Hello Folks,

I know that this is a bit unorthodox, but the last time I passed through Zurich travelling, I exhausted my five hour layover exploring the airport. While I took full advantage of the Airport Fitness gym and facilities, I was hoping to do a bit more when I pass through again in early December.

The problem is that I have never seen the outside of the Zurich airport and do not speak German.

I will be there from about 6:30 am until 12:30pm on a Thursday and around the same time on the Monday following. Does anyone have any suggestions for activities or sites that are close to the airport that are open during those hours that would help me kill a couple hours?

I will probably also go the the Airport Fitness again, as I would like to check out their Wellness facilities but I will probably get tired of sitting there by myself pretty quickly.

Thanks for any suggestions, and if anyone want to volunteer to be a guide that would be great.

Thanks

A train (s bahn) directly into Zurich HB from the airport will take less than 20 minutes. There are also regular trains back to the airport from the HB.From the HB, you can explore the Bahnhofstrasse or the old town. Lots of quaint little shops and restaurants there! Also walk down to the lake where on a clear day, you will be able to see the alps in the distance. Definitely kills more than a couple of hours!

Dont worry about not speaking German. Most people do - they are just really humble about their English and tend to say "a little bit" when they are actually pretty good!

Get a return trip / city ticket from the SBB office at the airport which will allow you to hop on and off trams in the city and the sbahn back to the airport. Just tell them what you plan to do and they will be able to help.

__________________
Remember when someone annoys you, it takes 42 muscles to frown, BUT it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and b****-slap the mother-f***er upside the head.

One can take the train via Zürich HB or Winterthur from Zürich Airport ( Flughafen ) to Rhine Falls as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhine_Falls

day trips from zurich for spectacular views

Thank you for the suggestion. What time do most businesses open?

Most shops will be opened from 10am.

I appreciate the links thank you.