Good news: you’re financially safe.
Bad news: your Friday nights might not be.
2
You‘ll never be la te
The trains are so punctual, even the seconds are
accounted for. Delay = 3 minutes = public outrage.
3
Everyone is a part-time triathlete
If you‘re not biking, hiking, skiing, swimming, or doing all of the above before 8 AM,
are you even Swiss?
4
Zurich is the birthplace of Müesli
Max Bircher-Benner, a Swiss physician, developed muesli around 1900 in Zurich.
He called it „Birchermüesli,“ and it quickly became a popular breakfast around the world.
5
You can swim in the lake and the rivers
No, really. In the middle of the city. And it’s clean.
Like drink-the-water-clean. Please don’t drink it though.
6
There’s an official „quiet time“
From 10 pm to 7 am, plus a midday pause from 12 to 1, and the whole of Sundays and public holidays.
7
Zurich has over 1,200 fountains
All with drinkable water. It’s like the city is sponsored by Evian.
8
Recycling is a lifestyle
You need a PhD to sort your trash right.
Don’t mess with the plastic-pet-aluminum-cardboard-paper system.
9
Zurich hosts the world’s largest techno party
The Street Parade is considered the biggest techno party in the world with around 1‘000‘000 guests from around the world.
10
Zurich Enge station is made of granite from the Alps
The Enge train station is built entirely from granite sourced from the Gotthard Massif in the canton
of Ticino – thus the name „Tessinerplatz“.
Facts, you should know
1
Population
(2024 est.): Approximately 445,000 residents live in the municipality of Zurich.
2
Elevation
Zurich is situated at 408 meters (1,339 feet) above sea
level.
3
GDP per capita (metro area)
Approx. CHF 100,000+, one of the highest in Europe.
4
Main Exports
Finance, technology, medical instruments, machinery,
and pharmaceuticals.
5
Tourism
Zurich attracts over 1.8 million hotel overnight stays per year (pre-pandemic baseline).
6
First documented
Zurich was first mentioned as “Turicum” in a Roman tax
register dated 15 BCE.
7
Municipal structure
The city is divided into 12 districts (Kreise) and 34
quarters (Quartiere).
9
Public green space
Approximately 40% of Zurich’s surface area is dedicated
to green or recreational use.
10
Electricity use
Over 95% of Zurich’s electricity is from renewable sources (hydropower, solar, biomass).