Twenty-four hours in Zurich

My first experience of the city of Zurich was the central railway station, or Hauptbahnhof, and it did not endear me to it. I arrived on a train from the airport at an underground platform and was to meet my son and his partner somewhere on the station, but I didn't know where. I decided to follow the signs for those who wanted to catch a bus or a tram, but ended up in a street to one side. Going back inside the station, I was surprised how crowded it was; it was just after 5pm, but apparently it's always packed with people. I headed for the main entrance past an open market. I thought I'd better ring my son to see where they were waiting, but there was a man playing an accordion and I didn't think I would be able to hear. Making my way just outside the entrance, I quickly made the phone call and just managed to hear my son telling me they were beside the 'information bubble' when a police car came past, sirens blaring. Back inside I went, unable to spot the so-called bubble. Phoning once again, I said I would wait underneath the main departure board. A couple of minutes later, we found each other. I wondered what madness had brought me to such a noisy, crowded place, but fortunately my first impression of Zurich was not a lasting one.

From the railway station, the famous Bahnhofstrasse runs right down to the Burkli Platz, a square by the shore of Lake Zurich. On this street you can shop, do your banking, or take a break at the Sprungli Cafe. I merely stood at the doorway of a shop where chocolate was actually being made and was hit by the aroma; it was no good buying anything there as it would immediately have melted in the heat. The traffic on this bustling street is not as heavy as I would have expected for such a city, but there are trams as well. I couldn't quite fathom why there was often a zebra crossing on one side of the road but not the other, but crossing over was much easier than, for example, in a city such as Bristol.

Unless you are a shopaholic, I would recommend leaving the Bahnhofstrasse behind in favour of some of the narrower streets. It is easy to spot the spire of St Peter's Church, below which is the largest clock face in Europe. The interior of the church with its central pulpit is worth having a look at; I was surprised to see white net curtains at the upper windows. I believe the church is often used for concerts of classical music.

Many of Zurich's streets are cobbled, so a good pair of walking shoes will make sense if you want to enjoy the old town. Not far from St Peter's Church, up a rather steep winding way, is the Lindenhof. This is a kind of park that is popular with both locals and tourists. It's so high up that there are wonderful views of the River Limmat and the Niederdorf district on the east of the river, above which the twin towers of the Grossmunster or cathedral are ever dominant. The Lindenhof's trees offer welcome shade on hot, sunny days; people come to relax on a seat or the outer wall, and local men play chess and boules here. It is worth the climb up.

Heading back south, the Fraumunster or Church of Our Lady is the outstanding building to take a look at. Its spire is a distinctive green, and like St Peter's Church, it has a sizeable clock face. The cloister is now an open area with modern frescoes by Paul Bodmer – I made the most of the fact that photography is allowed in this area as it is prohibited inside both the Fraumunster and the Grossmunster. The modern windows by Marc Chagall inside the church are a joy to behold in their rich colours.

Equally impressive are Giacometti's windows in the Grossmunster or cathedral on the east bank of the River Limmat. I also loved the organ, which is decorated with golden angels. The smaller windows of plain glass were in the process of being replaced with more colourful ones at the time of our visit. It is worth going down the stone steps to the crypt, although the atmosphere is extremely musty and I wouldn't have wanted to stay down there for long. The frescoes are very faded, but there is a heavy fifteenth-century statue of Charlemagne with his gold crown. I wasn't able to climb the stairs in the towers that dominate Zurich's skyline, but if you can do so you will be rewarded with wonderful views of the city.

Zurich offers a huge choice of eateries, from oriental to traditional Swiss to other types of European cuisine; I even saw an advertisement for a Mongolian barbecue. The vegetarian buffet of the Hiltl had been recommended to me; we decided however on the Zeughauskeller, a busy and reasonably priced beer hall specialising in sausages and rosti but offering many other choices too. The following day we had a salad lunch at Cafe Wuhre, right beside the River Limmat. There are of course many higher-priced establishments than these, such as the Zunfthaus zur Waag on Munsterhof.

