or leave the vehicle in a car park and then move around by public transport. Driving in and out of the centre just to visit monuments, eat or go for a walk is not really worth the trouble.
Taxis, ride-hailing services and night transport
Taxis in Zurich are comfortable, safe and expensive. They can make sense at night, with luggage or when travelling with elderly people, but they should not be the basis of your day-to-day transport. For normal urban journeys, the tram or urban train is usually faster and far more efficient.
At night, Zurich operates a night public transport network on Friday and Saturday nights, with trains and buses marked with an “N”. According to ZVV, this network runs from around 1 a.m. until the early hours of the morning, and a valid regular ticket is enough to use it.
During the week, it is worth checking the last tram or train before going out late for dinner or drinks, as night-time frequency is not the same every day.
Outlying areas and day trips from Zurich
To move around within the city, you will normally have no problems. For places a little farther away, it is worth checking the ticket zones carefully.
Uetliberg, Zurich’s lookout mountain, is one of the easiest escapes: you can reach it by train from the city, and it offers beautiful views over the lake, the rooftops and, on clear days, the Alps. The Lindt Home of Chocolate museum in Kilchberg is also easy to reach by public transport. For longer trips, such as Lucerne, Rapperswil, the Rhine Falls or villages along the lake, the usual option is to take regional or national trains from Zürich HB.
This is where Zurich shows one of its great strengths: you do not need to rent a car to feel that the journey opens up beyond the city.
Practical tips for using public transport in Zurich
Always buy your ticket before boarding or use the relevant app. In Switzerland, ticket checks do happen and fines are not merely symbolic.
Do not obsess over understanding every zone from the first minute. For simple journeys, ticket machines and apps let you enter your origin and destination and calculate the right ticket for you.
Consider the Zürich Card if you plan to use a lot of public transport, travel from the airport, take a short boat ride or visit museums. It does not always pay off for someone who only strolls around the centre, but it can be convenient for an active first visit.
So, what is the best way to get around Zurich?
The best formula is clear: train from the airport, trams to move around the city, walking to savour the centre, and regional trains for day trips. Zurich rewards travellers who move lightly, unhurriedly and without a car.
It is an orderly, expensive and precise city, yes, but also an extremely comfortable one. Its public transport allows you to move from a medieval street to a contemporary neighbourhood, from a riverside terrace to a lookout over the lake, without wasting time or energy. Anyone who tries to conquer Zurich by car usually ends up fighting against it; anyone who explores it on foot and by tram tends to understand it much better.
