Tamara Thiessen offers cost-cutting tips that even the most well-heeled Swiss bankers will appreciate.
Hotels
Hotel Continental Zurich
With its elegant chalet interiors, the Hotel Continental (formerly the Sofitel Zurich) is a member of Accor’s MGallery collection. It is within easy walking distance of the main train station and downtown shops along Bahnhofstrasse, and facilities include Chinese and Swiss-Mediterranean restaurants, a bar, meeting rooms and a business centre. The prices are reasonable for the level of service and standard of accommodation you get. All 138 bedrooms are non-smoking, spacious and have free wireless internet access. They also have satellite TV and a minibar, and the comfortable beds mean you will get a good night’s sleep. Stampfenbachstrasse 60; tel +41 443 606 060; accorhotels.com Rooms from Fr 151.50 (£94)Swissotel Zurich
Modern, light-filled and entirely non-smoking, this multi-storey giant in the Oerlikon business district is a quick tram ride from the city centre and one train stop from Zurich airport. A serious convention venue, there are 19 meeting and banqueting rooms for up to 1,000 delegates. The 347 bedrooms are well equipped, with wifi (priced at Fr 9.90/£6 per hour) and free satellite TV. Upscale Business Advantage rooms have ergonomic workspaces, Lavazza espresso machines, DVD players and Bogner toiletries. When you’ve seen to business, you can work out in the gym, go for a swim or have a steam bath or massage in the Amrita gym and spa. Eating and drinking options include a bistro, a fine-dining restaurant and a lounge bar. Am Marktplatz Oerlikon, Schulstrasse 44; tel +41 443 173 111; swissotel.com Rooms from Fr 230 (£142)Hotel Engimatt
Slightly off-centre in the residential area of Enge, this 73-room four-star hotel wins over corporate clients with its high level of service and peaceful location. It feels like a cross between a business hotel and a guesthouse, and there are seminar rooms, a business centre, free wired internet access (wifi is Fr 5/£3 for 30 minutes) and a tram link to the centre (number 13, Fr 2.40/£1.50). Rooms are bright and well furnished, although the technology is not particularly up to date. A good breakfast buffet can be taken outdoors or in the Orangerie conservatory restaurant, which also does a business lunch menu for Fr 48 (£30) at noon during the week. The principal drawback, which applies to many Zurich hotels, is the smoking in public areas. The lack of fitness facilities is offset by the nearby parks and lakeside paths. Engimattstrasse 14; tel +41 442 841 616; engimatt.ch Rooms from Fr 200.50 (£124)Hotel Adler
The lack of business and leisure facilities at this three-star property can be traded off against its smack-in-the-old-city location, low prices and friendly, urbane management. Antiques and contemporary artworks deck the corridors and walls of the renovated building, and rooms are spotless. Standard bedrooms are small yet light and modern, with murals, a desk and wifi for Fr 7.90 (£5) for 30 minutes. There is a free internet terminal in the lobby. Even suites come at a price considerably lower than most of Zurich’s four-star rooms. A hearty continental breakfast is included in all room rates and the in-house restaurant is open from 6.15am to 11.15pm. Although there are non-smoking rooms, cigarette smoke in the lobby may be an issue. Rosengasse 10; tel +41 442 669 696; hotel-adler.ch Rooms from Fr 160 (£99)Hotel Wellenberg
With its striking art deco look and black, red and grey décor, this 45-room hotel has plenty of personal touches, a modern approach and a perky business edge. Despite the lack of luxury frills, it offers good four-star value for old-town Zurich, with wifi (Fr 5/£3 for 30 minutes) and a minibar, and a quality buffet breakfast included in all room rates. The rooms are spacious with quality high-tech fixtures, works of art and funky furniture. The only downside is that some are not very well soundproofed. There is a business centre and meeting rooms, and guests have access to a gym down the road that costs Fr 34 (£21) a day. Niederdorfstrasse 10; tel +41 438 884 444; hotel-wellenberg.ch Rooms from Fr 290 (£180)Restaurants
Restaurant Hiltl
