Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland as well as its cultural capital, melding old-world charm with cutting-edge, modern opulence. From its medieval Old Town to its trendy art galleries, this bustling metropolis offers something for everyone, no matter your age or background.

However, if you want to truly delve into its history, culture, and breathtaking landscapes, a proper city tour is the route to take. I’ve gone ahead and carefully curated a guide to the 7 top Zurich city tours currently available. I know you’re eager to get started, so let’s jump right in!

Be sure to see our reviews of Day Trips From Zurich.

Best Tours of Zurich

	Zürich: City Tour, Cruise, and Lindt Home of Chocolate Visit	Zurich Private Customizable Guided Walking Tour	Zürich: City Highlights Tour by Coach, Cable Car, and Ferry
Location:	Sihlquai Coach Parking, Limmatstrasse 4, 8005 Zürich	Hotel pickup and drop-off included	Sihlquai Coach Parking, Limmatstrasse 4, 8005 Zürich
Start:	10:00 AM	Between 8:00 AM & 8:30 PM	1:00 PM
Duration:	5.5 hours	2 hours	4.5 hours
Includes:	Transportation by bus, Guide, Guided walk of Zürich's Old Town, 30-minute cruise on Lake Zürich, Visit to the Lindt Chocolate	Guided walk of Zürich with a local guide, private tour, transportation from select hotels	Transport by bus, bilingual guide, Old Town walking tour, ferry ride across Lake Zurich, cable car to Felsenegg vantage point
	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking

Quick Answer: The 7 Best Rated Zürich City Tours For 2024

1. Zürich: City Tour, Cruise, and Lindt Home of Chocolate Visit
2. Zurich Private Customizable Guided Walking Tour
3. Zürich: City Highlights Tour by Coach, Cable Car, and Ferry
4. Private City Tour & Photoshoot with a Local in Zurich
5. Best of Zurich Tour with Felsenegg Cable Car and Ferry Ride
6. Zurich Tuk Tuk Private Tour with Cheese Fondue and Wine
7. Urban Bike Tour Zurich

Zurich City Tour Reviews

1. Zürich: City Tour, Cruise, and Lindt Home of Chocolate Visit

When I think of Zurich, my mind is immediately flooded with images of fine chocolate and jaw-dropping natural landscapes surrounding a beautiful city.

When you first arrive you’ll notice that that take isn’t too far off, and the Zurich: City Tour, Cruise, and Lindt Home of Chocolate Visit experience nicely encapsulates all of those aspects!

If you’re looking to go on a seamless journey through the city’s biggest attractions, look no further than this one right here. I find this selection to be one of the most well-rounded takes, with different types of transport and varied subjects to explore so no one gets bored!

Start off by meeting up with your guide and the rest of your group, boarding a comfy, climate-controlled coach and take off on a scenic route through the Zurichberg district. You’ll be treated to views of not only the city, but the crystal-clear lake and the towering Alps at seemingly every turn!

Take a nice breather at the gorgeous Enge harbor, where you’ll soak in picture-perfect views of Lake Zurich before continuing on past the Opera House and into Zurichberg to view the mansions.

I loved the architecture we saw in the University District, accompanied by interesting commentary by our guide, before arriving at Lake Zurich for a serene boat cruise. Lasting around 30 minutes, it was a nice change of pace, taking in city and Alp views from a much different perspective.

As much as I love nature and medieval architecture, I probably love chocolate more, so I was very excited for our trip to the recently opened Lindt Home of Chocolate.

We got to take a tour, gawking at the world’s tallest free-standing chocolate fountain, followed by an unlimited chocolate tasting – dangerous! I highly recommend grabbing a few souvenirs here for loved ones (or yourself)!

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

2. Zurich Private Customizable Guided Walking Tour

I know what it’s like when visiting a city for the first time – you’re oftentimes tired from travel and don’t know if you want to commit to a longer tour experience. Perhaps you want to get to know a place better, but already have a packed schedule and simply can’t make it work with a longer tour.

Whatever the case may be, the Zurich Private Customizable Guided Walking Tour is just the ticket, maximizing your time by focusing purely on what interests you and your group the most.

Lasting 2 hours, I found it to be the perfect amount of time for a tour of this format, even including a complimentary hotel pickup and drop-off to make the most of our time!

Even better, is that you don’t have to risk going on a cookie-cutter tour that feels like you’re just checking off boxes rather than delving into the fun stuff. With this tour, you can expect an insider’s view of the highlights that you’ll find most intriguing!

My group and I were particularly interested in the art and history, including architecture, and our guide did a fantastic job of curating an experience around that. We took time wandering the cobbled streets of the Altstadt, where we saw incredibly well-preserved medieval buildings and narrow lanes.

I was surprised to learn that the city actually started out as a Roman toll road stop, and from its quaint beginnings ended up being one of the most expensive cities on the planet! I’d recommend this tour for solo travelers, friend groups, or entire families with kids – again, everything is customizable to suit your needs!

Our guide did such a great job of showing us some hidden gems and expanding our knowledge, bringing these historic places to life. You’ll see and learn so much more than what you ever could on your own!

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

3. Zürich: City Highlights Tour by Coach, Cable Car, and Ferry

Zurich is a city that’s definitely anything but one-note – with a mix of medieval and cutting-edge modernity, it’s a place that deserves to be explored by more than one mode of transport!

The Zurich: City Highlights Tour by Coach, Cable Car, and Ferry experience is the perfect way to do exactly that, by combining transport by bus, ferry, and cable car to dive deep into its cosmopolitan center as well as the more serene, picturesque outskirts.

The balance of chaos with relaxation makes this tour ideal for every kind of traveler, complete with lessons on its varied history, rich culture, and unique landscapes!

While I know everyone is different, I felt that the 4.5-hour tour length was ideal for really seeing what Zurich is made of, along with a bit of free time to explore on our own.

We weren’t completely locked into a rigid itinerary, though I can say that the adventure was meticulously coordinated and went off without a hitch. This is crucial because you are dealing with so many different types of transportation, and if not planned properly, could hold you and your group up in lines for hours!

What’s so crazy to me about Zurich is that you can be shopping in the center of the city one minute, and a half an hour later be swimming in a lake or flying high in the sky in a beautiful cable car.

In fact, that’s exactly what you should expect on this excursion, starting off with an in-depth tour of their Altstadt, complete with cobblestone streets, spectacular churches, guild houses, and quaint cafes.

For those art lovers who may not have already known this, the Dada Art movement also began here as a kind of protest to WWI’s horrors, which was quite interesting to me! Stop at the harbor to take some photos and really soak in the pristine views of the Lake Zurich and surrounding hills, before crossing the lake on a ferry!

Keep the journey going to Adliswil for an aerial cable car ride to Felsenegg, which offers some of the most incredible views overlooking the city, lake, and Swiss Alps!

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

4. Private City Tour & Photoshoot with a Local in Zurich

I always find that no matter how hard I look, the best mementos from a trip are always the photos taken along the way. However, I’m usually the one taking the photos, which means I have next to no pictures of myself in these magical places!

If that sounds like your situation, or perhaps you’d like photos of you with your family or significant other, check out the Private City Tour & Photoshoot with a Local in Zurich! The tour lasts around 2.5 to 3 hours, and with various start times available, it’s quite easy to fit into an already busy schedule.

You’ll start by meeting up with your guide who is also a professional photographer at the Bahnhofstrasse in the center of Zurich, who is there to take you to the places that pique your interest the most!

As it is a completely private tour, you don’t have to worry about being shy in front of others, or going to see places that you aren’t particularly interested in. During the tour, you’ll explore fascinating places throughout Altstadt, with plenty of important historic homes, churches, cafes, and much more.

Stop intermittently at particularly beautiful spots, like at the Lindenhof or by the lake – the guide knows all the best spots for taking photos and he’ll even help you with poses if you’re unsure! As someone who considers themselves to be chronically unphotogenic, this in itself was worth the money!

What’s really cool is that our guide was even willing to take us in his car out to different nearby areas in Switzerland, should you want to check those out later!

This was easily one of the best tours I’ve ever been on, with our guide filling us with plenty of top-notch recommendations of things to do around the city after our tour – cannot recommend this one enough!

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

5. Best of Zurich Tour with Felsenegg Cable Car and Ferry Ride

If you’ve just arrived in Zurich and don’t know where to start, may I suggest the Best of Zurich Tour with Felsenegg Cable Car and Ferry Ride? Combining the best of urban exploration with a little escape to the exhilarating surrounding landscapes, it’s one of the best ways to explore one of Europe’s most unique cities.

