Map of Zurich and Helpful Tips to Get Around (2024)

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Reading a map of Zurich allows you to wander around this city in your mind. There’s the lake with its promenade, the financial district, and the historic old town.

I find maps to be essential tools in planning any trip. They contain all the necessary information to get around a place. Be it a sightseeing map with illustrations of the main highlights, an area map for Zurich, or a town guide with a directory of cool boutiques - maps take on different shapes and forms.

Seen from another perspective, maps are also design objects. The designer’s task may be to convey information cleanly and easy to read. Or they are given expressive freedom to interpret a place and illustrate it as they please.

Downloadable Map of Zurich for Better Orientation

Zurich Tourism offers the below map of Zurich City free of charge. It lists all the important tourist attractions and even outlines a walking tour of the old town. You can view it online or pick it up at any tourist information booth.

If you want a paper map of Zurich for travel planning, Sygic Travel offers a beautiful printable tourist map and a companion smartphone app.

My advice: if you get lost in Zurich, simply ask a local to point you toward the lake or the main station. (Or both.) This will allow you to find your way back to a landmark.

Specialty Maps of Zurich

The best way to get around Zurich is by public transportation. Here is a downloadable bus and tram map of Zurich.

I like this family walking tour map of Zurich by Swiss Family Fun. It is a five-kilometer loop tour starting at the main station but can be adjusted to fit. Tanya has pinned all the family-friendly highlights on her free map.

The runners and joggers should check out the Green Marathon Zurich, a 42 km connected running trail. Find a running map of Zurich for your device of choice.

For bicyclers, the city provides a printable cycling map of Zurich. And for a more regional overview, a dedicated Zurich Region map encompasses experiences in the entire lake area.

For my fellow gourmands, I highly recommend the ViaMichelin map of Zurich, which lists all Michelin-recommended restaurants.

My favorite Swiss map illustrator is Ursula Hitz. Her signature approach is to assemble the place names so that the typography takes on a shape. Here is the artist holding her limited edition map of Zurich: