Walking Tour in Zurich

The tour continues into the historic center at Münsterhof, a square that was used in the Middle Ages for markets and public assemblies. Nearby stands the Grossmünster, a Romanesque church whose construction began in the 12th century and which played a central role in the Swiss Reformation under Huldrych Zwingli. Close by is Fraumünster, founded in 853 by Louis the German, and known for stained-glass windows created by Marc Chagall in 1970. The route also includes St. Peter Church, whose clock face, installed in the 16th century, is one of the largest in Europe, and the Rathaus, built between 1694 and 1698 over the Limmat River as the seat of the city government.

The walk proceeds through Augustinergasse, a medieval street known for its preserved guild houses, and up to Lindenhof, the site of a Roman fort from the 4th century that offers evidence of Zurich’s origins as Turicum. In the Niederdorf district, the tour visits Cabaret Voltaire, founded in 1916 as the birthplace of the Dada movement. It also passes the Leninwohnung, where Vladimir Lenin lived in exile between 1916 and 1917. The route continues toward the lakeside to see the Opernhaus Zürich, inaugurated in 1891 and home to the Zurich Opera.