Where to Stay in Zurich — Best Hotels & Neighbourhoods
Curated by Our Guild Explorers · Updated August 2026
Zurich is the door most Americans come through, and it is worth a night or two at either end of a Swiss trip rather than a whole week. The old town along the Limmat is handsome and compact, the lakefront promenade is one of the pleasantest evening walks in Europe, and the airport train reaches the main station in about eleven minutes. The choice of where to sleep comes down to three areas: the Old Town for atmosphere and the shortest walks, Enge for flat, quiet streets between the lake and the centre, and Seefeld for the lake’s eastern shore. Below are the hotels we would send our own family to, by style, each with an honest note and a Book Me link straight to Trip.com.
Good to know before you book
A few plain facts that decide where an older traveller should sleep in Zurich.
The centre is walkable — mind the cobbles
Bahnhofstrasse, the river quays and the lakefront are genuinely flat and smooth, and most hotels on this page are within a ten-minute stroll of the main station. The catch is the old town’s climbing lanes: the steps up to the Lindenhof and the alleys behind the Grossmünster are cobbled, uneven and slippery in rain. Plan the flat routes and let the trams do the climbing — they are frequent, spotless and easy to board.
Take the train from the airport
The railway station sits directly beneath the airport terminal, so it is a short indoor walk with a lift and no shuttle bus. Trains run roughly every five minutes and reach Zurich main station in nine to thirteen minutes for a few francs. A taxi costs around CHF 50 to 75 and is slower in traffic — worth it only with heavy luggage or if walking is difficult.
Take the train onward, too — never the plane
Lucerne is forty to fifty minutes away, Bern about an hour, Geneva under three hours and all of them direct, station to station. There is no case for a domestic flight in a country this size, and Bern has no meaningful commercial airport at all. Swiss platforms are step-free, trains have luggage racks by the doors, and no seat reservation is needed on domestic services — you simply get on.
Where the noise is — and one weekend to avoid
Niederdorfstrasse and Oberdorfstrasse on the east bank are the bar strip and run loud from Thursday to Saturday; ask for a courtyard room. Langstrasse is the city’s nightlife and red-light quarter, and cheap rates there are cheap for a reason. One date to plan around: the Street Parade on the second Saturday of August draws close to a million people, hotels sell out and rates double.
Luxury
Zurich’s grand hotels sit on the lake and the Bahnhofstrasse, on flat ground and a short walk from the station.
Baur au Lac
The old-money grand hotel of Zurich, run by the same family since 1844 and still the address a local names first. It stands in its own small park on the lake, a flat and easy walk from Bahnhofstrasse and about fifteen level minutes from the main station. Service is formal but genuinely warm, and the guests skew older and returning. Lifts throughout and not a hill in sight. One current note worth knowing: the Brasserie is closed for works through much of 2026, so check what is open before you book a stay built around dining in. Dogs get their own beds and menu for a nightly fee.
Book Me on Trip.com ›The Dolder Grand
A castle-like hotel on a wooded hillside above the city, and more a resort than a city hotel. The four thousand square metres of spa are the reason to come: a twenty-five-metre indoor pool, an outdoor pool on a sun terrace, whirlpools and saunas. Be clear-eyed about the position, though — you are up a hill, and every trip into town means the funicular, a taxi or the hotel car. It is a fine choice for a restful two or three nights and a poor one for a sightseeing sprint. Lifts throughout; children under twelve are not admitted to the spa.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Boutique
Two historic houses in the old town, both a short flat walk from the station — with one caution about stairs.
Widder Hotel
Nine medieval townhouses stitched into a single hotel of forty-nine rooms, so no two rooms are alike and the building is full of original beams and stonework. The location is superb — just off Bahnhofstrasse, in the old town, roughly ten level minutes from the main station. The honest caution for older guests is the layout: because it spans nine joined houses, reaching your room can mean long corridors, changes of level and more than one lift. Ask at booking for a room close to a lift and on a single floor. There is no spa or pool.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Marktgasse Hotel
Thirty-nine rooms in a genuinely fifteenth-century building with six hundred years of continuous innkeeping behind it, restored with a light modern hand. It is about a seven-hundred-metre walk — eight minutes — from the main station, and the Grossmünster, the river and the old town lanes are all on foot. There are two restaurants, a bar and a library downstairs. Two things to know: the lanes outside are cobbled and uneven, and the Niederdorf bar strip is close enough that a weekend room facing the street will hear it. Ask for a quiet side.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Budget & Value
Zurich is expensive and there is no pretending otherwise. These two are the honest value in a central position.