Unlike most typical city tours, this tour includes a thrilling ride on the legendary Felsenegg cable car with some of the best views one could witness. This tour starts out at 1:00 pm, so if you have a busy morning or simply feel like sleeping in, this is the one for you.

Start out by meeting your guide and the rest of your group at the Sihlquai Bus Station, hopping on a comfy, air-conditioned coach ideal for sightseeing and learning as you cruise along.

Our guide gave us a nice, comprehensive historical into to the city, pointing out some of the major landmarks like the local art museum, Bahnhofstrasse (check out the shopping here!), and Swiss National Museum.

We then hopped off the coach for a relaxing guided walking tour which was nicely paced, taking us through the enchanting Old Town, which spans both sides of the beautiful Limmat River.

Marked by its narrow cobblestone streets and iconic churches, we learned that the Lindenhof was once a Roman fort! It really feels like stepping back in time, with buildings and alleyways that have remained virtually unchanged for centuries!

After that, head over to Meilein for a relaxing ferry ride across the lake, where you’ll then board a cable car upon arrival to Adliswil. I personally think that anyone who visits Zurich should make sure they’re able to take a ride on the Felseneg cable car.

You’ll appreciate panoramic vistas of not only the city, but the lake and surrounding Alps that you wouldn’t be able to get without going on a longer tour outside of the city. It’s crazy to think you can do all this in 4.5 hours, but that’s only part of what makes Zurich so special!

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

6.  Zurich Tuk Tuk Private Tour with Cheese Fondue and Wine

If you’re super tight on time or already have a packed itinerary, it can be tough to figure out how to add in activities to fill any extra time you have during the day. However, the Zurich Tuk Tuk Private Tour with Cheese Fondue and Wine is the perfect activity that’s also a bit out of the ordinary!

If you are looking for something beyond the regular Zurich city tour, this unique curation of activities is there to fulfill! Start by meeting up with your guide where you’ll hop on a private electric-powered tuk tuk, which is perfect for sightseeing!

You’ll get to access places in Zurich that aren’t accessible by regular motor vehicles, skipping past the traffic while enjoying prime views of top landmarks. It’s a nice intro to the city if you want to get a lay of the land quickly, making a couple of stops on your private tour along the way.

As a huge lover of cheese, I have to say I was a bit surprised to learn that Switzerland’s most iconic dish was fondue. Melding melted cheese with white wine, the dish was actually a way for farm families to make do with what they had over the harsh winter months, using leftover cheese, a bit of wine, and stale bread.

We stopped for a tasty pot of fondue and a bottle of white wine, and with a max of 4 participants, you can count on a cozy, intimate setting.

Our host was lovely and clearly very passionate about his city’s culture and history, and quickly became a friend! How could you not after zipping through Zurich on a tuk tuk and drinking wine and eating delicious cheese?!

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

7. Urban Bike Tour Zurich

If you’re up for it, a bike tour is one of the best ways to get some fresh air, and see important sites up close, while covering as much ground as possible without using a motor vehicle.

The Urban Bike Tour Zurich goes beyond your average cycling tour – it’s a deep dive into the heart of the city, taking you not only to the biggest attractions, but to hidden gems off the regular tourist path.

Zurich is an incredibly bike-friendly city, with plenty of convenient and safe cycling paths throughout the entire metropolis. Meet up with your guide and the rest of your group, where you’ll be fitted with a bike that suits your height to use for the next couple of hours.

Limited to just 8 participants, it’s ideal for a more intimate experience, ensuring everyone stays close together and can ask any questions they may have along the way.

Our guide did a great job at navigating and leading us through the city, taking us through districts 3, 4, and 5, with educational commentary and fun anecdotes about each place.

This definitely wasn’t a scripted or uninspired tour – our guide was super engaging and tailored the tourists to our personalities and specific interests. We made various stops along the way, so the cycling part wasn’t strenuous at all and ideal for those who aren’t in tip-top shape.

As you can see, I’ve taken a ton of different Zurich city tours, and I found this one to really cover the most in such a short amount of time. I also saw plenty of hidden gems I didn’t with the others, focusing more on the “authentic” or “local” ways of living.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience