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| ABOUT ZURICH |
Not
so long ago, ZURICH was famed for being the cleanest, most icily calm
and efficient city in Europe: apocryphal stories abound from the 1960s
and 1970s of the gentle tranquillity of the midweek lunch hour in
the financial district, of tourists embarking on efforts to find a
cigarette butt or an empty crisp packet discarded on the streets -
and drawing a blank every time. No more. If you live in a big city
yourself and are tiring of Switzerland's picture-perfect country towns,
visiting Zurich will be like coming home - finally you can walk on
crowded, multi-ethnic streets, buy a kebab, get a drink after midnight,
feel a lived-in urban buzz. There's been a massive explosion in the
city's arts and popular culture over the last two years, expressing
itself most tangibly in a host of clubs and a thriving underground
dance scene. Wry Zurchers like to make much of how apt it is that
you have to tut, purse your lips and clear your throat to say the
city's name (tsoorikh in dialect), but this stereotype no longer conveys
the essence of what is now a dynamic, exciting city.
You're likely to find that this most beautiful
of Swiss cities, astride a river and turned towards a crystal-clear
lake and distant snowy peaks, has plenty to keep you amused. The medieval
Old Town, characterized by steep, cobbled alleys and attractive, small-scale
architecture, comprises a substantial part of the city centre and
is perfect for exploratory wanderings. With a handful of medieval
churches to take in, a spectacular art gallery, the most engaging
cafu culture in German-speaking Switzerland and a wealth of nightlife,
you could easily spend days here. To do so, however, you'll have to
marry up the appeal of the place with its expense - prohibitive even
by Swiss standards. Alternatively, you could base yourself in either
of two towns near Zurich - Winterthur or Baden - both of which have
museums and galleries of their own, and much more affordable accommodation
than you'll find in Zurich itself.
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Goldenes
Schwert Residence, Ibis
City - Technopark Hotel, Atlantis
Guesthouse Hotel,
Bristol Hotel , Comfort
Inn Royal Hotel, Goldenes
Schwert Hotel , Goldenes
Schwert Hotel , Ibis
Adliswil Hotel, Montana
Hotel ,Neufeld
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Amsterdam