In the Niederdorf on the east bank of the River Limmat, there is again an enormous number of cafes and restaurants. My son and his partner had enjoyed Swiss sausages and cheese fondu one evening at Swiss Cuchi before my arrival. I can recommend the coffee at Cafe Henrici, where we sat outside in the morning sun. Had anyone shown me the rickety old metal chair I was to sit on there before I travelled, I would have avoided the place like the plague, but when we did sit down it didn't seem to matter. Henrici certainly seemed to be a popular place, and the interior was very stylish in comparison. I went down to the ladies in the basement and noticed a door with several dates on it, the earliest of which was from the fourteenth century. Henrici is actually a hotel but I cannot comment on it as we stated at the Helmhaus, just south of the Grossmunster. It was pricey but I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

By four o'clock in the afternoon we were sweltering and delighted to find that Cafe Kantorei in Neumarkt offered bottles of apple juice that were considerably more generous than the 200 ml servings of fruit juice that most restaurants seemed to offer. Kantorei has quite extensive outdoor seating, and our waiter there was British. He chatted about how expensive Zurich was but assured us that salaries were relatively high too.

My visit only lasted twenty-four hours, but I was able to fit in a boat trip on Lake Zurich. You could choose whether to have lunch on the boat or to sit outside, admire the view and take photographs which is what we did. The cost was ten Swiss Francs for a trip that lasted an hour. If you have more time you could, for example, take a boat to Rapperswil on the eastern shore and spend some time there.

A great part of Zurich's attraction for me is that it has something of everything: a lake, a river, a mountain, wonderful old buildings, museums, eateries, shops: the list goes on and on. Admittedly I was very lucky with the weather, but even if I hadn't been, I could have visited one or two museums or gone on a bus tour of the city rather than walking round. I was struck by the fact that it seemed perfectly acceptable for single people, women included, to go on a boat trip or have a meal out on their own. The city is very clean and we were surprised that there was relatively little traffic. Cycling is definitely encouraged. Although it is expensive in some ways, plenty of things are free, and there are a few places to stay that don't cost the earth. I would gladly go back for a longer stay.

Relaxing in Zurich's Cafes

Situated on the west bank of the River Limmat in Zurich with tables outside, Cafe Wuhre is an ideal place to have lunch on a warm sunny day such as it was at the time of my visit. It was around 1.30pm and notices on the tables advertised lunch from 11am to 2pm only, so we thought we had better check that it was not too late. We asked a middle-aged waitress inside the cafe if she spoke English, but she indicated to us to wait and beckoned a younger waitress. When the younger one came over she told us that we were indeed in time for lunch. We went outside again and found that a table right beside the river had just been vacated, so we sat ourselves down right away. The tables are actually small round ones in rows of three, so one of these remained empty but anyone else arriving would have been free to sit there. We were glad that there were parasols as the temperature that day reached 31 degrees Celsius.

The waitress brought menus, and we all thought salad would be the best thing on a hot day. I chose a tuna salad while my son and his partner both decided on the chicken curry salad. When they asked for a light beer each, the waitress claimed that she would bring the very best Swiss beer. I ordered an orange juice which came in an attractively shaped glass. I do, however, lament the fact that fruit juice in Switzerland almost always comes in a 2 dl (200 ml) serving, which does not go very far in hot weather. A basket of four slices of granary bread was brought at the same time as the drinks.

It wasn't long before the waitress came out with our salads, which were served in round white bowls. My tuna was dressed with herbs and oil, and the accompanying salad consisted of lettuce, cucumber, tomato and onion rings. It was very good, but the memory of the wonderful tuna salad I had had at the Tenth Hole Tearoom was still very vivid, and there was really no comparison. My son and his partner enjoyed their chicken curry salads, which they said resembled coronation chicken and were served with rice and lettuce. I asked if their Cardinal beer was the best they had had in Switzerland, to which they replied that whilst good, they had had a slightly better one the previous day.

