What are the best day trips from Zurich?

Lucerne over Bern for your first day out of Zurich. The SBB Intercity from Zürich HB takes 45 minutes, runs every 30 minutes, and a second-class day return costs around CHF 50. You step off at Luzern station directly onto the lake. The Kapellbrücke, originally built in 1333, is a 3-minute walk from the platform. The old town is compact enough that two people with different energy levels can split for an hour without losing each other. One walks the Musegg Wall (free, 9 towers, closed November through March) while the other sits at Rathaus Brauerei with a CHF 8 house lager watching swans on the Reuss. For lunch, Wirtshaus Galliker on Schützenstrasse has been serving Luzerner Chügelipastete since 1856, a vol-au-vent of veal and mushrooms in cream sauce for around CHF 32. The 1-hour lake cruise to Weggis (CHF 38 per person, free with a Swiss Travel Pass) is the best shared moment of the day.

Rhine Falls and Stein am Rhein make a strong combined day. Take the morning IR from Zürich HB to Schaffhausen, 38 minutes direct, CHF 36 day return. Bus 1 runs to Neuhausen am Rheinfall every 10 minutes. Arrive before 10am and you hear the falls before you see them: 600 cubic metres per second dropping 23 metres across a 150-metre width in summer. The mist hits your face from the viewing platform. A boat to the central rock costs CHF 10 and the whole visit needs 90 minutes. Afterward, take the train one stop to Stein am Rhein, a medieval town where every facade on the Rathausplatz is painted with 16th-century frescoes. Walk the Unterstadt slowly. Lunch at Restaurant Sonne, which has a terrace over the Rhine, and order Zürcher Geschnetzeltes for around CHF 28. The return train to Zürich takes 55 minutes via Winterthur.

Rapperswil works when you want a slower day. The S5 or S7 from Zürich HB takes 35 minutes, CHF 18 return. The town sits on a peninsula where Lake Zürich narrows, and the 13th-century castle above the old town is free to enter. The rose gardens below the castle walls have over 600 varieties and bloom from June through October. Walk the wooden footbridge across the lake to Hurden, 841 metres over open water, the longest wooden bridge in Switzerland. On the Rapperswil side, Café Seefeld on the harbor has good coffee and a clear sightline to the Glarner Alps on days without haze. The Saturday market on Hauptplatz runs year-round, though most food stalls close by 1pm. Shops in the old town tend to close early on Sundays.