When I arrive in Zürich, it’s snowing. “Uncommon this early in December,” the hotel manager tells me at check-in. It feels like the red (or, technically, white) carpet has been rolled out especially for me.
That said, I’m hardly the only one who’s made the trip this month. December is the busiest time in Zürich after June and August, thanks entirely to the Christmas markets that transform the city during the holiday season. From late November through Christmas, Zürich is all fairy lights and merrymakers sipping mulled wine. It’s singing Christmas trees and Swiss chocolate and cheese fondue, all under a fresh blanket of snow, if you’re lucky.
It’s incredibly special — and I say that as someone who grew up celebrating the holiday season in New York City. Up until the age of 14, I thought seeing the Rockettes was a compulsory affair. I’ve since come to feel similarly about Zürich at Christmastime. Here’s how to experience the city in all of its convivial glory.
The Markets
The Zürich Christmas markets started out as a few stalls in the train station 30 years ago. They’ve since expanded to include a handful of markets that amount to hundreds of stalls scattered all around the city. And while you can’t throw a stone without hitting one, these are the ones worth seeking out.
Zürich’s Wienachtsdorf — or colloquially known as the Christmas village — is the biggest and best known, while Market Dörfli in the Niederdorf quarter is the oldest market in Zürich (this is your opportunity to try the raclette!). With a focus on locally-made goods — think jewelry, ornaments, pottery and small leather goods — the market on the Münsterhof pays homage to Christmas in the city, just steps from Fraumünster church. Featuring 120 stalls, Christkindlimarkt is located in the concourse of Zürich Main Station, making it the largest indoor market in all of Europe. Lastly, the market at Werdmühleplatz is where you’ll go to see the Singing Christmas Tree — local choirs perform multiple times a day (and as many as four times on the weekends) all month long.
All markets run from November 23 to December 23 or, in some cases, December 24.
Where to Stay
The Ambassador Hotel, a member of Small Luxury Hotels, in Zürich’s Old Town is a 44 room boutique hotel, located about a 15-minute tram ride from the airport off the Opera House stop. Its location makes it the perfect home base from which to explore the city — I could quite literally see Wienachtsdorf from my room — and its proximity to the tram makes for easy navigation.
The sixth floor of the hotel was recently renovated, so the rooms are new and extremely well-appointed. If not for my rather robust itinerary, I might have opted to lay in my cloud-adjacent bed at The Ambassador for the entirety of my stay, testing out the full pillow menu. (Yes, pillow menu.) It was unequivocally the best note on which to both begin and end every one of my days in Zürich.
Further, the adjoining bar and restaurant, Silk, is open daily from 7 a.m. On weekends, they don’t offer lunch but serve breakfast until 4 p.m., a thing that feels very important to me.
What to Do
First thing’s first — get your bearings. In my personal experience, this is best achieved through an eTukTuk tour. A roundtrip, eco-friendly tour, the eTukTuk hits all the most famous sights in Zürich while the guide regales you with tales about the city and its inhabitants. It’s a nice way to ease into things while orienting yourself, as it covers a lot of ground in a short period of time.
When in Zürich, a visit to the Lindt Chocolate factory is de rigueur. The museum on its own, which includes a few Willy Wonka-esque tasting experiences, is worth the 15 minute or so trip out of the city center. The workshop makes for a fun add-on, so long as you’re prepared to have any and all dreams of becoming a professional chocolatier immediately dashed. It’s worth noting that the Lindt chocolate we have in the United States is actually manufactured stateside and, because it’s made with less milk, tastes different than the chocolate manufactured in Switzerland. So despite any preexisting relationship to Lindt, this is bound to be a new experience. You can take either the bus or the train to get there, but the ferry is a nice excuse to get out on the water in the off-season.
Next, go for a trek up Uetliberg. Touted as being Zürich’s “very own mountain,” Uetliberg sits 2,850 feet above sea level and offers panoramic views of the city, lake and the Alps. It’s fully decked out in lights for the holidays, which makes it feel especially magical — particularly when coupled with a cup of mulled wine. There’s a direct train to Uetliberg from Zürich’s main train station, and it’s about a five minute walk to the top from there (I did it in Doc Martens). To make the most of your trip, book a reservation at the restaurant, Uto Kulm, and if there’s sufficient snow, take the toboggan run back down afterward.
If some respite from the cold is what you seek, a visit to Kunsthaus Zürich is just the thing. Home to a bevy of Monets, van Goghs and Picassos — as well as more than a few really impressive modern art exhibits — the The Emil Bührle Collection is one that’s not to be missed. Comprised of many works of great historical value, it’s an extremely controversial body because of the way in which it was acquired during the Second World War. It’s incredibly profound and worth every bit of your time.
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What to Eat
Zunfthaus zur Zimmerleuten is a historical guild house from the Middle Ages that specializes in time-honored fare. Zürcher Geschnetzeltes vom Kalbsfilet mit goldgelber Rösti (sliced, “Zürich-style” veal with a golden potato cake) is a very traditional dish served tableside in two heaping portions. Consider pairing it with a glass of Zürich Pinot Noir (it’s the most common grape grown in the city) — because the city only exports between 1% and 2% of its wine and keeps everything else, drinking local wine makes for a distinctly Zürich experience.
Inevitably, if you’ve traveled to Zürich for the Christmas markets, you’ll find yourself at the Illuminarium — a festival of lights in the inner courtyard of the National Museum Zürich. Within the Illuminarium is The Fondue Chalet. Boasting a wide variety of fondue options and selected wines (locals insist that white goes best with fondue), a visit to The Fondue Chalet during winter is non-negotiable. I’d recommend a reservation.
Opened in 1898, Haus Hiltl is the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world. You can dine à la carte or by way of the buffet on the ground floor, and both rotate in accordance with what’s in season. Before you devout carnivores roll your eyes, one of, if not the, best meals I had in Zürich was enjoyed at Haus Hiltl — which means little when taking into account that everyone from Billie Eilish to Sir Paul McCartney has dined here.
A great option for a nicer dinner, Neue Taverne is a tapas-style eatery with an open kitchen that makes it feel a little reminiscent of The Menu with Ralph Fiennes, except with a cozy, tavern vibe (and no murder). It’s a no skip menu, though the Spaetzli is A1. Located lakeside and only a 10 minute walk from The Ambassador, Restaurant Lux possesses the city’s largest terrace, which — as you can probably imagine — makes for some pretty good viewing. It feels only fitting that you try the whitefish from Lake Zürich here, given its proximity.
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