Zürich: life’s joyful essence

Zürich is often defined by its industrious, exacting character, but in the warmer half of the year, Switzerland’s largest city transforms from bustling to carefree. This is when Zürich shows its full splendour and we see the dolce far niente lifestyle – “the sweetness of doing nothing”.

Many Zürich residents don’t decamp to the coast in summer; “we live where others go on holiday”, locals often say. So they stay at home. The heat causes the pace to slow, as parks and lakes swell with bodies. Even the trams empty as people hop on their bicycles and head out for a round of volleyball or alfresco lunch.

Waking up on a summer’s day in Zürich calls for a swim at Badi Oberer Letten, one of the many natural lidos along Lake Zürich and the river Limmat. Bed-haired residents flock here at dawn, towels loosely wrapped around necks, to somersault into the emerald waters. The city balances the good-natured qualities of alpine living with the perks of modern urban life: museums, eclectic shopping and a buzzing culinary scene – but also days spent reading on a sun-warmed badi deck with the mountains as your backdrop.

Zürich is living proof that serenity in nature and a bustling urban heartbeat can coexist. And so it’s no surprise that the locals stay to enjoy what’s here – and embrace life’s joyful essence.
zuerich.com