Zurich for the Elderly

July 3, 2023 6:54 PM

I will be meeting up with my elderly parents in Zurich where they will be staying for a week in late September. Looking for suggestions on the best area for them to stay and what to do with elder folks who can't walk for too long.

My parents decided to stay a week in Zurich after their tour in Scandinavia ends, before heading back to the US. I think this will be their first time staying in a place without a tour group, and they really just want to take it easy and do some standard sightseeing. Coincidentally I will also be in Europe at that time, so I want to pop by and spend a few days with them and help them see the city.

They are old Chinese Americans and my mom has joint problems so they can only do so much walking in a day. No particular interest except the standard sightseeing and eating good food, etc. Would love all suggestions on best area to stay and things to do. Danke schön!

posted by monologish to Travel & Transportation around Zurich, Switzerland (4 answers total)

The official tourist information page is not the worst starting place to start. I am not sure you can find a week's worth of things to do. Consider a side trip to Lucerne or Zug or Berne - all within an hr by train.

Zurich is a very compact place but is surrounded by hillside and the lake and certainly the old town can have cobble stones which may be challenging for people with troublesome joints.

You are never more than a stone throw away from a bus or tram stop or a train station. All run very frequently. The timetable indicates if they are accessible (i.e without steps to get on/off) or not. In all honesty, public transport is the quickest way to get around. You can buy all tickets you need from SBB including for local travel. There is an app which is quite simple to use. Of course there are taxis and ride shares as well but these are extremely expensive and they get stuck in traffic. The city's approach to traffic management is to always favour public transit and walking/cycling over driving and it shows.

If walking long distances is a bit challenging, a very nice way to explore is to get on the lakes/by boat. There are boats for tourists and boats that qualify as public transport. The latter is quite good value. Depends on if you want any commentary I guess.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:21 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

I am in Zurich right now and it’s been lovely! It’s a nice, chill city with lots of places to sit and relax and people watch. That’s not a specific suggestion, I know, but rather a vote of confidence!
posted by smorgasbord at 7:24 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

If they're happy sitting, it's possible to do a long day trip into the heart of the Swiss Alps. 1 hour by train to Bern, then a second hour to Interlaken. From there, you can do the full Jungfraujoch train excursion right to the top of the glaciers, or just take a train up to Grindelwald. Check the weather first! It will be 6 or 7 hours round trip sitting on trains, but the scenery is well worth looking at.
posted by Superilla at 8:48 AM on July 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

Kindli Hotel, just down hill from the Lindenhof park. Well managed, also—expensive. Not knowing your budget hard to say if the memorability factor outweighs the bill. Excellent breakfast situation.
posted by xaryts at 12:42 PM on July 4, 2023