What’s On In Zurich Mid to Late January 2021
We hope that you have been enjoying the snow – Zurich has certainly been looking very pretty in its blanket of white. As you have probably seen, the Swiss Government announced their latest measures on Wednesday 13th January. The new measures come into force from Monday 18th January until the end of February. The key points for Zurich are as follows:
- all non-essential shops to close
- no more than 5 people from 2 different households to meet for private gatherings
- no more that 5 people to meet for public gatherings
- requirement to wear a mask at the workplace if more than one person is in the room
- mandatory to work from home if possible
- right to work from home (or paid leave) for those at risk
- restaurants and bars remain closed (but take away and delivery are allowed)
- museums, zoos, cinemas and gyms etc remain closed
- hotels remain open (and hotel restaurants for hotel guests)
- supermarkets, bakeries, hardware and gardening stores remain open
- pharmacies and hairdressers remain open
LATEST COVID MEASURES FROM MONDAY 18th JANUARY – 28th FEBRUARY: Please see the latest information regarding the Corona measures in Switzerland from 18th January:
SAVE THE PLANET BY USING REUSABLE MASKS: The use of single use masks is causing a huge amount of litter and pollution so why not invest in some stylish reusable masks. We sought advice from Van Laack and Peggell and KT Home (who incidentally make a “warming mask” especially for cold weather) on which masks to choose as well as how to care for them to ensure they are safe. Read all about the masks here.
DON’T FORGET YOUR VIGNETTE – PLUS SOME CHANGES TO MOTORWAY DRIVING!: The new 2021 vignettes (which allow you to drive your car on Swiss motorways) are available to purchase at petrol stations, from the post office and many supermarkets. You need to have the new 2021 vignette on your car before 1st February or risk a fine! Read more about vignettes and the new motorway rules here.
TIME OUT PRE LOCKDOWN SALE – LAST DAY 16th JAN: Don’t miss the Sports Shop Time Out Sale in Uster – last day 16th January from 9am till 5pm. As well as great reductions on Ski kit (with expert help and advice in English) they also have huge reductions across lots of other sportswear including football gear. Last chance before Lockdown! Address: Pfäffikerstrasse 30, 8610 Uster. Tel: 044 942 0616 Please see details here.
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BOOKS TO GET YOU THROUGH LOCKDOWN: Several of you have asked for Book Recommendations to get you through Lockdown so please find lots of suggestions here.
MORE IDEAS TO AVOID BOREDOM DURING LOCKDOWN: Why not check out this list of ideas for things to do if you find yourself getting bored or demotivated during lockdown. Take a look at some ideas here.
OUTDOOR EXCURSIONS:
Here are some ideas for some great excursions both near and far you could make this coming week:
WOODEN WALKWAY FROM RAPPERSWIL TO HURDEN: How about an easy walk in the fresh air along the bridge from Rapperswil to Hurden and then back? Alternatively you could extend it all the way to Richterswil for a much longer walk. You get great views over both sides of Lake Zurich and it’s a lovely afternoon out for all the family. Read all about the wooden walkway walk here.
EXPLORE ZURICH IN THE SNOW: Zurich looks quite different in all the snow – so why not explore the parks and open spaces and see the city in a different light?Take a look here at some photos of Zurich in the snow for your inspiration.
TOBOGGANING NOT FAR FROM ZURICH: With all the recent snow there is lots of tobogganing fun to be had! The Uetliberg toboggan run is now open and you can see more details on places to go sledging in our list here.
TOBOGGANING SAFETY: As with all snow sports, do be careful when tobogganing as those sledges can whizz down! It is always recommended to wear a helmet on sledges.
SNOWSHOEING
SNOW SHOEING IN BRAUNWALD: How about snow shoeing in Braunwald? This is a throwback to the time we went snow shoeing in Braunwald (above). Do check everything is open before setting off on a journey. Read all about Snow Shoeing in Braunwald here.
EASY SNOW SHOEING IN HEMBERG NOT FAR FROM ZURICH: Read all about Rhoda’s experiences snow shoeing in Hemberg, a great location not far from Zurich. Read about Snow Shoeing in Hemberg here.
SNOW SHOEING IN IBERGEREGG: Rhoda shows us a choice of 3 different Snow Shoeing routes in beautiful Ibergeregg. Read all about Snow Shoeing in Ibergeregg here.
HOTELS
Hotels in Switzerland will remain open over the coming Lockdown and hotel guests will be allowed to eat in the hotel restaurants. Take a look at some great hotels and Apart hotels we have stayed at recently below – or search through our list of hotels here.
VISIT THE GSTAAD PALACE HOTEL: The Gstaad Palace is a luxury 5 star hotel built like a castle high above Gstaad. It offers wonderful facilities and fabulous accommodation and amazing dining. The hotel is currently offering a special Ski Package. Find out all about the hotel and its facilities and the great Ski Package offer here.