Desserts at Cafe Wuhre seemed to revolve mainly around ice cream and cream, and we decided not to let ourselves be tempted.

The location of Cafe Wuhre is perfect in fine weather if you are lucky enough to get a table from which you have a view of the river and the buildings on the eastern side of Zurich, notable the Grossmunster (cathedral) with its two towers. The interior of the cafe looked very comfortable with easy chairs, and original contemporary works of art added to the stylish feel.

There was just one ladies' toilet at the cafe and it was clean enough.

Our bill came to 85 Swiss Francs altogether – about £50. A service charge is added automatically, so there is no need to leave a tip. We were able to pay by debit card.

Cafe Wuhre is in an ideal location, has excellent service and a high standard of cleanliness. I would recommend it, and it is of course a place where you could just stop and relax over a drink if you did not want a full meal.

In the Niederdorf on the east bank of the River Limmat, there is again an enormous number of cafes and restaurants. I can recommend the coffee at Cafe Henrici, where we sat outside in the morning sun. Had anyone shown me the rickety old metal chair I was to sit on there before I travelled, I would have avoided the place like the plague, but when we did sit down it didn't seem to matter. Henrici certainly seemed to be a popular place, and the interior was very stylish in comparison. I went down to the ladies in the basement and noticed a door with several dates on it, the earliest of which was from the fourteenth century. Henrici is actually a hotel but I cannot comment on it as we stated at the Helmhaus, just south of the Grossmunster. It was pricey but I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

By four o'clock in the afternoon we were sweltering and delighted to find that Cafe Kantorei in Neumarkt offered bottles of apple juice that were considerably more generous than the 200 ml servings of fruit juice that most restaurants seemed to offer. Kantorei has quite extensive outdoor seating, and our waiter there was British. He chatted about how expensive Zurich was but assured us that salaries were relatively high too.

Zurich is a wonderful city to wander around, and when your weary feet need a rest and you need to quench your thirst, you will find plenty of pleasant places where you can sit indoors or out and enjoy coffee, beer or a soft drink.

The best wurst in Zurich

Moving away from Southsea briefly, this is a review of the restaurant cum beer hall that I visited during a trip to Zurich, Switzerland, in August 2009.

The Zeughauskeller would not normally be my first choice of restaurant, but it didn't seem right to go, say, to an Italian restaurant in Zurich when I can so easily do so at home. It seemed more appropriate to go to a place that had traditional Swiss/German food along with the atmosphere. The Zeughauskeller is a reasonably priced eaterie situated on the famous Bahnhofstrasse, the street that runs from the central railway station down to Lake Zurich.

We arrived around 7pm to find that all the outside tables were already occupied and a queue was rapidly forming at the door. It was difficult to see the menu without disturbing people at a particular table, but we soon found another just in the doorway. Prices seemed within our means, and there was a special summer menu printed in English as well as German. We waited a couple of minutes and then asked if there was a table for three. The waiting staff all understood English, but some seemed reluctant to speak it. That isn't a complaint, as I am unable to speak more than a few words of German.

A couple more minutes passed, and then a waiter asked us to follow him. He indicated three empty seats at a large round table in a corner that was already occupied by four young adults and a toddler. Apparently it is quite normal to share a table, and it was the only available space so we accepted. The people seated at the table did not seem put out at all. They were speaking English, but the Zeughauskeller is so crowded and filled with the buzz of conversation that you don't really pick up much of what anyone is saying, even at the same table. The toddler was very lively and even climbed up on the wide windowsill at one point.

