Swiss City Life in Zurich
Lindt Home of Chocolate
Museum
If there’s one thing Americans know about Swiss food it’s chocolate. Lindt is one of the largest chocolatiers in the world. Founded in 1845 in Kilchberg, a town just south of Zurich on the coast of Lake Zurich. The company has remained there since, and in 2020 opened a large convention center and museum on the factory premises called Lindt Home of Chocolate. This tourist experience takes place on the same site where many Lindt products are made to this day.
Tickets for the museum tour are about 20 USD, which we bought in person. You can also book online using Klook (not a partner, we just like the ease of their service). The tour starts every 30 minutes and takes about 1-2 hours. During the tour, you are given a headset which is available in many languages. It can be scanned at the many exhibits for audio narration. The museum is extensive, with several halls going over the history of Lindt, chocolate making in Switzerland, the history of chocolate creation, and the supply chain from cacao to truffle.
Chocolate Tasting
While the exhibits are very interesting, we started to get a bit overloaded with information about 30 minutes in. There is a lot to learn about chocolate, and if you’re very into confectionaries or history it might be for you. But for most people taking the tour, they want to taste chocolate! You didn’t think we’d visit a chocolate factory and not get a taste, did you? It starts with the opportunity to taste the base melted chocolate, and compare white, dark, and milk chocolate sauces.
Next, there is a station where you can taste chocolate bars and guess the flavor, some of which are quite odd. In theory, you can eat infinite chocolate in this room as the was no limit. In the room afterward, we were given a truffle of each flavor, about 10 each. By the end, we were positively sick of chocolate, and to this day I can no longer eat multiple truffles at a time. Regardless, the experience is very fun with a great mix of information, whimsy, and delicious chocolate tasting. If you’re in Zurich, this should be one of your destinations.
COFFEE
We always visit a specialty coffee shop in every country, and we started in Switzerland with COFFEE. Yes, the name of the shop is coffee, you’ll never guess what they sell. I got a pour over and Yemisi got a matcha latte. They were both super solid. Europe has a lot of specialty coffee, but we were surprised with how few shops were in Zurich. Thankfully I was impressed at the great quality coffee, which was roasted and brewed with skill.
Lake Zurich
Zurich is located at the north end of Lake Zurich, a long thin lake that stretches for miles. The city wraps entirely around it, making it the center of life in the city of Zurich. The metropolitan area continues for a long way along the lake. This means there are incredible lake views from all around the city. We highly recommend you plan a visit to the lakefront and walk along its many parks and paths. We enjoyed the lovely view over the water as the sun set, as we passed by coffee shops and restaurants lining the picturesque parks. However, we knew we would be seeing many more incredible lakes later in our trip so we did not linger long.
MAME
Our next coffee shop was MAME, another roastery shop located in the heart of Zurich. The window outside reads “The best coffee is the coffee you like”. It seems like a simple concept, but as a lifelong coffee snob who can be extremely pretentious, I’ve learned to take it to heart. Somehow this simple phrase has stuck with me and ever since I’ve made a conscious effort to be less judgmental about coffee, and hobbies in general. As we entered we saw many awards and trophies on the wall. The founders of MAME are Emi Fukahori and Mathieu Theis, who have both won the Swiss Barista Championship, Swiss Brewers Cup, and placed in the World Barista Championship, among other awards. We immediately knew we were in safe hands. The shop was very cozy inside and out, with a nice outdoor seating area.
We walked in just after roasting with the smell fresh in the air. Mathieu was at the bar, and we ordered a flat white, espresso tonic, matcha, and pour over. Everything was truly at the peak level of coffee. We enjoyed it so much that we ordered a pour over flight, with three different brews. Each one was so expertly and lovingly roasted and brewed, with very unique flavor profiles. We savored every moment as I realized we were experiencing a rare coffee moment. If you love coffee, or just casually enjoy it, this shop could change your life. In the end, this was the best coffee I had in our entire two-week stay in Europe.
Swiss National Museum
Our next stop was the Swiss National Museum. This castle-shaped building is home to the museum, and exterior architecture is impressive enough to warrant a visit if you’re in the old city of Zurich. Tickets are only 15 USD and the museum is very large, making it a great way to beat the summer heat. We were not expecting this museum to be so large, there are several main wings with large exhibits, going over history from all time periods up to recent memory, and massive halls with paintings and sculptures. We had only intended to spend a few hours there, but it became apparent that we would not be able to get through everything so quickly.
After three hours of exploring hundreds of paintings and seeing every diagram and map ever made, we were feeling burnt out. But we were glad to have visited because the architecture of the museum was very unique, and we learned a lot about Swiss history.
Commihalle
We started to get pretty hungry after the museum, so we looked around for some food in the area. We always try to find food that is local or historical, but Swiss culture is unique in that is a mix of French, German, and Italian culture. Therefore, there are no dishes that are distinctly Swiss, but rather local variations of cuisine from its neighbors. We found this nice Italian restaurant and ordered some pasta. Everything was pretty good, they know how to make Italian food in Zurich, being so close to Italy itself.
I have a confession, I don’t think Switzerland has great food. I’m sorry to say that Yemisi and I have always preferred Asian foods over European styles. I am sure that there are some incredible restaurants in Zurich, but during our entire time in Switzerland, we did not eat anything that blew us away. For the most part, everything was just fine, and the lack of a distinct local cuisine had us less than enthusiastic. Coupled with the very expensive prices due to Switzerland’s high cost of living, made Switzerland our most expensive and least favorite country for food. We recommend you do your best to spend money wisely and focus your budget on the incredible experiences and nature of Switzerland.
Collective Bakery
We really wanted to find a great bakery in Zurich, and Collective Bakery was our choice. This lovely indoor/outdoor location has amazing bakery and brunch offerings. It is located on the north side of the city near the Limmat River. We enjoyed some delicious pastries and sandwiches before walking along the beautiful river. I’m sure there are other bakeries in the city worth visiting, but I can definitely vouch for Collective Bakery.
Zurich HB
Towards the end of our stay in Zurich, we visited the main train station. This place is incredible, not only being the main hub of Zurich with connections to almost everywhere, but also a massive shopping mall underneath. The surrounding streets also have plenty of shopping and restaurants, making this a good area to explore around. We found a few nice thrift stores, and passed by many cafes and stores we wished we had time to explore. The mall in the train station has tons of places too and we were able to pick up some souvenirs here as well.
Final Thoughts
After heading off to visit Seealpsee, Lucerne, and Interlaken by car, the time came to move on from Switzerland. As sad as we were to leave, we were excited to move on to our destinations of France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Belgium. Switzerland will always be a country we love. The nature in the country is truly stunning in a way not many places are. Zurich was a great hub for our adventure around Switzerland, and I’m glad we had a few days to explore this peaceful and historic city.
Check out our Travel Diary
