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Arrival and accommodation
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The main point of arrival is the giant
Hauptbahnhof
(HB) in the city centre, served by trains from all over Europe and every quarter-hour from the
airport
, 11km northeast. The international
bus station
is 50m north of the station on Sihlquai. The
tourist office
on the station concourse (Mon-Fri 8.30am-7/8.30pm, Sat & Sun 8.30/9am-6.30pm; tel 01/215 40 00,
www.zurichtourism.ch
) sells maps and transport tickets, books rooms for free, and offers guided tours on foot (Sfr18) or inline skates (Sfr20) as well as river and lake cruises (from Sfr13). Pick up the useful
listings
booklet
ZA?rich News
(
www.zuerich.ch
).
You can cover most sights by walking, but the public transport system is easy to use. The most important hubs are the city squares of Bahnhofplatz and, on the east side of the river, Central and Bellevue. Buy tickets from machines at every stop: choose between the green button (Sfr7.20; valid for 24hr); blue button (Sfr3.60; 1hr); or yellow button (Sfr2.10; a short one-way hop). All tickets are valid on trams, buses, some boats and local city trains (not to/from the airport). The tourist office sells Welcome 24 and 48 tickets (Sfr10.80/25), valid for 24/48hr citywide, including the airport.
Hostels
pack the Niederdorf district, on the east bank of the river, including the excellent SB
City Backpacker
, Niederdorfstrasse 5 (tel 01/251 90 15,
www.backpacker.ch
; A?10-15/$16-24), and
Martahaus
, ZA¤hringerstrasse 36 (tel 01/251 45 50,
www.martahaus.ch
; A?15-20/$24-32), which also has a women-only annexe. The institutional HI hostel
Jugendherberge
, Mutschellenstrasse 114 (tel 01/482 35 44,
www.youthhostel.ch
; A?10-15/$16-24), is way south; take tram #7 to Morgental, from where it's a five-minute walk. Niederdorf's good-value budget
hotels
include comfy, colourful and laid-back
Otter
, Oberdorfstrasse 7 (tel 01/251 22 07,
www.wueste.ch
; A?20-25/$32-40), the plainer
Splendid
, Rosengasse 5 (tel 01/252 58 50; A?15-20/$24-32), and
Villette
, Kruggasse 4 (tel 01/251 23 35; A?20-25/$32-40).
Rothaus
, Sihlhallenstrasse 1 (tel 01/241 24 51; A?15-20/$24-32), is on the hip Langstrasse - its clean, spacious rooms are a bargain, if you can overlook the neighbourhood's red-light tendencies.
Campers
should head for lakeside
Seebucht
, Seestrasse 559 (tel 01/482 16 12,
www.camping-zurich.ch
; closed Nov-April; bus #161 or #165 from BA?rkliplatz to Stadtgrenze). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Switzerland,
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