Let me say that Zurich, Switzerland, Christmas Markets are like stepping into a scene from a Lifetime movie! For the first time in my traveling experiences, I felt like I was in a movie. The lights were hung just perfectly above the entire Christmas market. The Christmas music was playing, heaters and fire pits, and the mood were just right. Everyone was smiling and in great spirits; I heard so much English and met a few Americans! Now for all the details on our 24 hours in Zurich!
If I’m being honest, we only went to Zurich because I wanted to cross Switzerland off the places I’ve been. Lame, I know, but I’m so happy that we went. I had seen on a Christmas Market Facebook group that I follow that Zurich was beautiful, but it’s not one of the “known” Christmas markets. We traveled from Colmar, France, which is widely known worldwide as one of the prettiest, most decorated Christmas Markets on earth (It’s beautiful), but Zurich did it better!
I only planned Zurich for one day when planning our Christmas Market Road trip. (Big mistake!) We should have stayed three days! Zurich is a bit more pricey than Germany and France, but I thought Norway prices (25 dollars for a hot dog). I was wrong! We were able to find kid hot dogs for 3.50 Franks (About 3.50 Euros) and adult hot dogs for about 7.00 Franks (About 7 Euros). We stayed at an apartment that I booked on Bookings.com HERE. This apartment was in a good location; however, we had to drive to the Opera House Christmas Market. Driving in Zurich is like a jigsaw puzzle for drivers (OMG). It took me telling Tyler driving directions, all while he was “yielding” to crosswalks, traffic, bikers, and a million other things! We’ve traveled and driven in many European cities (18 to be exact), and this was by far the craziest, most organized driving I’ve ever seen. (If that even makes sense)
We parked at the Opera House Parking Garage and were able to take an elevator right up to the market. We arrived on Friday around 4:00 and had a lot of time to walk around and not feel crowded. We went up to the top of the stairs and found out that there was an entire section of children’s activities; the best part was there was an adult bar with hot wine located right in the middle! I found a cozy little chair, sat, and sipped my hot wine while my children enjoyed the free entertainment.
The only downfall to the Opera House Market was its ugly Christmas mug; (Do I sound like a snob?!) I got one because I traveled to Zurich. I needed proof that I was there (hehe). My children also LOVE finding Christmas mugs, and it’s the first thing we do when we arrive at markets.
We stayed at the Opera House Christmas Market for about 2.5 hours. We left and headed back to the apartment. (We stayed here) A tip to staying the night in an Air BnB or Bookings is finding blue parking. The blue parking is free from 6:00 pm to 9:00 am. The parking spots outlined in white are hourly, and you must fill the meter hourly.
The older boys and I wanted to go to the Train Station Christmas Market because I had read that they had Zurich Christmas Mugs. I didn’t want to drive in Zurich alone, and the walk to the train station was only 20 minutes away, so the boys and I walked to the train station from our apartment. Super easy walk!
Once we arrived at the train station, it didn’t take long before we found the train station mug! This Christmas market was much smaller than the Opera House, but it had a wide range of Christmas items. It was also super convenient; you could take a train ride to Zurich’s central train station, walk off the train and be immediately in the Christmas market. The boys and I ended up staying at the market for about 1 hour. That was just enough time to see everything and make it home before their bedtime. We took the train back at the special request of both of my children. They were thrilled to take the train. (They acted as if they’d never been on a train before) They were great Christmas Market buddies, and seeing them fall in love with traveling on this trip made me happy!
Things I Wish We Did!
The Marlitram, I tried so hard to get tickets! We saw this driving down the road in Zurich; the pictures don’t do it justice! So cute to see Santa and his angels driving around the city. The best part about this ride is that it’s adult free, and you’re kid-free for 30 minutes. The downfall is that all the songs and stories are in German. My kids would have just loved the ride around town.
That’s a wrap! If you’re thinking about Zurich Christmas Markets do it! You won’t regret it I promise!