Motel One Zürich
The reliable value pick, from a design-led budget chain whose lobby and bar look far more expensive than the room rate. Rooms are small and functional at sixteen to twenty square metres, with good beds and showers rather than tubs. It sits in quiet, well-heeled Enge between the lake and the centre; the main station is fifteen to twenty minutes on foot over entirely flat ground, with trams a couple of minutes away for anyone who would rather not walk it. Lifts throughout. Breakfast is charged separately, so factor that in.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Hotel St. Josef
A modest, deliberately quiet small hotel a short walk from the old town and the main station, and one of the few genuinely affordable central beds in a very expensive city. Rooms are simple and unfussy rather than stylish, so set your expectations accordingly — this is a clean, calm, well-run place, not a design statement. Zurich’s own tourist board lists it among the city’s family-friendly hotels, which tells you the tone. It is an older building, so confirm lift access when you book if stairs are a concern.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Family-friendly
Rooms that genuinely sleep four, flat ground and easy luggage handling — the things that actually matter with grandchildren in tow.
Novotel Zürich City-West
The most straightforwardly practical family base in the city: rooms that genuinely sleep four with a queen bed and a double sofa bed, an indoor pool, a fitness room and predictable chain standards. It sits in the converted-industrial Zürich West district about two kilometres from the main station, with a tram stop five minutes’ walk away, so you commute in to the sights rather than stepping straight out into them. Pool hours are limited on weekdays and fuller at weekends. Flat ground, full lift access and easy luggage handling throughout.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Hotel Glockenhof
A ninety-one-room four-star superior in an unbeatable central spot a stone’s throw from Paradeplatz, with Bahnhofstrasse a few steps away and the lake a couple of minutes on foot. The rooms have been renovated recently. Zurich’s official tourist board lists it among the city’s family hotels, and the calm, slightly traditional tone suits three generations travelling together better than a design hotel would. Everything of interest is reachable on flat pavement. Confirm the exact family or connecting-room arrangement directly when you book.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Quiet & couples (no true adults-only in Zurich)
We will say this plainly rather than imply otherwise: Zurich has no hotel we could verify that actually excludes children. The “adults-only” filters on the big booking sites are marketing labels here, not age policies. What the city does have is genuinely quiet, couples-minded houses, and these are the two we would choose.
Signau House and Garden
A classical villa turned nine-room boutique hotel, and described by the city’s own tourist board as very quiet. The defining feature is a walled garden with a small pond, which is a rare thing this close to the centre. Two of the nine rooms are two-room suites with terraces, and lifts are installed — which matters in a converted villa. It is a little over two kilometres from the main station in smart Seefeld near Bellevue, so a tram or a pleasant lakeside walk into the old town. At nine rooms it books out quickly.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Sorell Boutique-Hotel Zürichberg
Set above the city on the Zürichberg at the edge of the forest, in a park-like plot with apple trees — a nineteenth-century building joined to a modern wing, with understated rooms in wood and warm colours. It is about fifteen minutes from the centre by tram, so peaceful nights are the trade for stepping straight out into the sights. Older travellers should note the hillside setting: the tram does the climbing for you, but the streets immediately around are sloped. Best thought of as a base for restful days rather than heavy sightseeing.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Pet-friendly
Two hotels with pet arrangements written down rather than merely tolerated. Confirm the current fee and any weight limit with the hotel before you book.
Park Hyatt Zurich
The modern, low-key luxury option — glass, stone and warm wood rather than gilt, and quieter than the grand old houses. Dogs are welcomed for a nightly fee and are given a bed, fresh water and house-made treats. The location is excellent for walking an animal: flat streets between Bahnhofstrasse and the lake, with the lakeside promenade a few minutes away. It is about twenty minutes on foot from the main station or a short tram ride. Full lift access and no steps or hills to negotiate anywhere on the walk in.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Zurich Marriott Hotel
This one earns its place on accessibility as much as on pets. The hotel publishes mobility-accessible rooms with roll-in showers, wheelchair-height fittings and accessible restaurants, which is worth knowing if anyone in your party uses a stick or a chair. Up to two pets are accepted for a flat charge per stay. It stands on the Limmat five minutes’ walk from the main station, with the old town cobbles just across the water. The building is a functional business tower rather than a charmer, but it is flat, easy and superbly connected.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Spa & pool
For when the point of the afternoon is a swim and a treatment rather than another museum.