STAY AT PEAKS PLACE IN JANUARY AND GET 10% OFF: How about a relaxing break in the mountains in Laax at Peaks Place? With a superb wellness, well equipped and stylish living spaces and a great location this makes for the perfect self-catering getaway. To get a 10% Discount on your stay at Peaks Place in Laax please use the promo code newinzurich2021 That way you can book directly online to take advantage of this special discount. Read all about our stay at Peaks Place in Laax here.
SAVE 20% ON A STAY AT ART BOUTIQUE HOTEL MONOPOL IN ST MORITZ: We stayed at the Art Boutique Hotel Monopol in the centre of St Moritz a few weeks ago and had a wonderful on the slopes (above) and in the hotel’s Spa and Wellness area too. You can also enjoy a stay and benefit from a 20% discount at the hotel by using the code MONO20 when booking. Read all about this lovely hotel in St Moritz here.
SKIING
SKI RESORTS OPEN: Many ski resorts in Switzerland are open and Flumserberg has recently reopened after having been shut over the holidays. However, always check out the websites before you go. Many are only allowing ticket reservations in advance to keep the numbers on the slopes down. Check out some of the resorts below:
AROSA / LENZERHEIDE SKI RESORTS: Arosa and Lenzerheide ski resorts are open but the restaurants are closed at the moment. However, you can get take away food at both resorts currently. See information on Lenzerheide and Arosa here.
FLIMS & LAAX SKI RESORTS: The ski resorts in Flims and Laax are also open currently. Please find out about Flims and Laax here.
KLOSTERS & DAVOS SKI RESORTS: Check out the Klosters and Davos ski resorts here.
FLUMSERBERG SKI RESORT NOW OPEN: Good news for skiers! Flumserberg ski resort has reopened! Read all about the skiing here in this article.
CROSS COUNTRY SKIING: Studen is a great place to go Cross County Skiing. This is a throwback to a Cross Country Skiing Trip there. Take a look here.
FOOD AND RESTAURANTS
RESTAURANTS IN ZURICH ARE CLOSED – HOW ABOUT A TAKEAWAY?: The restaurants in Zurich will now remain closed until the end of February, but many are open for take away and delivery. Please let us know if your favourite restaurant is doing take away or home delivery and is not on our list. You can check our Take Away and Delivery List here.
ONLINE FOOD ORDERING: If you’re looking to order food online check our list here.
HOT CHESTNUTS “MARRONI” – ONE OF THE TOP SWISS WINTER FOODS: What’s your favourite Swiss Winter Food? Surely Heisse Marroni or roasted chestnuts has got to be up there? Find out all about this very typical Swiss food which used to be known as “poor man’s bread” in parts of the country. Read all about it here.
RECIPE FOR GLÜHWEIN / MULLED WINE: It’s cold out there so why not make your own mulled wine to warm yourself up after a bracing walk outside? This recipe takes less than half an hour from start to finish and tastes delicious! See our Mulled Wine Recipe here.
MAKE YOUR OWN FONDUE: The restaurants may be closed but that doesn’t stop you making your own fondue as the shops are still open. See details of our recipe here.
SPECIAL OFFER ON BOOK – EXPERT GUIDE TO LIVING IN SWITZERLAND: Don’t forget our special offer on the “Expert Guide To Living in Switzerland” which is available in both English and German language versions. This book makes perfect reading material for anyone new to Switzerland. With the code NEWINZURICH you get 10% off the book (and any other books you choose to buy from Bergli Books) as well as free postage on purchases over CHF 30 when you use code NewInZurich. You can visit Bergli Books Online Shop here.
CARMEN SIRBOIU FAMILY PORTRAITS PHOTO EVENTS: How about a family portrait for the New Year? Carmen has great experience in doing both family and pet portraits both at her photographic studio in Zurich and outside in the open air. Why not give a present that will last forever? Find out all about Carmen’s photo shoots here.
SILVESTERKLAUSE : The New Year Festival of Silvesterklause which usually takes place in Appenzell on 13th January was cancelled this year due to Covid. However you can read all about it here and hopefully go next year.
NO MORE SHOPPING IN GERMANY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: The authorities in Baden Württemburg in Germany had previously allowed people from Switzerland to travel over the border into Germany for shopping as long as they returned with 24 hours. However, this is no longer possible and if you travel to Germany now you need to quarantine for 10 days.
CORONA UPDATES
Check the Swiss Government BAG website for the latest information on Covid and the new measures from 18th January until the end of February 2021.
SWISS COVID APP AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD: If you haven’t downloaded the Swiss COVID APP it is available on both Apple and Android stores. Find out more about it here and see a short video.
For the latest information see these official resources:
Click here for Swiss Health Guidelines and Advice
Information on the Track and Trace App in Switzerland
Click here for World Health Organisation Guidelines and Advice
Have a great week ahead!
Lead Photo by Rebecca Fryer
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