Looking for an ideal spot to visit in the shoulder season? Zurich is the ticket, writes Julia D’Orazio
Spring in Zurich is something else. Besides hillsides dotted with bouquet-worthy bloom, Switzerland’s biggest city becomes alive with colour in unexpected ways. From unusual winter mascot bonfire burnings and impromptu sausage feststo unheralded spots of craftsmanship that are tasty and artful, here are six reasons spring ‘tis the season to visit Zurich.
The OG’ Burning (Snow) Man’ festival
Zurich Spring Festival, locally known as Sechselauten. Photo / Julia D'Orazio
Lover of tradition and bizarre rituals? This is the event for you. Zurich Spring Festival is perhaps where the USA’s Burning Man festival sought inspiration for a pinnacle fiery spectacle. Locally known as Sechselauten, the tradition originated in the 16th century, where guild members – craft associations from the Middle Ages – would commemorate the start of a new season, timed with the spring equinox. Commemorations transformed in 1892 when the festival adopted a snowman mascot dubbed the “Boogg”, which is sacrificed in dramatic fashion.
Leading up to the timely demise of the “symbol of winter”, for three days, the streets of Old Town Zurich are filled with pageantry and oddities: bread rolls thrown into crowds, cannon salutes, marching bands and horses, all hallmarked by a parade with participants in traditional regalia. The festival reaches its climactic end at 6pm on Monday with the Boogg torched on a 10m pyre surrounded by mass crowds in the city square, Sechselautenplatz.
The burning of Boogg. Photo / Zurich Tourism
Local legend has it that if the Boogg’s firework-filled head ignites quickly, a great, long summer will follow. If it is a slow burn, it spells a ho-hum summer season. Regardless of burn time, it’s a vivid scene all around.
Post Burning Snowman barbeque. Photo / Julia D'Orazio
Grab your sticks, grab your sausages. Following the city’s great meltdown is the biggest campfire cook-off you’ll ever take part in.
Shortly after the Boogg bonfire has disintegrated, locals are invited to gather embers to create small campfires around Sechselautenplatz. Thousands of locals come armed with their preferred barbeque utensils, from actual sticks to high-end camping gear and meats (think the best of the wursts), to participate in the city’s biggest barbie. It’s one of the best dining experiences the city can offer – and one of the cheapest, too.
Gain insights into chocolate creation during a tour with Detours Zurich. Photo / Supplied
There’s such a thing as guilt-free chocolate in Zurich. While the city is home to the country’s largest chocolate museum, go beyond recognising shopping aisle staples and consume with a conscience by joining an ethical chocolate tour.
Hosted by Detours Zurich, gain insight from chocolate creation – from bean to bar – and discover a new wave of artisan chocolatiers working with co-ops abroad. After an interactive workshop learning chocolate’s checkered history and tracing of beans, you’ll visit a local chocolate factory to see the process of creating the edible luxury that not only tastes oh-so-good but does good.
This three-hour tour will encourage you not to eat it daily but to appreciate chocolate and the efforts to sustainably create it.
What better way to mingle with locals than at a beer garden? Far removed from the sights of Old Town, Zurich’s beer gardens ooze grit, character and good vibes. The industrially hip Zurich West district is home to Frau Gerolds Garten. The quirky outdoor oasis is a mixture of community gardens, independent stores, recycled art installations, food trucks and a shipping container bar.
Of similar calibre is Stazione Paradiso. Located along a decommissioned railway line fringing the Limmat River, this sprawling outdoor beer garden and former Berlin S Bahn carriage is festooned with colour on both sides of the tracks: umbrellas, picnic tables, bunting, amid shady trees. If hot enough, do what locals do: sip and then take a refreshing splash in the river.
An e-bike is the best way to get around town. Photo / Zurich Tourism
One of the best ways to zip around Zurich is on an e-bike. It’s easy to rent one at $61 per day from Zurich Main Station, or if you are limited on time and prefer someone to show you around, join an e-bike tour ($79).
Starting from Europaallee, the two-hour-plus tour journeys 17km around the city, passing through the city’s main attractions, including Zurich West and the hillside University of Zurich Irchel Campus.
Rain or shine, it’s always the right time to unwind at thermal springs,Hürlimannbad & Spa Zurich. The former brewery is a maze of 10 Roman-Irish spa rituals in century-old vaults. More than just thermal baths, it offers a central spa area with bubble loungers and rings, a herbal infusion steam bath, and a mesmerising trio of rain showers experience.
After the ritual, expose yourself to fresh air and panoramic city sights, dipping into the rooftop infinity pool. It’s the ultimate two-in-one combo; be immersed in Zurich’s charms and reap its restorative, natural benefits. You beauty!
