Things to do in Zurich, Basel & Northern Switzerland

In Zurich, trace the history of Switzerland at the Swiss National Museum right behind the main station, see Alberto Giacometti's sculptures and the Bührle Collection at the Kunsthaus Zürich, and visit the Grossmünster in the Old Town, with stained glass by Sigmar Polke and Augusto Giacometti and 187 steps up the Karlsturm. Lake Zurich boat cruises leave from Bürkliplatz, from short round trips to a 4.5-hour lake cruise, and in Kilchberg the Lindt Home of Chocolate centres on a chocolate fountain over 9 m tall. Day trips reach the Rhine Falls, Europe's largest waterfall, where small boats take visitors out to the central rock, the Abbey Library of St. Gallen in its World Heritage abbey district, and the Appenzeller Show Dairy, where cheesemaking can be watched daily. Basel adds the three buildings of the Kunstmuseum Basel and the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen, which is opening its new Wyss Museum step by step, and in the Christmas season markets fill the concourse of Zurich main station, the squares around Basel's Barfüsserkirche and Münsterplatz, and the Uetliberg, Zurich's home mountain.

Good to knowThe Kunsthaus Zürich, the Swiss National Museum and the Kunstmuseum Basel are closed on Mondays, the Grossmünster is closed to visitors on Tuesdays and its tower currently opens only Friday to Sunday, and booking a time slot online is recommended at the Lindt Home of Chocolate. The Abbey Library of St. Gallen closes for some periods, including Christmas, and the Fondation Beyeler limits entry and does not open every day during the preview phase of its new buildings, so check the opening pages before you go. Lake Zurich cruises follow a special winter timetable, and the Uetliberg is colder than the city, so dress warmly.