Things to do in Zurich

Lake Zurich: boat trips, promenades and swimming

Zurich lies at the north-western tip of Lake Zurich, and the river Limmat flows out of it at the Quaibrücke. Once mainly a transport route, the lake is now a favourite place for swimming, sailing, boating and picnics.

Boats leave from
Bürkliplatz landing stage, 8001 Zürich
From Zürich HB
About 1.4 km along Bahnhofstrasse to Bürkliplatz
Altitude / depth
406 m a.s.l. / up to 136 m deep
Timetables
Lake Zurich Navigation Company (ZSG)
Lake Zurich seen from Utoquai in the evening with swans and the hills on the far shore
Evening on Lake Zurich, seen from Utoquai. Photo: “Utoquai - Zürichsee in Zürich - Zimmerberg - Albis-Felsenegg - Quaibrücke 2015-05-29 20-06-55.jpg” by Roland zh, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Boat trips on the lake

The Lake Zurich Navigation Company (ZSG) runs all routes across the lake and on the River Limmat, with steamboats as well as motor vessels. Zürich Tourism describes three classic round trips from Zurich: the mini cruise to Wollishofen, the short cruise to Thalwil/Erlenbach and the long cruise to Rapperswil and back. Outside summer the service is reduced.

The ZSG was founded in 1890/91 as the Zürcher Dampfbootgesellschaft and took its current name in 1957. Its fully electric ship EMS Uetliberg, inaugurated in summer 2025, carries the largest battery unit ever installed on a ship in Europe.

Promenades and lake baths

City engineer Arnold Bürkli built Zurich’s lakefront quays in 1882–1887: land was reclaimed along the shore and, together with the Quaibrücke, a continuous lakeside promenade with avenues, lawns and parks was created. Seebad Utoquai, a historic lake bath between Bellevue and Zürichhorn, was built in 1890 in Moorish style. Strandbad Mythenquai opened in 1922 and has a 250 m sandy beach and a large lawn.

  • City lidos on the lake: Wollishofen, Mythenquai, Enge, Utoquai and Tiefenbrunnen – busy in the bathing season.
  • With children: Strandbad Mythenquai has a non-swimmer area and water fountains.
  • The lake water is very clean, exceeds 20 °C in summer and is treated and fed into Zurich’s drinking-water supply.
  • In summer the "Seeüberquerung" lets up to 10,000 swimmers cross the lake from Wollishofen to Tiefenbrunnen.

Lake Zurich in numbers and stories

  • Lake Zurich is a glacial lake formed by the Rhine-Linth glacier.
  • It lies at 406 m above sea level; its deepest point, 136 m, is near Thalwil.
  • Ulrich von Hutten took refuge and died on the small island of Ufenau in 1523.
  • Nine prehistoric pile-dwelling sites around the lake are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps".
  • A complete freezing of the lake ("Seegfrörni") is rare; the last one was in 1963.

Tips and getting there

  • Boat round trips start at the Bürkliplatz landing stage at the lake end of Bahnhofstrasse, which runs about 1.4 km from the main station. The ZSG ticket office is about 50 m from the tram stop.
  • ZVV public-transport zone tickets, the GA travelcard, the Junior Travelcard and the Children’s Co-Travelcard are valid on all scheduled ZSG routes.
  • The ZSG audio-guide app "ZSG Tour" explains the sights on the mini lake cruise and the river cruise.
  • Zürich Tourism marks the mini and short cruises as free with the Zürich Card (offers can change).
  • Take the boat to Kilchberg for the Lindt Home of Chocolate.