The best day trips from Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city, is a fantastic city. It has a gorgeous old town, which sits at one end of Lake Zurich with picturesque mountains in the background.
There’s no shortage of things to do on a short break here: cultural sights to explore, parks to wander around, fascinating museums to visit, boat trips on the lake and the River Limmat, and thermal spas to relax in, to name just a few.
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The city’s location in the north of the country also means there are plenty of day trips from Zurich you can take. These include days out to other fabulous cities and historic towns, mountaintop resorts, and Europe’s largest waterfall.
Many of these can be easily reached by public transport, including trains. However, if you plan to visit a few places, consider purchasing the Swiss Travel Pass.
The Swiss Travel Pass
You can buy the Swiss Travel Pass for various durations. It gives you unlimited travel by train, boat and bus. Given that travelling around Switzerland is not cheap, if you plan to do a lot of this, the pass offers value for money.
Best day trips from Zurich
Below, you will find 10 of the best day trips from Zurich.
Lucerne, on the shores of Lake Lucerne
Lucerne is a beautiful Swiss city on the shores of Lake Lucerne in central Switzerland. It’s just 40 minutes by train from Zurich in the German-speaking part of the country, so it is an easy day trip to take.

Its scenic location makes it a popular place to visit year-round (I’ve written a separate post on 13 of the best things to do in Lucerne in winter if you’re visiting at that time of year).
You can also go out to the surrounding region from here, including the Bernese Oberland, and ascend some of the country’s nearby snow-capped mountains.
If Lucerne is one of your day trips from Zurich, here are some of the best things to do.
Top things to do in Lucerne on a day out
– Stroll around the city’s old medieval streets and see the Italian Renaissance Town Hall and the eye-catching Jesuit Church
– Walk across the famous 14th century Chapel Bridge, Europe’s oldest covered bridge
– Take a boat ride around the beautiful lake
– Go around the 13th century Musegg Wall surrounding the old town and enjoy the views from the top of the towers
– See other parts of the city, including the Lion Monument and the Glacier Garden
– Combine a trip to Lucerne with a trip up nearby Mount Titlis on a unique revolving cable car
Bern, Switzerland’s charming capital city
Bern, Switzerland’s capital in the western part of the country, is another excellent place to visit if you’re on a trip to Zurich. There’s lots of things to do and see in Bern, but as it’s closer in size to a large town, it’s easy to get around these and see everything it has to offer.
So, although it’s a capital city, it’s possible to see the main sights in just a day and is a great day out from Zurich.
You can catch the train to Bern from Zurich, a journey of just under an hour by fast train.
The city has a UNESCO World Heritage Site old town with medieval buildings, and is home to various museums, most notably those about Albert Einstein, one of the city’s most famous residents. It also uniquely has a family of bears that live along the Aare River!

If you are planning to take a day out to Bern, here are the best things to do. My fuller post will also give you more information on these.
Top things to do in Bern on a day out
– Wander through Bern’s old town and see the unique architecture on Kramgrasse
– Watch the Zytglogge clock tower’s hourly show and climb to the top
– Take in the views from the top of the Minster, a church with the highest spire in the country
– Meet Bern’s bears in their riverside home
– Have lunch in the peaceful Rosengarten overlooking the river
– Learn about Einstein and his time in the city
– Visit one of the other fabulous museums in Bern (there’s a modern art museum and a natural history museum among these)
Schaffhausen, a gorgeous place by the River Rhine

Nestled along the banks of the Rhine River, Schaffhausen is a charming town to the north of Zurich near the border with Germany. It is less than 40 kilometres from Zurich, a travel time of between 40 minutes and an hour by train from central Zurich.
Schaffhausen is only small, but there is a lot to see here – certainly enough to make it one of your day trips from Zurich. It’s also a good stopping point if you’re planning to visit the Rhine Falls, Europe’s largest waterfall.
My separate post on a day out gives you an overview of the top things to see in Schaffhausen, based on the walking route that I picked up from the tourist information centre.
Top things to do in Schaffhausen on a day out
– Explore the old town with its cobbled streets, medieval half-timbered houses, ornate fountains, and hidden courtyards
– Admire the beautiful architecture, including Haus zum Ritter, said to be one of the most beautiful houses here
– Wander past the gothic St. Johann’s Church and see the nearby Tellenbrunnen Fountain with a statue of William Tell on the side
– Walk up to Munot fortress and take in the panoramic views of the town and River Rhine
– Spend some time by the river and eat in Guterhof, a restaurant housed in an old 18th century salt warehouse
– Swim in the river at the Rhybadi lido
– Explore the old Benedictine monastery, with its church, the country’s largest cloister, and a medieval herb garden
– Take a boat trip to Stein am Rhein near Lake Constance
Catch the Rhyfall Express tourist train to Europe’s largest waterfall
The Rhine Falls, Europe’s largest waterfall
At 23 metres high and 150 metres wide, the Rhine Falls is Europe’s biggest waterfall. It’s estimated that during the summer months, it has a flow of around 600,000 litres of water per second. This reduces to 250,000 litres per second in the winter months.
It’s a stunning attraction worth seeing, and, in my opinion, one of the best days out from Zurich. And as it’s only 4 kilometres away from Schaffhausen, you can easily combine a trip to the two.
This is what I did. I spent the morning in Schaffhausen and caught the train in the afternoon to the Rhine Falls. I returned via the quirky Rhyfall Express train to Schaffhausen and then made my way back to Zurich (for more information on how to get to the Rhine Falls from Zurich, see my separate post).
Or you can book tours to the Rhine Falls here.

