Winterthur combines a distinctive Old Town with museums, theatres and wooded hills. During your stay, you can focus on architecture and art or include nature attractions such as Bruderhaus Wildlife Park. The city offers different ways to experience culture and landscape, without letting any single itinerary define your visit.
Old Town and art in Winterthur
Winterthur is in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, and is the capital of the Winterthur district. Once an important industrial city, it is now a centre for services, education, culture and leisure, with 16 museums. Compact rows of houses with colourful façades line the Old Town, which is the largest continuous pedestrian zone in Switzerland. From the tower of the City Church, you can take in the entire Old Town—a different perspective on its lanes and cohesive urban layout.
The city’s art attractions offer a variety of experiences, too. The Kunst Museum at Villa Flora is one of three locations where you can experience art history. Above the city, the Oskar Reinhart Collection has a historic park. The 20,000-square-metre city garden connects the two largest Kunstmuseum Winterthur locations, as well as the Summer Theatre, Casino Theatre and City Theatre. In the city garden, art and theatre venues meet a green space in the heart of the city.
Urban landscape and wildlife park
The Eulach, Töss and Mattenbach rivers flow through Winterthur. Apart from a few ponds, there is no lake within the city limits. The city lies on the broad Eulach gravel plain, with wooded hills surrounding the urban core on almost all sides. To the southeast, the upper Töss Valley is a popular recreational area; to the north lies the Zürcher Weinland, which is still largely agricultural in places. This regional context adds to the picture of Winterthur as a city with cultural attractions and a striking surrounding landscape.
Bruderhaus Wildlife Park is in the middle of the forest on Eschenberg hill. It is home to native and formerly native wildlife species in enclosures designed to meet the needs of both the animals and their species. Information panels and educational trails provide insights into the animals and their habitat requirements. A visit therefore combines wildlife watching with an introduction to habitats and species conservation, rather than focusing only on individual species.
City bus route 12 runs every half hour from the «Archstrasse/HB» stop directly to the «Bruderhaus» stop at the wildlife park on Wednesdays, weekends and official public holidays. Check the operating days before travelling. This makes it easy to include a visit to the wildlife park in your day’s plans.
Plan cultural events and your journey
The Albanifest is an annual tradition in Winterthur. As the programme and dates may change, check the event details for your intended travel period. The Winterthur Museum Pass provides access to most temporary exhibitions and collections at museums and castles; it is also worth checking the current pass conditions before planning your museum visits.
Winterthur has direct train connections with Germany and connections to Zurich Airport. Zurich’s main station is 20 minutes away by train. These connections may factor into your arrival and onward travel plans; specific services depend on your travel dates.
The visits you have in mind give your plans a clear direction, while the city itself offers room to explore both culture and nature.
Discover more destinations: Hofstetten, Hettlingen, Dinhard, Pfungen, Altikon, Brütten, Elsau, Rickenbach.
Back to the main travel overview: Winterthur.
