I’ll admit that Zurich wasn’t the part of this trip I was most excited about. I was looking forward to Switzerland, of course, but I saw Zurich as more of a stopover before we headed into the mountains than a destination. Instead, it became one of those cities that completely surprised me.

We arrived after two busy days in Paris, and the difference we felt was immediate. Paris had been exciting, crowded, and fast-paced. Zurich was calm. We wandered through Old Town, which was much cuter than I expected, admired the churches and beautiful buildings, and enjoyed walking without feeling like we had a checklist to work through.

 

 

 

Our First Night at the Park Hyatt Zurich

For our first night, we stayed at the Park Hyatt Zurich, and this was definitely one of the highlights of our time in the city. This is a Category 8 property, and it’s a great stay, but I’m not sure it deserves that rating. A 6 or 7 would be more reasonable. I used a Hyatt Suite Upgrade Award, and we ended up with a beautiful suite. At some point, I realized my sister hadn’t stayed in any hotel suites with me before, so it was fun to watch her reaction. She was impressed!

 

 

 

 

The hotel had fruit and chocolates waiting for us, which is one of those little touches that immediately makes a stay feel special. The service throughout our stay was spectacular, and the next morning’s breakfast was amazing. The buffet was beautiful, and there were also à la carte options, so we naturally took full advantage of both. 

 

 

 

The location was also fantastic. Zurich is already a very walkable city, and from the Park Hyatt we could easily walk to Old Town and many of the places we wanted to see. For a short stay, being able to leave the hotel and explore on foot makes such a difference.

 

 

A Boat Ride and Lots of Chocolate

One thing I knew I wanted to do in Zurich was visit the Lindt Home of Chocolate. Instead of taking the train or a car, we made the journey part of the experience and took a boat across Lake Zurich.

I loved doing it this way. The boat ride let us sit down, enjoy the lake, and see Zurich from a completely different perspective. It also fit the whole mood of our visit. No rushing, just relaxing.

The Lindt Home of Chocolate was absolutely worth visiting. It was fun, interesting, and (obviously) full of chocolate. Between the boat ride and the museum itself, it ended up being one of my favorite things we did in Zurich. Be sure to book your visit online before you go!

 

 

 

 

Why We Changed Hotels for Night Two

Originally, I had booked two nights at the Park Hyatt Zurich. But I had a Hilton free-night certificate from my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card that was about to expire, and I didn’t want to let it go to waste. So I changed our plans and booked our second night at the Alex Lake Zürich, a Small Luxury Hotels of the World property that you can book through Hilton.

 

 

The Alex feels completely different from the Park Hyatt. It’s a smaller luxury hotel on Lake Zurich, just outside the city center, and it feels much more intimate. Our room was surprisingly large, with a separate sitting area that gave us plenty of space to spread out. After our small room in Paris, we definitely appreciated having more room again!

 

 

Little treats and a very nice note were waiting for us, and the minibar was complimentary. The service was extremely good, and the lakefront setting was beautiful. The complimentary breakfast buffet was nice, and you could also order à la carte. We had a very good breakfast!

 

 

 

 

Would I go out of my way to stay at the Alex again? Probably not. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t enjoy it. For a “free” night using a Hilton certificate that was about to expire, it was a great stay. It let us experience a different part of Zurich and try a hotel I probably wouldn’t have chosen otherwise.

 

 

And that’s one of the things I love about having free-night certificates. Sometimes they lead us to hotels we wouldn’t necessarily pay cash for or even seek out, but they can still turn into a really enjoyable experience.

 

Zurich Was Exactly What We Needed

I went into our two days in Zurich without huge expectations, and maybe that’s part of why I enjoyed it so much. After Paris, Zurich felt like a reset. We walked through Old Town, admired the churches and architecture, cruised across Lake Zurich, ate plenty of chocolate, and stayed at two very different luxury hotels.

What surprised me most was simply how I felt there. Zurich was calm. It was easy. It was beautiful without demanding that we race around trying to see everything. Sometimes the places you expect the least from end up being the ones you look back on with fond memories.