Zurich
As soon as we arrived in Zurich by Train from Vaduz(Lichenstein) we stepped by the hostel to put our stuff in the locker since we arrived before 3 pm which was the check-in time. We stayed at Old Town Otter Hostel, in a room with 6 beds. The hostel was fine except for the fact that it was very hot, especially during the nights, but anyway, we survived. Could be a bit noisy since it is in the center area, but those who stay in the hostels probably are okay with these matters.
Day 1
FIFA Museum
After putting bags in the lockers we walked around the city and we ended up at FIFA museum . A very exciting experience, especially for kids. You will find all about the history of FIFA, the winners of the World League, posters, paintings full of memories, and whatever football fans need to enjoy. FIFA museum was a great place for kids as well since they had some cool play sections for kids where they could freely play with some machines or get involved with some interactive tools.
opening hours: 10-18 Tuesday to Sunday >>> closed on Mondays
FIFA museum official website: https://www.fifamuseum.com/en/
You can read about the architecture and design with more details here:
tickets for FIFA museum: https://www.fifamuseum.com/en/plan-your-visit/tickets/
Day 2
Daytrip to Luzern
'Lucerne became a town in the 12th century. The abbot of Murbach installed Lucerne‘s first priest in St. Peter‘s Chapel in 1178. On 1 August 1291 Cantons Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden established the Swiss Confederation. Lucerne was sold to the Habsburgs. The Battle of Morgarten in 1315 saw the Old Confederacy defeat the Habsburgs. Lucerne joined the Old Confederacy in 1332. In the famous Mordnacht episode of 1343, a boy overhead a plot being discussed in an alley called „Unter der Egg“. On 9 July 1386, the Old Confederacy defeated the Habsburgs in the Battle of Sempach, which also claimed the life of Duke Leopold III. Lucerne grew during the 14th century to reach some 3100 inhabitants.' This is rewritten in the documentation of the Musegg wall.
Entering a small park, you can find the Lion Monument designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewn in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn. The grotto containing the lion measures a full 13 m in width; the lion itself is 9 m long. This monument refers to the revolution of 1792 and reminds the sacrifices of the Swiss guard who were protecting the palace of King Louis XVI in Paris when the palace was defeated by the revolutionary forces.
if you are interested in more details, I suggest you read the whole history here: https://arkivet.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk/articles/dying-lion-the-lucerne-lion
The Glaciors Garden contains kettle basins dating back to Ice Age 20,000 years ago, as well as fossilized shells and palm leaves from the subtropical ocean region of 20 million years ago. Going forward you will visit many different parts of the museum a lot of which are small models for different ages of the world. I found it very interesting for kids as well.
Link to the official website: https://gletschergarten.ch/en
Link to official website https://www.luzern.com/en/poi/glacier-garden
You enter a hall which has 90 mirrors, you try to go forward but you notice that was just a mirror and not a path. I was very amazed and felt very playful there. You finally can find your way to the destination and see that you are around it as it you achieve it in every possible dimension.
Miller and Maranta Pavilion in Glacier Garden
This pavilion is integrated into the rocks and has very deep meaning inside. As we were walking in the different parts of it, it was hard to distinguish which part was a building element and which part was the rock itself. Next to the Lion Monument and the glaciers garden, this monument is built up routing inside the mountain.
Site plan and plan to the Monument and pavilion_ photo from Maps to Memory
I highly recommend that you do not leave the Glacior Garden without tasting the sausages that they serve in the small store in front of the Mirror Maze. There you can also find your favourite magnet. I bought the one that has the Lion monument on it.
Suveniors you can get from the store in Glacier Garden_ Photo by Maps to Memory
The Musegg wall and the nine towers are part of the fortification of Luzern. The wall is 870 long and is thought to be built between 1370 and 1420. At that time that I was there it was possible to climb up most of the towers and enjoy the amazing view up there. Hopefully, you have this chance on your trip as well. In the end of the wall, you will find a lot of variety of animals. It was weird that in that part of the city, you see a farm and a small restaurant that can save you actually with the toilets.
here you can read all the names of the towers: https://www.museggmauer.ch/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/museggmauer-flyer-besucher-english.pdf
Day 3
Swiss national Museum was very interesting and full of big and small discoveries. The building is for 1898 and is in French style of Renaissance by Gustav Gull. You find many valuables treasures and swords and different styles of clothing that have been used throughout the history of Switzerland.
tickets https://www.landesmuseum.ch/en/your-visit/tickets
Day 4 Daytip to Rhin Fall
we used the train to get there but apparently, there are some routes that FlixBus offers comfortable transportation.
To get there, you'll need to depart from Zürich Hauptbahnhof (Zurich HB Main Station) and get off at one of two stations: SBB railway station Neuhausen am Rheinfall or SBB railway station Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall. Our trip took less than one hour on a perfect day. taking off the train you will see the main path, before entering the walking path you can see toilets, you can use them because it might take some hours that you spend walking there and there won't be any toilets until going to the other side of the river which is a restaurant. we reached to the castle and I remember that we had to buy tickets there with a machine that took some coins. then you can enter the historical area by validating your ticket.
From April to October, you can ride the boats that go as close to the waterfall as possible. There are 3 or 4 boat routes, each with different colors. We took the blue one that goes 2 times next to the waterfall and then it stops next to the restaurant. There was another boat that brought you to the small island in the middle, then you had some time to take pictures from the top of the island, and of course a bit more expensive. On the other side of the river, you will find a small boutique to order some food or snacks as well as magnets and souvenirs.
It is very relaxing sitting there while you have a fantastic view of the Rhine.
The Rhine trip took half a day so we continued to discover Zurich when er were back.
Walking in the center of Zurich you find a lot of nice places to get some beer and enjoy the sunset. On the way, you can take a look at Le Corbusier Pavilion which is “Gesamtkunstwerk” – or “total work of art”, the last work of le Corbusier. if you are interested in architecture. You find drawings of Le Corbusier himself there. In this website, you can see the opening time.
This pavilion is Seasonally closed from 27 November 2023 until 2 May 2024.
Price: 13 euros
In the area of Zürichhorn and walking alongside the lake, you will find this Chinese garden which is amongst the most famous Chinese gardens outside the China, it is written and was a gift from the city’s Chinese partner town of Kunming. Entrance is free, you can freely move in the garden and visit the tea place and some small rooms in the garden.
You can check the opening hours here, every day 11 am to 7 pm. https://www.zuerich.com/en/visit/attractions/chinese-garden
Since it was summer we could sneak into the university building, there was not many people there but I always loved to check out ETH university. You will find many paintings and historical statues there. If you are interested in studying there then good luck.
Leaving Zurich to Milano
Our trip in Zurich ended here but as we headed to Milano with , a new trip story is waiting for you to discover it. Check out the Italy post in Maps to Memory to see how we ended up in Milano and a 2-week trip around northern Italy. You can buy FLIXBUS tickets here.
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