How do I get around Zurich?

Zurich is a tram city. The network has run electric cars since 1894, and 15 lines cover every neighborhood a visitor needs. Line 4 connects Zürich HB, the main train station, to Heimplatz near the Kunsthaus Zürich, founded in 1819. Line 6 runs the length of Bahnhofstrasse toward Paradeplatz, where the smell of fresh chocolate from the Sprüngli confectionery hits the sidewalk. Line 11 reaches Oerlikon and the 1939-era Hallenstadion for concerts and ice hockey. Trams are blue, punctual, and run every 7-8 minutes during the day. You hear them before you see them, that high-pitched squeal of steel on curved rail. HB to the lakefront at Bürkliplatz is 1.2 km, about 15 minutes on foot. The Altstadt on both banks of the Limmat is compact enough that trams become optional once you're inside it, though the cobblestones in Niederdorf get uneven and slippery after rain.

Buy a zone 110 day pass at any ZVV ticket machine in the station. It covers trams, buses, S-Bahn, and the shorter lake boats within the city zone. Single rides run CHF 2.70 for Kurzstrecke (short-distance, about 5 stops) or CHF 4.40 for a full zone ticket. Three rides and the day pass already pays for itself. Machines accept contactless cards and Apple Pay, so no physical transit card is needed, unlike London's Oyster or Tokyo's Suica. Zurich has no turnstiles, no gates, no barriers anywhere. Switzerland operates on trust, and plain-clothes ZVV inspectors board trams and trains at random. The fine for riding without a valid ticket is CHF 100 on the spot. At the current rate of 0.8102 CHF per dollar, that is about $123. They do not negotiate. Download the SBB app before you land. It sells every ZVV ticket, shows real-time departures, and your phone screen becomes the ticket.

The S-Bahn from Zürich Flughafen to HB takes 12 minutes on the S2 or S16 line. Trains depart every 8-10 minutes during the day. A single ticket for the two-zone airport trip costs CHF 6.80. The same ride by taxi runs CHF 50-70 for 10 km, which makes the train the obvious call. If you arrive after the last S-Bahn around 12:40 AM, the night bus N10 covers the route hourly to HB. Uber picks up at the airport, but a typical 5 km ride in Zurich costs CHF 15-20, roughly 4 times what the tram charges for the same distance. Regular taxis from ranks at HB or Bellevue charge CHF 6 flagfall plus CHF 3.80 per kilometer. Save ride-hailing for after midnight when tram service ends around 12:30 AM and the cool air off the Limmat makes waiting at an open stop less appealing.

ZSG boats depart from Bürkliplatz every 30 minutes in summer, and the inner-lake routes fall within zone 110, so the day pass covers them. On an afternoon above 33°C, the breeze off Lake Zurich is reason enough to board. The longer cruise to Rapperswil takes about 2 hours each way and requires a separate ZSG ticket at around CHF 27 one-way. The lakeside cycling path from Bellevue toward Tiefenbrunnen is flat, partly shaded, and separated from car traffic. City bike-share stations sit near most tram stops, with the first 30 minutes free per ride. Mind you, Zurich's residential hills are steep. The climb from Limmatquai up to the ETH terrace, where you can see the Glarner Alps on a clear day, will test your legs. The city sits at 408 meters elevation and rises sharply from the river. The tram network is dense enough that the nearest stop rarely sits more than 300 meters from wherever you're standing.