Seven reasons Switzerland’s largest city is also its most underrated

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Seven wonders within Zurich, Switzerland

Switzerland may be known more for its towering peaks than its teeming cities but, as these seven highlights of the country’s biggest urban centre show, Zurich is well worth a peek.

1 View a masterpiece in peace

Despite hosting a collection to rival many a major gallery elsewhere in Europe, Kunsthaus Zurich, Switzerland’s largest art museum in terms of size, tends not to suffer the excessive crowds and long queues of its counterparts. It means the art-lover can absorb masterpieces by greats such ass Alberto Giacometti, the esteemed Swiss sculptor, painter and graphic artist, in relative calm and contemplation. Aside from being a showcase of Swiss art, the museum also boasts the largest collection of paintings by the renowned Norwegian artist Edvard Munch outside his Nordic homeland. See kunsthaus.ch

2 Make time, for St Pete’s sake

St Peter’s Church, its clock and the Limmat River.

It’s no wonder in a country that turned time into a going concern that so many church and cathedral steeples feature ornate clocks. The big father time of them all is the baroque-style St Peter’s Church, which looms large over Zurich’s charming old town. Its clock remains the biggest of any European place of worship with the diameter of its face measuring nearly nine metres. And, speaking of time, while the existing church (which is closed for renovations until October) was consecrated in the 18th century, its origins have been traced to as early as the 8th century. See zuerich.com

3 Take a wonder in the park

A gorgeously green Zurich lakeside park is the serene setting for the final building of the renowned and controversial Swiss architect, Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier. His only edifice built in steel and glass, instead of his more favoured reinforced concrete, the colourful Pavillion Le Corbusier, as it’s known, is an annexe of the Museum fur Gestaltung (see below) with the building conceived as a venue to display the artwork of this versatile cultural giant. While relatively small, the pavilion is suitably listed by the Swiss authorities as a “Class A” object of national importance. See pavillon-le-corbusier.ch

4 Sharpen your knowledge of Swiss design

Swiss design, in many of its varied parts.

Switzerland, known for such design icons as the foldable army knife, a graphic railway clock that graces every single train station, and, yes, even the humble vegetable peeler, has arguably tended to be overshadowed by the rival Scandinavian school. But earlier this year Switzerland reasserted its designs on itself with the opening of a new permanent exhibition, the Swiss Design Collection, marking the 150th anniversary of Zurich’s aforementioned Museum fur Gestaltung. Inside the basement archive of its inner-city Toni-Areal site, for the first time the public can view a selection of its nearly 600,000 objects displayed in glass cabinets beside spectacular, elevated glass walkways across two storeys. See museum-gestaltung.ch

5 Try to contain your excitement

The container-build that is the Freitag Tower.

The Empire State it ain’t, but the Freitag Tower is truly a “rust visit” in Zurich. This oddball construction, consisting of 19 stacked and repurposed shipping containers, is an example of both inspired recycling and perhaps the less earnest side of this surprisingly relaxed Swiss city. The headquarters of Freitag, the Swiss maker of distinctive bags and accessories fashioned from recycled truck tarpaulins and other materials, the building rises 26 metres. There’s an observation deck at the top overlooking the revitalised and nowadays hip Zurich West industrial district. See zuerich.com; freitag.ch

6 Go and do your block

Sure, the headquarters of the beloved chocolate brand may be one of Zurich’s most well-patronised tourist attractions. But this shrine to sweet treats also rates as one of the city’s most impressive contemporary buildings with its architecture alone well worth the 15-minute train trip from the city’s central station to its suburban location close to the banks of Lake Zurich. Lavishly white-marbled throughout with a nine-metres tall sculptural centrepiece chocolate fountain below a towering sinuous atrium, Lindt could have easily settled for a far less ambitious design for its museum than this delicious effort. See lindt-home-of-chocolate.com

7 Hop aboard a Swiss streetcar of desire

This Swiss skill in rolling stock doesn’t begin and end in its scenic mountain trains but extends all the way to the streets of its cities. Compact Zurich’s efficient and extensive tram system is a mini-marvel in its own right with Line number 4 being the city’s unofficial tram route for culture vultures. For a visit of a few days, this route will breezily convey visitors to, or at least near, Zurich’s impressive array of design, art, and culture institutions, including almost all of those highlighted in the preceding guide. See zuerich.com

The writer visited Zurich as part of Inspiring Vacations’ 12-day Grand Train Tour of Switzerland, from $6895 a person. See inspiringvacations.com/au

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