What to do with a day in Zurich?

They have lots of hostels and hotels around the train station. I would stay close to there, you don’t have much time so you might as well get settled in fast. It is a lovely place. I can’t really recommend places to go but they had french fry vending machines. We just walked around and found good times.

edit :: I should add that it is one of the cleanest cities I have been to. We never found a bad part of town.

When Hubby was there a few years ago, he took the Zurich tour and says it was well worth the price.

Window shopping at the über-expensive stores; there are also tons of Souvenir shops;

FAO Schwartz had a flagship store there (I saw that they’ve closed the one in Manhattan, so I’m not sure about it);

Go up the Üetliberg for a great view of the lake and city… when there is time, it’s a nice day hike, but you can get there by car, and I recall busses going up there also;

If the Üetliberg is not an option, there are dining boats that ride around the lake; that’s a good way to see some scenery as well.

Get dessert at Sprüngli;

Those are the things I remember most about Zürich… I was born there (43 years ago on Wednesday; I don’t remember that!), and visited there several times over the years, but I’ve not been back in a decade.

I think if I went back, I’d like to explore the architecture more… There are some amazing old cathedrals and such.

Do you have any hobbies or particular interests? My Uncle arrived from Switzerland last night. I could ask him for more suggestions.

@hearkat. Thanks. No specifically relevant hobbies. The biggest question for your uncle would be what part of the city to stay in. I won’t have a car and would love to do some walking around. Thoughts?

Being that he lives less than an hour outside of Zürich, he may not know the best places to stay. You say you have 24 hours there; will you need to get a room? What is your budget?
Will your arrival and departure be via train or plane?

As @johnpowell noted; there is no real “bad” part of town, and everywhere you go is beautiful. Most of Europe’s old cities pre-date cars and trains, so walking around is never a problem, and the public transportation system is renowned for its punctuality.

Protest?