Switzerland was to be the latest of a number of countries that I was visiting for the first time on this trip, along with Luxembourg, Hungary, Romania, Austria and Slovakia. It was probably one I’d put off because the the cost, which is also partly why I was only staying two nights here. I needed to be back in Paris to get the Eurostar home, and this seemed to be an appropriate place to break the journey from Vienna. For the first time in a while I was taking daytime trains and I was looking forward to the alpine scenery. Sadly, my chosen route, which is the highest standard gauge line in Europe, wasn’t available owing to repairs on the line.
All went well on my first leg to Salzburg, but my onward train from there was late departing, meaning that I missed my connection in Munich. With nearly two hours to spare, I set to trying to solve another complicated Virtual at the station, resorting yet again to help from back home. I eventually arrived in Zurich after an extremely scenic journey, and jumped on one of the many skinny trams to my hotel. I stayed close by that night, eating at a Thai restaurant just over the road. Thankfully my phone and power packs were still well charged because I’d totally forgotten that Switzerland (like the UK!) uses a completely different mains plug type. Conveniently, there was an electrical shop opposite and so first thing in the morning I popped over to buy an adaptor, which is now available on loan to anyone needing one!
With only one full day here, I was up and out early in the morning, having breakfast on the move while also making the most of the cooler morning before the temerature rose later on. I took the tram back to the main station, once more making Virtuals my targets while grabbing drinks and ice creams at every opportunity. In one direction, but uphill, was an intriguing Virtual located within a university building. The building was impressive in itself, with an open plaza at the front with views over the city and to the distant horizon beyond. The main building itself was formed around an atrium several storeys high and still retaining much of its original charm and features. First there was a reconstruction of the study of German writer Thomas Mann, preserved in its original location but in a perspex cage.
But perhaps most interesting of all, and the topic of the cache, was the student locker of a certain Albert Einstein. Once located and identified, it could be opened to reveal an illuminated conpact exibition of photographs, a small desk with drawers, a digital gramophone and even his notebook and pipe; it was like a mini museum! I left one of my wood coins in the drawer for the next cacher who visited. I could have wandered these halls for hours, not least because it was nice and cool inside, but this was a working university, and students and staff were busying themselves so I decided to move on.
Back down the hill, I was struck by the tight street patterns in the old town, a huge contrast to the wide reconstructed streets of Berlin and Bucharest in particular. There were expensive designer boutiques and jewellers as well as artisan chocolatiers and some of the smartest hotels I’ve seen. When my phone suddenly lost its data connection I struggled for a while to find anwhere with free wifi for me to investigate the issue. However, I bravely went into the smartest of all the hotels, the Mandarin Oriental Savoy, and chatted to the receptionist who not only gave me their Wi-Fi password, but also supplied me with a large bottle of sparkling water, a small plate of chocolates and a seat in their air-condorioned lounge. Drenched in sweat and looking very unkempt indeed, I was bowled over by their hospitality.I clearly looked nothing like anyone else in there! (It turned out that not only do the Swiss have their own plugs and currency but the country isn’t included in my provider’s roaming data deal!)
I paused at several cafes for a drink and a snack, the sun now beating down on me once again. Around every corner was another stunning building, including churches and the town hall, and eventually I found myself back at the northern end of Lake Zurich itself where there were a few physical caches for me to find in a picturesque area. Other fabulous caches in this area included a huge display of five digital letters which displayed a different randon word every day, and the kind of clock you’d expect to find in Switzerland, with its own carillon and moving figures. But perhaps my favoutite in the city was the extraordinary ‘Indiana Jones and the ruins of Turicum’ within the 13th century Wasserkirche. The main nave was interesting enough with a bizarre and provocative temporary art exhibition to walk around and through. But down the stairs in the crypt, where I coudn’t even stand up straight, were the remains of a former church and an array of carvings and stonework, as well as a burial site. Tasked with locating some specific items, I spent a good 30 minutes down here, hunched over, working on one of my favourite caches of the whole trip.
Heading back towards my tram stop, I passed the fabulous St Peter’s Church, the oldest in the city and built on the site of a fomer Roman temple of Jupiter, sadly closed by now. Finally there was the interesting Virtual at the Lindenhoff viewpoint where I collected a handful of the heart-shaped Linden leaves to take home as tokens for friends. I was hungry but had enjoyed my Thai meal so much last night that I thought I’d revisit it. After my ride home I went straight there, only to find that they were closing early and so my only local option was the Burger King opposite my hotel, a huge anticlimax at the end of one of my favourite days of the month.
So one full day in Zurich would have to suffice as I had two early trains to take in the morning on my journey on to Paris and my last stop of the tour.
A Wright
June 2026
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