Loading ...

A Lake Zurich Cruise: 10 Great Reasons to Take a Short Boat Tour

Take a Zurich Lake cruise by public transportation. Check out Zurich See by boat. Find out how to take a lake Zurich boat tour at low cost.
Life in Zurich in the Springtime seems to center around Zurich Lake. It's no secret that when I travel for business, I like to make time for something fun. 

No back and forth between office and hotel with nothing else for me! I arrived in Zurich early on a Sunday morning in late May. 

The sun was shining so I decided to take the most economical tour I could find, a small circuit around the Zürich See (Zurich Lake) on the public ferry. Here are ten highlights of my Lake Zurich cruise.

Views of Lake Zurich with Spring Flowers

1. A Lake Zurich Cruise is Public Transit at Its Best

For just 8.60 CHF, I got a 90 minute Zurich Lake cruise departing from Bürkliplatz. This is certainly public transport at its best. The ride was comfortable and scenic. I could have taken a private cruise but why spend much more for essentially the same ride?
A Small Circuit of Zurich Lake - Boat and City

🔎 Looking for other ways to spend a day in Zurich using public transportation? Read about ideas for exploring Zurich with a ZVV day pass.

2. Zurich City Views

The small circuit of Lake Zurich (Zurich See) featured some lovely views of the iconic spires over Zurich's old town. Gorgeous!
A Small Circuit of Zurich Lake - City Views

3. Sailboats

It was a calm and sunny day when I embarked on my Lake Zurich cruise and people were out in force in their sailboats. I enjoyed watching the vessels cut through the placid water of the crystal clear lake.
Sailboats on Zurich Lake

4. Plenty of Parking

The houses all along Lake Zurich featured a different kind of garage. Instead of car parking, these often picturesque buildings were for boats. I particularly loved this half-timbered specimen.
Boat Parking on Zurich Lake

5. A Different Kind of Bus Stop

We made a number of stops on our Lake Zurich cruise. Instead of waiting under a shelter for a bus, passengers walked out onto the pier to catch the public boat.
Boat Bus Stop on Zurich Lake

6. Church Spires

Quaint church spires dotted the landscape around Zurich Lake throughout our tour and lent a tranquil atmosphere to the ride.
Church Spires on Zurich Lake

7. Lakeside Homes Covered in Moss

As you can imagine, many of the houses fronting Lake Zurich are quite posh. I particularly liked this one home with a well manicured garden that seemed to extend onto the facade of the house itself.
House covered in moss on Zurich Lake

🔎 
Zurich is not the only place in the world with a scenic ferry. If you find yourself in the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States, take the ferry to Alameda and enjoy some amazing views of the San Francisco skyline and Bay Bridge on the way.

8. Lake Zurich is Fun for All Ages

When I cruised Lake Zurich, all the locals seemed to be gearing up for summer. Zurich See seems to be fun for all ages with all kinds of fun slides depositing eager children into the water.
Fun Slides on Zurich Lake

9. Lake Zurich Birds of Prey

Looking up above, I spotted a number of birds of prey circling our boat. This reminded me that while Zurich Lake is indeed an area of exceptional natural beauty it is also great habitat for wildlife.
Birds of Prey over Zurich Lake

10. Placid crystal clear waters

I must say that I prefer lake and river cruises to ocean sailing. The waters of Lake Zurich were extremely calm and thus no concerns about sea sickness.
Crystal clear water of Zurich Lake
I really enjoyed my small circuit of Lake Zurich. When traveling for business, it definitely makes sense to watch out for opportunities like this to turn public transit into a fine tour of town. Don't forget to take time for yourself and a bit of bleisure while on the road.

🔎 SIDEWALK SAFARI SPOTLIGHT 

Looking for other cool things to do on a trip to Switzerland? Why not:

Did you enjoy this post about my cruise on Lake Zurich? Sharing is caring...

Travel Switzerland: Cruising Lake ZurichTravel Switzerland: Cruising Lake Zurich
Name