A restaurant, café and club-bar spread over several chandelier-lit floors, this revamped building is a long-established vegetarian institution. Moderately priced all-day buffets (sold by weight) and Hiltl brunches are ideal for casual morning business meetings – the spreads of market-fresh food include fruit, muesli, cheese, a salad bar, soups and quiches. The à la carte lunch and dinner menu includes everything from Mexican chilli, Indian curry and Moroccan couscous to Asian spinach noodles, Italian pasta and Swiss linzer torte (traditional lattice fruit tarte), washed down with juice, espresso, champagne or wine by the glass. An added frill is the free wireless access. Open Monday to Thursday from 6am to midnight; Friday and Saturday from 6am until late; and Sunday from 8am to midnight. Sihlstrasse 28; tel +41 442 277 000; hiltl.ch Lunch: Set menu from Fr 19.50 (£12) Dinner: All-you-can-eat buffet for Fr 55 (£34); à la carte starters from Fr 5.50 (£3.50); mains from Fr 22.50 (£14)Angkor
Menu possibilities are as wide as the range of prices at this swish, sensual, stone-and-wood carved restaurant, inspired by Cambodia’s Angkor Watt. There are two-course lunches featuring Thai, Cambodian, Chinese and Japanese dishes, while the standard menu has more than 200 choices. The lush, low-lit, water-cooled ambience is calming in high-stress times, with comfy chairs and couches, fish ponds, a lounge bar and an outdoor terrace. Open seven days a week from 11.30am to midnight. Giessereistrasse 18; tel +41 432 052 888; restaurant-angkor.ch Lunch: Set menu is Fr 23-38 (£14-24) Dinner: A la carte costs about Fr 50 (£31) for two coursesSwiss Chuchi
The perfect place to go if you are craving a cheese fondue, raclette (cheese and potatoes) or other Swiss speciality in an upbeat environment is Swiss Chuchi at Hotel Adler. This wood-panelled eatery is in the pedestrianised Niederdorf district of the old town. The daily menu is excellent value, with dishes such as homemade spatzli noodles, sauerkraut and speck ham, with soup or juice, salad and coffee thrown in. The same deal goes for the weekly “hits” of vegetable, meat, pasta and fish mains. The vast à la carte menu offers excellent Swiss standards with imaginative twists, including wine risotto with spicy tofu and raclette with chilli. Open daily from 11.30am to 11.15pm (breakfast served from 6.15am to 10am). Hotel Adler, Rosengasse 10; tel +41 442 669 696; hotel-adler.ch Lunch: Set menu is Fr 17 (£10.50) Dinner: A la carte is about Fr 30-50 (£19-31) for two coursesBrasserie Lipp
The bustling, chic atmosphere of Brasserie Lipp is redolent of an art nouveau Parisian brasserie. Well-priced lunchtime plats de midi come in small or large servings and include perch in orange sauce, beef entrecôte with Asian sauce and basmati rice, chicken and potatoes, and beef pot-au-feu. The standard seafood-dominated menu offers fish platters, meat and vegetarian choices, sauerkraut, salads, and first-rate oysters and mussels. For group meetings of 15 or more, three to four-course meals are served in private salons. The Jules Verne Panorama bar upstairs has views of Zurich’s lake and rooftops and occupies the city’s Urania observatory tower. The restaurant is open Monday to Thursday from 8am to midnight; Friday 8am-1am; Saturday 11am-1am; and Sunday 11.45am-11pm. Uraniastrasse 9; tel +41 438 886 666; brasserie-lipp.ch Lunch: Two courses from Fr 35 (£22) Dinner: A la carte starters from Fr 9.80 (£6); mains from Fr 14 (£9) Sterne Foifi Behind the riverside quays in the theatreland of Bellevueplatz, you will find a suave yet relaxed backdrop for business with attentive service and high-quality cuisine. The two-course lunchtime tagesmenu offers soup and a mixed grill, while the standard speisekarte has a long list of salads, soups, seafood, meat, fondues and vegetable mains. The street-level Sternen Grill boasts the city’s best bratwurst and roll. Sterne Foifi is open 11.30am to midnight. Theaterstrasse 22; tel +41 442 514 949; vorderer-sternen.ch Lunch: Two courses from Fr 25 (£16) Dinner: A la carte is about Fr 40-50 (£25-31) for two coursesGet around on the cheap
- Excellent public transport is one of the lynchpins of Zurich’s high quality of life. Make the most of the network of trains, trams and trolley buses and avoid the expensive taxis. The ZurichCARD city pass, available at train stations and tourist offices, provides unlimited travel on local transport for 24 hours (Fr 19/£12) or 72 hours (Fr 38/£24), as well as free entry to 61 museums and attractions, and other perks such as discounts and free welcome drinks at 18 restaurants. Visit zuerich.com and zvv.ch for more details.
- For a cheap sightseeing tour, take a standard ferry ride across Lake Zurich from the city’s main boat terminal to another city stop or lakeside region for about Fr 8 (£5). Check prices and timetables with the operator, Zuerichsee Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (zsg.ch).