Shopping in Zurich is very pleasing– elegant and stylish boutiques, department stores and speciality shops are clustered in the Old Town, interspersed with cafés and bars for those necessary breaks.
Most shops are open Monday to Friday 0900 to 1830 and Saturday 0800 to 1600. Many stores, except for the large ones, close for lunch. Late shopping on Thursday is until 2100hrs. By law, shops cannot stay open longer than 2000 on weekdays and 1600 on Saturdays. VAT is charged at a 7.6% and can be reclaimed for single items purchased for SFr400 or more.
The most trendy shopping street is Bahnhofstrasse, which stretches from the Hauptbahnhof past Paradeplatz to the lake. High-quality Swiss goods and international designer labels can be found on this street. More boutiques tucked away to the east – the main streets (Limmatquai and Rennweg) are a good starting point. More alternative (and less costly ) shops are on Langstrasse, to the west of the Hauptbahnhof.
From May-October, on Saturdays (0600-1500), Bürkliplatz fills with stalls during the weekly flea market (tel: (01) 216 7160). Interesting antiques and hand made artefacts are sold at Rosenhof in the Old Town, Thursdays 1000-2000 and Saturdays 1000-1600 (tel: (01) 216 7161).
Swiss gifts are fine chocolates, Swiss Army knives, watches, embroidery, linen and handmade clocks. Schweizer Heimatwerk, Bahnhofstrasse 2, has a fine selection of traditional and up to date Swiss design especially wooden folk toys, while Confiserie Sprüngli, Bahnhofstrasse 21, is famous for its chocolates and is also Zurich’s oldest pastry shop and the first to permit women to drink coffee in public. The shop also serves dozens of salty hors d’oeurves and more than 50 chocolates. Their ‘Luzemburgli’ biscuit is patented and is only sold here. It is possible to visit the Lindt & Sprügli factory, situated south of Zurich at Seestrasse 204, Kilchberg, Wednesdays to Fridays. The S-Bahn 1 or 8 from the Haufbahnhof and bus 165 from Bürkliplatz goes to the factory. The tour includes a film about chocolate making, a museum and a generous gift of chocolates. |
