Zurich week-end
Soft, cozy… this city wraps you up with its warmth and tranquility. The city of trams, narrow streets, expensive shopping and cozy street cafes. . . and it is also the city of Dolder Grand.
The Dolder Grand Hotel is the first thing I want to mention, perhaps because this hotel is a combination of a medieval castle with a spaceship. The central building of the hotel was built in 1899, it really looks like a castle with towers. Two new - "Martian" parts, were built in 2008 by the architectural bureau of Norman Foster, they are located on the left and right sides of the main building and are connected to it by greenhouse corridors... Here, it seems, all employees work exclusively for you... Here, number (from lighting to TV) is controlled by a single remote, and one of the three walls is a solid window. Here the room is not square, but triangular, and you can go around it in a circle: after passing through the dressing room and the bathroom, you can go back to the bedroom, only from the other side... Here, while taking a bath, you enjoy the view from the window of the golf course (in Dolder Grand if the window then only “to the floor”)… There are no corridors here, but there are suspension bridges of the 21st century… Here you can take a separate tour of the SPA… And from here a “toy” tram goes to the city. Yes, yes, yes, it’s a toy one - because it’s already very small, there are 15 seats; and to the city - because The Dolder Grand Hotel is located outside the city... 15 minutes drive from the main street Bahnhofstrasse.
Zurich is a city of all seasons, it is good here both in summer and in winter. Even in January you can enjoy walking along the embankment of Lake Zurich, accompanied by seagulls and pigeons, by the way, unlike the city, the lake is famous for its size. You will pass through the bridge and find yourself on Bahnhofstrasse, here you can sit on the outdoor terrace of the Sprungli confectionery, where you will be warm and comfortable sitting on sheepskins with a cup of one of the most delicious coffee and a portion of an unforgettable dessert!
And the restaurant-bar Tao on... strasse with a lounge for smokers (you should take into account the fact that Switzerland is a non-smoking country and smoking is prohibited in establishments). Tao is famous for its Thai-European cuisine and late, as for Europe, closing (the bar is open until 1 am on weekdays).
If you want to experience authentic Thai cuisine, you should visit Elephant at the Marriot Hotel. One of the most delicious Thai restaurants in Switzerland with a very democratic atmosphere and a collection of cheerful tin elephants.
French cuisine is best represented in the Hummerbar restaurant, which is located in the St. Gotthard hotel, where you will be treated to the freshest oysters and lobsters, as well as a wide selection of champagnes.
In general, everything is in order with restaurants in Zurich, here is the famous whiskey bar on the waterfront, sometimes it seems that nothing has changed in it over the past 70 years, an especially valuable place for whiskey connoisseurs!
Again, Dolder Grand never ceases to delight with its two-star Michelin-star European restaurant and bar, with a rich cocktail menu... I would like to know more about the bar: twilight, live music, lighting in the form of candles shining from the ceiling and a huge crystal chandelier that seems hung in the air. Yes… Dolder, as always, lived up to expectations, but Norman Foster is still a genius!
After we have scouted all the tasty places in the city, it would be time to explore the shopping ones. And so, shopping - in Zurich this is plenty, though at fairly high prices (both Luxury goods and goods of the middle price category are more expensive than in other European capitals). The main shopping street is Bahnhofstrasse, where the main number of brand stores are located, such as Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Chanel, Dior, ect …. Here (at the end of the street) there are three relatively small shopping centers with multi-brand stores. In addition, many shops, both large and small, are scattered throughout the center - this is a great excuse to take another walk around the city. Zurich is made up of numerous pedestrian streets, old houses (16th-17th centuries), small squares, chapels, quaint shops and art galleries… In general, be sure to go for a walk!
Yana Shabatina
