New Home Welcome Tour

New in Zurich tour: welcome to your new home!

★ 4.76/5 33 reviews on GuruWalk

Free pay what you want

Run by an independent local guide on GuruWalk

Takes you to the guide's GuruWalk page, where a free place is reserved directly. Nothing is paid here, and the walk is free, pay what you want.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Language: English
Meeting point: Paradeplatz
Where it walks: Paradeplatz
What it costs: Free, pay what you want

Overview

Moving to Zurich, or freshly arrived? The New Home Welcome Tour is built for exactly that moment. This 1.5 hours walk on GuruWalk is less a sightseeing circuit and more a practical introduction to living in the city, led by a guide who walks newcomers through the things residents actually deal with: taxes, recycling rules, the political system, health care and emergencies, public transport, and how the Swiss military fits into civilian life. You also pick up a few basic words in Swiss German along the way.

Shop windows and stone facades along a busy pedestrian and tram street

The meeting point is Paradeplatz, and the topics you will see and hear about include St Peter, the Lindenhof, City Hall, the parliament of the city and canton, the Post, and the public transport system. Between the practical material the guide covers Zurich's culture and the services the city itself offers residents.

The tour has a social side as well. It is designed for newcomers to meet and chat with each other, which makes it a different proposition from a standard visitor walk. It is supported by the Cantonal Integration Programme and the City of Zurich, and it runs in English. The walk is free to join, pay what you want, and reserved through GuruWalk.

Itinerary

Stop	What Happens
Meet at Paradeplatz	The group meets in front of UBS at Paradeplatz, the building mapped on Google and Apple maps as the former Credit Suisse building.
Paradeplatz and the Post	Paradeplatz and the Post are among the things the tour's description says you will see and hear about.
Transport, taxes and recycling	A practical stretch covering the public transport system, how taxes work, and the city's recycling rules.
City Hall and parliament	City Hall and the parliament of the city and canton are named on the tour, with an outline of the Swiss political system.
St Peter	The guide covers St Peter as part of the tour's see and hear list.
Lindenhof	The Lindenhof is among the places the tour sees and hears about.
Everyday essentials	Emergencies and health care, the Swiss military, city services, and some basic words in Swiss German all feature in the tour's description.

What To Expect From The Tour

This walk leans practical rather than purely scenic, so come with the questions a new resident would ask.

Pace and duration. The walk lasts 1.5 hours and takes place on foot. It is an easy length of time for anyone comfortable walking for that stretch.
Meeting point. Meet in front of UBS at Paradeplatz, which maps identify as the former Credit Suisse building. The address given is Paradeplatz, 8001 Zürich.
Language. The tour runs in English. The description also promises some basic words in Swiss German, so a little participation may be involved.
What to bring. Nothing specific is named as required. The pay what you want format means bringing some cash or a way to tip the guide at the end, at whatever amount you decide.

Duration	Language	Meeting point	What it costs
1 hour 30 minutes	English	Paradeplatz	Free, pay what you want

Social angle. The tour is explicitly designed for newcomers to meet and chat with each other. Expect a group of people who have recently moved to Zurich, not only tourists.
Content focus. Taxes, recycling, health care, politics and city services take up real time on this walk. If you want a conventional highlights tour of Zurich, this is not that.

Common issues. The tour description does not state group size limits, accessibility details or a cancellation policy, so those are open questions to raise on the walk's GuruWalk page before booking. The tour presents its route as a list of things you will see and hear about, with no timed schedule of stops, so do not expect a fixed minute by minute plan. No pickup is offered, so you make your own way to Paradeplatz. There are no reviews available to this page quoting drawbacks, so no downsides from walkers can be reported here.

Free Sights To Pair

Place	Free Or Ticketed	What Is Free	What You Still Pay For
Paradeplatz	Free	Public square on Bahnhofstrasse; the meeting point for the main free walking tours.	Nothing.

Before You Reserve A Free Walk

Is The New Home Welcome Tour Really Free?

Yes. Booking is free and the walk is pay what you want: you decide what to give the guide at the end, based on what you felt the tour was worth. There is no fixed price.

Where Does The Tour Meet?

The group meets in front of UBS at Paradeplatz, in central Zurich, at the building that Google and Apple maps label as the former Credit Suisse building. There is no pickup or transfer included.

How Long Is The Walk?

The tour lasts 1.5 hours. The meeting point is Paradeplatz.

Is Hotel Pickup Included?

No. Pickup is not included, so you travel to the Paradeplatz meeting point yourself.

What Does The Tour Actually Cover?

It is an introduction to living in Zurich rather than a standard sightseeing tour. The guide covers taxes, the political system, recycling, health care and emergencies, public transport, city services, the Swiss military, and some basic Swiss German, with topics that include St Peter, the Lindenhof, City Hall and the parliament buildings.

Where Do I Book, And In What Language Does It Run?

The walk runs in English and is reserved on GuruWalk. The tour is supported by the Cantonal Integration Programme and the City of Zurich. Any question about group size, accessibility or cancellation policy is best asked on the walk's own GuruWalk page before you reserve.