#DrJSabbatical,38,Adriatics,5,Africa,12,Americas,52,Argentina,7,Asia,40,Asia Pacific,25,AUNZ,21,Australia,13,Austria,5,Baltics,4,Barcelona,1,Belfast,1,Belgium,13,Berlin,3,Best of,389,Best of Europe,2,Beyond Dublin,31,Bologna,3,Boston,2,Brazil,2,Bruges,2,Brussels,2,Bucharest,2,Budapest,1,Buffalo,3,Bulgaria,2,California,13,Cambodia,6,Canary Islands,1,Canterbury,2,Cardiff,1,Central America,3,Central Europe,66,Chile,7,China,5,Christmas Market,4,Copenhagen,1,Cork,3,Costa Brava,3,Costa Rica,2,Croatia,2,Cyprus,1,Czech Republic,1,Denmark,3,Dresden,1,Dublin,51,Dusseldorf,1,Eastern Europe,8,Edinburgh,3,El Calafate,1,England,18,Essen,1,Estonia,1,Europe,219,Faversham,1,Featured,5,Financial District,1,Finland,3,Fisherman's Wharf,1,Flanders,1,Florida,3,France,17,Galway,2,Gdansk,1,Germany,17,Girona,1,Granada,1,Greece,4,Greece and Cyprus,5,Hamburg,1,Hangzhou,1,Hanoi,3,HCMC,2,Helsinki,1,Ho Chi Minh City,2,Hobart,1,Hoi An,2,Hungary,1,Hurling,1,Hyderabad,2,Iceland,4,India,5,Ireland,92,Ireland & UK,120,Ireland Road Trips,16,Italy,13,Itinerary,3,Jackson Square,1,Japan,12,Kaunas,1,Kilkenny,1,Kuala Lumpur,1,Kyoto,1,Languedoc,2,Lanzarote,1,Latvia,1,Leipzig,1,Liechtenstein,1,Lima,1,Limerick,1,Lisbon,17,Lithuania,2,Ljubljana,1,Lloret de Mar,1,London,9,Los Angeles,2,Louisiana,1,Lucerne,1,Luxembourg,2,Machu Picchu,1,Madeira,3,Malaga,1,Malaysia,1,Malta,1,Marrakech,1,Marrakesh,1,Massachusetts,2,Mendoza,1,Menton,1,Miami,1,Midwest,3,Modena,2,Monaco,1,Montpellier,1,Morocco,1,Muenster,1,Munich,1,Naples,1,Netherlands,4,New England,3,New Orleans,1,New York,9,New Zealand,8,Nice,2,Noe Valley,1,Nordics,18,Norrkoping,1,North America,43,North Beach,1,Northern Ireland,1,Norway,5,Nuremberg,2,Ollantaytambo,1,Osaka,1,Palafrugell,1,Panama,1,Paris,1,Parma,2,Patagonia,3,Pennsylvania,6,Perth,1,Peru,5,Philadelphia,1,Pingyao,1,Piran,1,Pittsburgh,5,Poland,8,Porto,1,Portugal,35,Puerto Natales,2,Punta Arenas,1,Queensland,1,Recent,85,Regensburg,1,Reykjavik,1,Riga,1,Rio de Janeiro,1,Rochester,1,Romania,3,Rotterdam,1,Rovinj,1,Russia,2,San Francisco,4,San Sebastian,1,Santiago,1,Scandinavia,10,Scotland,5,Seattle,3,Segovia,1,Seoul,2,SF - Further Afield,7,Sicily,3,Siem Reap,2,Singapore,1,Sligo,3,Slovakia,1,Slovenia,2,South Africa,1,South America,19,South Beach,1,South Korea,2,Southeast Europe,14,Southern Europe,66,Spain,17,St. Petersburg,2,Stockholm,2,Strasbourg,1,Stuttgart,1,Sweden,3,Switzerland,11,Sydney,3,Taipei,2,Taiwan,3,Tallinn,1,Tasmania,4,TBEX,1,Telegraph Hill,1,Texas,3,Thailand,1,Tipperary,1,Tokyo,2,Top World Destinations,4,Torres del Paine,1,Transylvania,1,Trieste,1,Uganda,10,UK,28,Union Square,1,United States,46,Uruguay,1,Valparaiso,1,Vietnam,9,Vilnius,1,Wales,2,Warsaw,2,Washington,3,Western Australia,1,Western Europe,37,Westfield,1,Whitsundays,1,Wicklow,2,Wroclaw,1,WWI,1,Xi'an,1,Zurich,5,
ltr
item
Sidewalk Safari | Part-time Travel Blog: A Lake Zurich Cruise: 10 Great Reasons to Take a Short Boat Tour
A Lake Zurich Cruise: 10 Great Reasons to Take a Short Boat Tour
Take a Zurich Lake cruise by public transportation. Check out Zurich See by boat. Find out how to take a lake Zurich boat tour at low cost.
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gJeuDZWfH-k/Vve1txO3DKI/AAAAAAABDBQ/RfFytB8NjZU0_jbt8jW2LLUDRVZWMqZKA/w400-h400-rw/Sidewalk%2BSafari%2B-%2BLake%2BZurich%2B%25281%2529.jpg
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gJeuDZWfH-k/Vve1txO3DKI/AAAAAAABDBQ/RfFytB8NjZU0_jbt8jW2LLUDRVZWMqZKA/s72-w400-c-h400-rw/Sidewalk%2BSafari%2B-%2BLake%2BZurich%2B%25281%2529.jpg
Sidewalk Safari | Part-time Travel Blog
https://www.sidewalksafari.com/2015/11/zurich-lake-cruise.html
https://www.sidewalksafari.com/
https://www.sidewalksafari.com/
https://www.sidewalksafari.com/2015/11/zurich-lake-cruise.html
true
2802498442123035908
UTF-8