Bahnhoffstrasse, stretching between the main station and the lakeside, is the city's busiest thoroughfare. Along this fine avenue, lined with lime trees, are a succession of luxury shops, department stores, impressive banks and modern buildings.

This church, built between the 12 and the 15C, replaced a convent founded by Louis the German (853). It is definitely worth a visit to see the beautiful stained-glass windows by Chagall (chancel and south transept) and Giacometti (north transept). The remains of the Romanesque cloister include frescoes by Paul Bodmer (1921-1941) and relate the legend of the founding of the abbey.

Built in the 11 and 13C, supposedly on the site of a collegiate church founded by Charlemagne, this imposing cathedral was the cure of Zwingli who preached there from 1519 until he died. Framing the façade are two high towers topped with wooden cupolas covered with sheets of metal. The south tower is decorated with a huge statue of Charlemagne (the original is in the crypt). The modern stained-glass windows are by Giacometti (1932).

The Schweizerisches Landesmuseum houses extensive collections that touch upon every aspect of culture and the art of living in Switzerland, from the Stone Age to the present day. Of particular interest are the celestial globe developed by Bürgi in the 16C, the reconstruction of two state apartments of Casa Pastalozzi and the Werdmüller Brothers; statues, tapestries, weapons, everyday objects and a large collection of costumes from the various cantons (18C-20C).

Located in the former Wesenbrock villa, the museum houses the precious exhibits collected by Baron von der Heydt: sculptures and paintings from the Far East, Africa and Oceania, engravings from Japan, objets d'art from the Near East, Tibet and pre-Columbian America as well as Swiss masks.

The quays along the banks of the River Limmat and Lake Zurich with their magnificent expanse of greenery and a host of small boats beckon invitingly. A little further on, from the Mythenquai, there is a panoramic view of the Lake and the Alps.

The German industrialist, Emil Bührle, made Zurich his home in the Twenties. He was an avid collector of works of art: antiquities, religious sculpture, 18 and 19C paintings and, in particular, Impressionist and Postimpressionist paintings, which were his favourites. Works by Monet, Pissaro, Manet, Sisley, Picasso, Braque are among the exhibits.

In an attractive green setting, Zurich's zoo is home to over 2,000 species. The monkeys' and elephants' morning bathtime is a daily event not to be missed.