A trip to the Rhine Falls is obviously centred on seeing the waterfall. However, there’s plenty of other things to do while you’re here. Here are the top things to do in the Rhine Falls on a day out from Zurich.
Top things to do in the Rhine Falls on a day out
– Wander around the water’s edge to get your first view of the waterfall
– Take a boat trip right up to the waterfall and see it from the top of a rock in the middle of the water
– Wander along the Belvedere trail and onto the viewing platforms that get close to the crashing water
– Have lunch in one of the restaurants by the side of the water or take a picnic and relax on the grass
– Visit the medieval Laufen Castle on the southern side
– Get a thrill on the ziplines in the largest forest rope course in Switzerland
– View some immersive art in the art hall
– See the falls lit up after sunset
– Ride the Rhyfall Express to and from Schaffhausen and spend some time there as well
Basel, the cultural capital of Switzerland

Basel is another attractive Swiss city that is worth putting on your list of days out from Zurich.
It sits on the Rhine River in the northern part of the country near the border with both France and Germany. It’s a train journey of around an hour from Zurich.
Regarded as the cultural capital of Switzerland, and being the third largest city in the country means there are a variety of things to see and do when you visit. Many of these are centred around the medieval old town.
Art lovers will also be in their element as several famous art museums are in the city.
Top things to do in Basel on a day out
– Spend time in the old town and see its sights, including the distinctive Town Hall building
– Visit the gothic Munster and take in the views from the Pfalz terrace behind
– Spot the city’s fountains (there are apparently over 300 in the old town!) and stop by the famous Tinguely Fountain
– Bathe in one of fountains in summer or swim in the Rhine
– Visit one of the renowned art museums
– Pop out to the border triangle building and have a drink on the spot where three countries converge
The Jungfraujoch, the ‘top of Europe’
As you can see, there are plenty of great days out from Zurich to nearby cities and plenty of places within easy reach. But you may instead be looking to get out into the mountains and see some of the landscape the country is so famous for.
The Jungfraujoch in the Jungfrau region is one of the most famous places to visit in Switzerland. It has Europe’s highest train station here at over 3,400 metres and links to Mount Jungfrau in the Bernese Alps.

From Zurich, it’s a few hours by public transport to get to the Jungfraujoch and involves a few train changes.
You can, however, book guided tours that will take you here by coach and train. Given its location, these might be the best way of day-tripping to the Jungfraujoch.
They go via other places such as Interlaken where you have some free time and have the benefits of a tour guide. It’s still a long day doing it this way, but it’s definitely worth it!
Top things to do on a day out to the Jungfraujoch
– Ride to the ‘top of Europe’ on an amazing cogwheel train
– Take a lift to a viewing platform to look out over the Alp’s longest glacier
– Tour the Ice Palace with its sculptures made from ice
– Buy some chocolate from the highest Lindt shop in the world
– Partake in some winter sports in the Snow Fun Park
– Go hiking in the mountains
– Zipline between the mountains
Mount Titlis, with the “world’s first revolving aerial cableway”
If you don’t fancy the long day out needed to visit the Jungfraujoch, you could instead opt to visit the nearer Mount Titlis. This is the highest summit in central Switzerland and a great day trip.
Lucerne is the gateway to Mount Titlis, so first make your way there (just over 40 minutes by fast train). Afterwards, take the train to Engelberg, a journey of around 45 minutes.
Then hop on Engelberg’s aerial cableway for a unique experience in a rotating cable car ride that goes up the mountains. The ride is about half an hour, during which you ascend over 3,000 metres.

You can also book organised tours that take you from Zurich to Mount Titlis. This day tour takes you by coach via Lucerne where you get some free time to sightsee.
Once you arrive, there’s a lot to do here, as set out below.
Top things to do on a day out to Mount Titlis
– Ride on the Titlis Rotair, “the world’s first revolving aerial cableway” and see the mountain scenery as the car rotates 360 degrees
– Go into the glacier cave and walk 10 metres underneath to the glacier
– Walk on Europe’s highest suspension bridge, the Cliff Walk, which hangs 500 metres above the ground
– Fly across the slopes in the ‘Ice Flyer’ chair lift
– Ride on the world’s first electric snowbike
Winterthur, home to 17 incredible museums
Winterthur, Switzerland’s sixth-largest city, is just a short train ride from Zurich. It’s a place with something for everyone. There’s a picturesque old town, beautiful parks and gardens, and grand villas to wander around.

Topping this off there are 17 outstanding museums to visit, one of which – Technorama, Swiss Science Centre – is said to be one of the largest museums of its kind in Europe.
Winterthur is also one of the best places to visit if you’re an art lover. There are several art museums, one of which is in the gorgeous villa of Oskar Rheinhart, a Swiss art collector who was born in the city. The Rhine Falls, Europe’s largest waterfall is also not far.
The train trip to Winterthur is around 25 minutes from Zurich.
Top things to do in Winterthur on a day out
– Explore the old town and see the pretty Stadtkirche church
– Have some fun at Technorama, The Swiss Science Centre
– See the art in an Oskar Reinhart museum and have afternoon tea in his villa overlooking the city
– Get some fresh air in the rose gardens
– Visit another of the city’s numerous museums (there are 17 in total!)
– Look out over the local vineyards and see the Alps from the Baumli terrace
– See the animals in one of Switzerland’s oldest wildlife parks
Rapperswil, the town of roses
Rapperswil-Jona is on the north side of Lake Zurich. Known as the town of roses on account of its rose gardens, it is an ideal day trip from Zurich and a popular destination for a quick visit from Zurich (you could easily visit for just half a day). It takes around 40 minutes by train.

You can also get to Rapperswil by boat from Zurich Burkliplatz. This is a longer journey but gives you the advantage of seeing the local scenery from the water.
You could also book this tour if you’re interested in visiting Rapperswil, as well as Einsiedeln with its Benedictine monastery, and then stopping off for cheese and chocolate tastings.
Once you arrive in Rapperswil, there are a few interesting things to see and do.
Top things to do in Rapperswil on a day out
– Explore the historic centre, with its old town square, attractive Town Hall, remains of the town wall, and uniquely decorated buildings such as the Unties Curtihaus
– Walk up to the gothic castle, Schloss Rapperswil, and see the views across the lake from the ramparts
– See the famous rose gardens which border the oldest vineyard on the lake that produces the local Pinot Noir wine
– Stop for lunch along the waterfront
– Take a boat trip
– Visit the 16th century Heilig Huslichapel, which sits on a wooden bridge linking the town with the village of Hurden
– Pop into the local history museum, the Stadtmuseum Rapperswil-Jona
– Visit for the annual blues and jazz festival in June
Vaduz, capital of the world’s sixth smallest country
Liechtenstein is a western European country, landlocked between Switzerland and Austria. If you fancy visiting one of the world’s tiniest countries, then head out here from Zurich: it’s the sixth smallest country in the world and the fourth smallest in Europe.
It’s just over 100 kilometres from Zurich, and you can get there by train and bus. We took the train from Zurich to Sargans, a journey of 40 to 60 minutes. You then swap to a bus for a 30-minute ride into Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein.
Or alternatively, you can book a tour that will take you there via other places as well.

Although Vaduz is only small, there’s enough to make the journey here worthwhile. And because it’s small, it’s easy to see all the main sights on foot.
Top things to do in Vaduz on a day out
– Climb up to Vaduz Castle, a medieval castle on a hill, and look out over the countryside on the way
– Stroll around the city centre and into Mitteldorf, which houses some of the city’s oldest buildings
– See the 14th century Rotes Haus (Red House) and take in the incredible scenery behind
– Try Liechtenstein wine at The Prince of Liechtenstein Winery
– Visit a museum
– Spot the quirky street art
The best day trips from Zurich
I hope this post has given you inspiration for some of the top days out from Zurich.
To browse other full-day excursions from Zurich, whether that is other trips into the Swiss Alps, or visiting towns and cities full of historical landmarks and popular tourist attractions, click here.
And for more detailed posts on places to explore in Zurich and nearby, take a look at some of my other posts: