Zurich

Uetliberg

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Krys T
Krys T
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Uetliberg

  • March 20, 2007
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Krys T from Somerset
Uetliberg

One of the wonders of the Zurich Card is that it tempts you to do things you would maybe not otherwise do because they're included with the card.

In this instance, this was a trip to the hill of Uetliberg - which is a 20 minute tram or train ride away. We took the train from HauptBahnof on the S10 line and enjoyed a very scenic ride out of the city. The track wiggles and curves its way up to the top of the hill, revealing a different view at every turn.

Once deposited there, we walked up the Planet Path to the summit - a trail that shows models of the planets with the distances between them, all to scale. At the top of the hill is a hotel and restaurant, and also a 30 metre viewing tower which you can climb for stunning views of the whole region. The steps aren't too bad, but it was really windy at the top!

We scrambled back down again, and found a quiet corner on the terrace of the attractive looking restaurant for a coffee. Inside the restaurant has a large glass fronted dining room, and looks seriously swish. If we'd had the chance, the 79CHF 5 course menu looked lovely for a special night out.

However, it wasn't lunchtime, and we weren't there to eat. We settled up, and took one of the many marked paths down the side of the hill, aiming to do a circular route down and back to Tremli to take the train from there. We'd looked at the map of walks before reaching the summit and chose to take the dark green one, which claimed to be "steep, some steps"... Well, it was more like a slalom! A wide, gravel strewn path with lamp posts and signs that wiggled down the side of the hill at a nearly unmanageable gradient - I was glad I was wearing decent walking trainers. My Mum wasn't, and slipped several times. By the time we'd reached the bottom - about 2km - everyone's legs were aching, and the thought of the walk to Tremli, which didn't seem so well marked, didn't appeal.

We decided to do the sensible thing and walk down the hill towards the town there where the original map had said there was a tram stop. Sure enough, there it was, and the next one arrived within minutes. It was quite nice to go back into the city via a different route too - seeing more sides to Zurich.

The hill is very popular with locals all year round - picnics in the summer, sledding in the winter. There are marked walking paths to suit everyone. There are also dedicated cycling routes, though the hills must be hard work! We felt like we were in the middle of the countryside, yet Zurich is no distance away at all. It was a really nice way to spend a couple of hours - very refreshing.

From journal Zurich - Are the Gnomes on to a Good Thing?

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