The Dolder Grand
The best hotel spa in the city by a wide margin, and the reason many people book the Dolder at all. Four thousand square metres take in a twenty-five-metre indoor pool, an outdoor pool on the sun terrace, whirlpools, saunas and a domed meditation room. A useful detail for older couples wanting calm: children under twelve are excluded from the spa entirely, twelve- to fifteen-year-olds are limited to the pool area, and the textile-free saunas are sixteen and over. Lifts throughout, though the hilltop position means a taxi into town each time.
Book Me on Trip.com ›B2 Boutique Hotel + Spa
A converted brewery, and the most distinctive stay in Zurich. The showpiece is the wine library, a soaring room lined with thirty-three thousand books and lit by chandeliers made from the brewery’s own bottles. A lift takes guests straight up to the rooftop pool looking over the city’s roofs, and the spa occupies the century-old cellars below. The adjoining public baths next door add a rooftop infinity pool and a Roman-Irish bathing ritual. Confirm the spa’s age rules directly. The district is on rising ground; trams run to the centre.
Book Me on Trip.com ›Zurich Hotels — common questions
Which neighbourhood should I stay in in Zurich?
For a short trip, the west bank of the Old Town or Enge. Both are flat, both are a ten- to twenty-minute level walk from the main station, and both are quiet at night. The Old Town's east bank, around Niederdorf, is central and full of life but noisy from Thursday to Saturday, so ask for a courtyard room. Seefeld on the lake's eastern shore is calm and smart. Avoid Langstrasse, which is the nightlife and red-light quarter, and skip Oerlikon, which is a business district with no atmosphere and a real commute.
Is Zurich a walkable city for older travellers?
Largely yes, with one caution. Bahnhofstrasse, the river quays and the whole lakefront are flat and smoothly paved, and the centre is compact enough that most walks are under fifteen minutes. The difficulty is the Old Town's climbing lanes: the steps up to the Lindenhof and the alleys behind the Grossmunster are cobbled, uneven and slippery when wet. Wear shoes with real grip, plan the flat routes along the river, and use the trams for the hills. They are frequent, clean and easy to board.
How do I get from Zurich airport to the city?
Take the train. The railway station sits directly beneath the airport terminal, so it is a short indoor walk with a lift and no shuttle bus involved. Trains run roughly every five minutes and reach Zurich main station in nine to thirteen minutes for a few francs. A taxi takes ten to twenty minutes depending on traffic and costs around 50 to 75 francs, which is worth it only with heavy luggage or if walking is difficult. The tram takes about thirty-five minutes and has no real advantage.
Does Switzerland use the euro?
No. Switzerland uses the Swiss franc, and this catches many visitors out because the country is surrounded by the eurozone. Some shops and hotels in tourist areas will accept euro notes, but your change comes back in francs at an exchange rate the shop sets, and it is reliably a poor one. Pay by card, which is accepted almost everywhere including ticket machines, or withdraw francs from a bank cash machine. When a card terminal offers to charge you in US dollars, decline and pay in francs.
When is the best time to visit Zurich?
May and September are the comfortable months, with mild temperatures, long days and hotel rates well below the summer peak. July and August are the busiest and most expensive, and Swiss hotels are not reliably air-conditioned. January and February are the cheapest and coldest, and the valley can sit under grey fog for weeks. One date to plan around: the Street Parade on the second Saturday of August draws close to a million people, hotels sell out and rates double.
How many days do you need in Zurich?
One or two nights is the honest answer for most visitors. Zurich is a working financial city rather than a postcard, and a day covers the Old Town, the lakefront and either the Kunsthaus or the National Museum comfortably. It makes an excellent bookend at either end of a Swiss trip. If your time is short, go straight from the airport to Lucerne, which is forty to fifty minutes by direct train, and you will lose very little.
Don’t see your perfect fit?
Browse every hotel with live prices and availability on Trip.com. Booking through our links supports Destinations Guild at no extra cost to you.
The Switzerland Guide ›
The whole country in one chapter — the trains, the mountains, the costs and where to go first.
Best Time to Visit Switzerland ›
Month by month on weather, crowds and prices — and the two windows when the mountain lifts simply close.
Where to Stay in Lucerne ›
Forty minutes away by train, flatter than Zurich, and the better base for a first Swiss trip.