Multilingual Original Tour

The Original Zurich Free Tour: Best Views, Hidden Secrets & Local Legends

★ 4.62/5 1,170 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 45 minutes
Language: German, English and Spanish
Meeting point: Paradeplatz
Where it walks: Paradeplatz
What it costs: Free, pay what you want

Overview

This walk starts at Paradeplatz and sets out to explain Zurich through its money, its legends and its back alleys. The guide team behind it has been running free tours since 2013 and pitches the experience as a walk with a well informed friend rather than a history lecture. Expect dates to take a back seat to scandals, local stories and the question of how a former pig market and toll station turned into a global banking centre.

Church twin towers rising above Old Town rooftops

The route is built around a set of signature stops. It begins in the financial heart of Paradeplatz, moves along Bahnhofstrasse, and continues to Münsterhof, with the full route running to several further stops the tour description does not spell out. Along the way the guides cover the Roman past of the Lindenhof area, the graves and legends of the city saints, and why figures such as Einstein, Lenin and the Dadaists all passed through Zurich. The walk lasts 1 hour 45 minutes and runs in German, English and Spanish.

Booking is through GuruWalk, where the tour is free to reserve and pay what you want at the end. Each guest or group also receives a printed Swiss Insider Card with a hand marked map of the stops, local discounts and a guide curated list of free and cheap things to do, which you keep as a souvenir.

Itinerary

Stop	What Happens
Meet at Paradeplatz	The walk starts at Paradeplatz, at the heart of the financial district, where the largest banks in Switzerland have their seats.
Bahnhofstrasse	The route continues along Zurich's main shopping street, which used to be a waterway and once carried the city walls.
Münsterhof	The third stop is Münsterhof. The tour description shows only the first stops of a longer route.
Further stops, 1 hour 45 minutes total	The route has 9 stops in total but the tour description publishes only the first 3. The remaining stops, covered within the 1 hour 45 minute duration, include viewpoints and medieval alleys described in the tour description.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points from the tour description are worth knowing before you reserve a spot.

Free to book. Booking is free on GuruWalk and guests pay the guide what they think the walk was worth at the end. There is no fixed fee to join.
Three languages. The tour runs in German, English and Spanish. All three languages are offered for this walk on its GuruWalk page.
Comfortable shoes. The route covers city streets and medieval alleys over 1 hour 45 minutes. Comfortable walking shoes make the pace easier.
Bring a camera. The tour description highlights photo spots, including a panoramic view over the Old Town from the Lindenhof area. Guides point out the angles they consider the best in the city.

Duration	Language	Meeting point	What it costs
1 hour 45 minutes	German, English and Spanish	Paradeplatz	Free, pay what you want

Keep the map. Every guest or group receives a Swiss Insider Card with a hand marked map of the stops, local discounts and a list of free and cheap things to do. It is a physical card you can keep.
Rotating guides. The tour is run by a collective rather than a single guide, so the personality and emphasis vary between departures. The team presents this as a deliberate feature of the operation.

Common issues. The tour team claims groups are kept small for quality and urges early booking, which suggests popular departures fill up. Only the first 3 of 9 stops are published in advance, so much of the route is unknown until you walk it. The 1 hour 45 minute duration is spent on foot in city streets, which may not suit travellers with limited mobility; nothing is said about accessibility provisions.

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

How Long Is The Tour?

The walk lasts 1 hour 45 minutes. That is the figure given for this exact tour on GuruWalk.

What Does The Tour Include?

The guided walk itself and a Swiss Insider Card for every guest or group are included. The card carries a hand marked map of the stops, local discounts at chocolate shops, fondue spots and boutiques, and a guide curated list of free and cheap things to do in the city. The card is physical and yours to keep.

Is Hotel Pickup Included?

No. The tour gives no pickup arrangement, and the meeting point is Paradeplatz. Meet by the UBS building at the tram stop, in front of the former Credit Suisse building.

How Much Does It Cost?

The tour is free to book on GuruWalk and pay what you want. Guests pay the guide what they think the walk was worth at the end, and no amount is set in advance.

Which Languages Does The Tour Run In?

The tour is offered in German, English and Spanish. The languages are listed for this walk on its GuruWalk page.

What Will We See?

The published stops are Paradeplatz, Bahnhofstrasse and Münsterhof, with the full route running to 9 stops. The tour description also promises the Lindenhof viewpoint, the graves of the city saints, medieval alleys and stories linking Einstein, Lenin and Dadaism to Zurich.