When I first moved to Zurich in 1999, it was a time of big changes. For the third time I had moved to a new place where I barely knew anyone, but this time it was a bit different.
Being pregnant and new in a city where you couldn’t ask for directions or understand what the tram/bus conductor was saying was a little daunting, so my exploration efforts were tentative at first, and always in the company of my husband, who knew Zurich well and spoke German.
Hauptbahnhof was one of the very first German words I learned – the Main Station, the transport hub of Zurich, was at the end of the Bahnhofstrasse, the Station Street; I soon learned that jumping on tram number 7, which stopped a few hundred meters from where we lived at the time (Zurich Wollishofen), would take me straight to the center of Zurich, with the shops, and the people, and the big bookstore that also had an English section.
(This was before Orell Füssli opened The English Bookshop.)
Along the route, one specific place caught my eye: a lovely spot between Paradeplatz and the Stockerstrasse tram stop, a narrow canal nestled between buildings, with boats docked along the sides. It just looked so idyllic, and so incongruous in the middle of the city. I resolved to take a better look at a later date. Through the years I passed that spot many times, but never actually ventured across.
Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, when I went to Rimini with Marisa, and we ended the evening with a lovely walk… which prompted me to find out more. As it turns out, the river that the Rimini/Männerbad is built on is none other than the very same I have been wanting to explore for years: the Schanzengraben, not a river but a canal that was used as the outer moat outside the Zurich city walls starting in 1642.
A map of Zurich from 1705 (colored in for clarity in 2006) showing the city walls (in brown) and the Schanzengraben (blue zigzag connecting the lake and the Limmat). The canal is no longer connected to the Limmat, but to the Sihl.
So on a sunny day last weekend, off we went, for a walk along the Schanzengraben.
We started off just off Bürkliplatz, where the canal connects to the lake:
and then kept walking along the Schanzegraben’s zigzag shape, crossing Dreikönigstrasse, Bleicherweg, Gartenstrasse…. and never looking back.
Ok, maybe not exactly never.
It was so pretty, and so quiet… it was hard to believe we were right in the middle of the city.
When we got to the Selnau bridge (“Ah, yes, we are still in Zurich”) we took a small detour to check out the Old Botanic Garden (thank you DenDen for the tip!), and once again I wondered: How have I never been here?
Past the Old Botanic Garden , we followed the canal and the old city wall to a familiar place: Rimini, by day – and this time I couldn’t go in, because during normal business hours it’s still a Men’s Bath 
And on and on we walked, until we got to a spot where many Zürcher sit to enjoy their lunch in late spring and summer, right behind the Migros City department store – another spot I have walked by many, many times before.
A few hundred meters further, and the Schanzengraben joins the Sihl river, and when you walk up to street level you’ll find yourself right by the Main Station. We looked around, knowing exactly where we were and yet surprised; my husband observed how we had crossed the city center as we always would, from the lake to the Station or vice versa; but unlike a walk down the Bahnhofstrasse or the Limmatquai*, this was completely peaceful and surprisingly relaxing.
It seems that Zurich still has a lot of surprises left in store for him, too.
* Limmatquai is the road that runs along the right bank of the Limmat river, from Central to Bellevue and the lake. You can see a few photos of it here.
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I love the pictures! It reminds me of the time I lived in Zurich, too. I used to take my bike to explore the city!
Oh, I definitely HAVE to take notes for this.
And got to find me a walking companion!
Great tip!!!
It is simply beautiful! What a gorgeous place to linger…and linger…on and on!! Your photos are just gorgeous!!
Beautiful pictures! I definitely have to go for a walk there!
Absolutely gorgeous post!
Love these photos!
xoxox,
CC
I am so glad you enjoyed the walk and the detour to the botanical gardens, and I know what you mean: when you walk this way you forget that you’re in a city.
I was also really uncomfortable exploring Zurich when I first moved here…and I thought the city was boring, but now, after I actually started walking around and seeing things, I love the place, and actually, most people will speak to you in English if you need something.
Ahh, the pictures are so lovely. I’d never been to Zürich before but now I definitely have to pop around. One of my friends, Charly, will intern as an editorial journalist at a Zürich newspaper and I have to ask her to take some pictures. Maybe you got some tips for going out there? xoxo Sabrina
I adore Zurich. As a city it has everything. Good restaurants, charming cafes, painterly views and a fabulous shopping area. I’m often in Zurich on business at least once a month. Another place I adore is Thuner See. Have you been?;-)
Wow, you had the most perfect weather for exploring!
I’ve walked along a small portion of this never knowing how far it goes. And how cool is that map and the fact that it was a moat!
oh my.. I loved zurich when i was there. I remember arriving at about 5am on the night train from Vienna, seeing a fisherman in the night.. on the trip was the most beautiful thing ive seen! il never forget it. And oh the hills!! I just remember being sooo tired in the train station looking at the sculptures in bright colours.. and then i woke up lol. Very confused. my friend was asleep too on her backpack :p then i got attacked by a wasp.
Fond memories :p
I have really enjoyed my Sunday morning stroll around Zurich. By the way I imagine they are the same fish or very similar, like whitebait which are also “mangiatutto”
The streets and canals are so pretty! I would love to visit… I need a vacation!