English menus were brought, and we ordered two Goldsprint beers and an orange juice. The menus consist of several pages, beginning with home-made soup and fresh salad starters. We decided to restrict ourselves to a main course as we knew we would be getting a good breakfast at the hotel the following morning. I chose from the cold plates section where I found Borsensalat, a salad of sliced sausages with a 'delicious sauce' (the words of the menu) served with rosti for 20.50 Swiss Francs (about £12). My son picked Wurst-Kase Salat, a salad of sliced sausages, Swiss cheese and tomato cubes, once again with a 'delicious sauce', and garnished with salad and hard-boiled eggs for 19.50 Swiss Francs. His partner was immediately drawn to the page of sausage dishes where he decided on Wiediker, a pair of pan-fried sausages with herbs and spices, served with potato salad for 17.20 Swiss Francs. Other sections on the menu included specialities of the house which featured fish or red meat dishes ranging in price from 24.50 Swiss Francs to 78 Swiss Francs for a dish for two people. There were also sections for pasta, light dishes and 'tender meat-treats'. A vegetarian would have several choices on the menu.

Our drinks were brought after a few minutes. My one gripe is that most Zurich cafes and restaurants (with the exception of Kantorei in Neumarkt Street) offer fruit juice in 2 dl (200 ml) servings. My orange juice at Zeughauskeller cost 3.50 Swiss Francs, which seems quite pricey for a small glass. Added to that, the weather was very warm and 2 dl isn't really enough to quench your thirst. The beers were 3 dl bottles at 4.40 Swiss Francs each.

We were expecting to wait quite a while for our food as the restaurant was chock-a-block and the other people at our table had ordered before us. As it happened, our meals were served just before theirs, perhaps because less cooking was involved. Portions are generous and come on oval-shaped plates. I had particularly wanted to try the rosti potatoes, which were nicely warm, but was glad of a cold accompaniment because of the weather. The sliced sausages were very tender and I did enjoy them, but the 'delicious sauce' was rather like mayonnaise. After a while I found it a little too rich, and although I finished all the rosti I had to leave some of the sausage slices. My son and his partner both enjoyed what they had chosen. My son's salad was admittedly more varied than mine, but I think he too felt that the sauce could have been a little milder or not served so generously.

It was interesting to see that three of the people at the same table had decided to share one very long sausage with a serving of rosti each. I think the sausage was half a metre long, and it was served on a wooden board with an equally long knife beside it, thus stretching right across the table. I wondered quite what would happen when one of them picked this knife up to cut the sausage, but thankfully they used their individual small knives. I didn't really look that closely, but my son and his partner said afterwards that it didn't look like a particularly good quality sausage. I believe Zeughauskeller also do a metre of sausage for four people to share, but I think that one is coiled. It might be a better bet, however, to order smaller, better quality sausages for one person.

Desserts at Zeughauskeller range from semolina pudding for 6.90 Swiss Francs to Vacherin glace – meringue, ice cream, cream, raspberries and raspberry sauce – for 11.80 Swiss Francs. Ice cream is 3.50 Swiss Francs a scoop. We still had next morning's breakfast buffet at Helmhaus Hotel in mind, so we decided to stop after the main course and ask for the bill. In Switzerland, the service charge is automatically added, and our total came to 70.50 Swiss Francs or 47 Euros. We paid in Swiss Francs in cash. At roughly £14 a head, we felt that it was good value for a large west European city, and that is perhaps partly why the Zeughauskeller is so popular.

The service was efficient, and as I said we had no trouble making ourselves understood in English. The waitresses were not over friendly – they were probably too busy – but one kindly pointed out that my raincoat and shoulder bag were trailing on the floor. She spoke in German but I understood from her gestures.

The Zeughauskeller has dark wooden beams as well as dark tables and chairs, although our table top looked like formica rather than real wood. Decoration includes, of course, a model of a cow high up on the wall opposite the entrance. Zeughaus means armoury, and a howitzer is on view above the door. A found it somewhat threatening, but thankfully I had my back to it.

If you are looking for a romantic dinner for two, the Zeughauskeller wouldn't be the place to choose. If, however, you love sausages, rosti and beer and you want a lively atmosphere, this is the ideal restaurant. I understand that some Zurich restaurants charge considerably more in the evening, but we actually paid slightly less at the Zeughauskeller than we did for lunch at a riverside cafe the following day. Make a reservation if you want to be sure of a table.

Zeughauskeller

Bahnhofstrasse 28a

CH-8001 Zurich

Switzerland