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Due to its central location in the middle of Europe and surrounded by countries with Mediterranean influences, Zurich is very diverse in a small area. French bistros can be found next to Italian restaurants, Greek taverns and Spanish tapas bars in the immediate vicinity. On a warm summer weekend, you can easily take a trip across all the Mediterranean countries in Zurich and experience the entire range of the Riviera in terms of art and cuisine.

Photo Credit: https://www.leraymond.bar/

Saturday:

We start the morning with coffee and croissant in the Le Raymond Bar , right on the Schanzengraben. Here you can read the daily newspaper and watch the hustle and bustle towards Bahnhofstrasse, the main shopping street, which increases around midday. Before the city center gets too crowded, we escape to Bürkliplatz , where we board a lake tour boat. We take the small lake tour to Thalwil, a trip of just under an hour. The shipping company provides food on every larger boat, however. This means you can enjoy your first glass of Prosecco on the sun deck. In Thalwil, right on the lake, we have lunch at Portofino. A relatively new restaurant in classic Italian style with a beautiful pavilion. Here you can find everything from Pizza Napoletana to Bistecca Fiorentina to Pasta Frutti di Mare.

Credit: https://www.portofino-am-see.ch/

Then we return to Zurich by boat. Summer afternoons can get quite hot here. So we now head to the air-conditioned Kunsthaus Zurich . While in France you can visit a separate museum for each artist, here there are exhibitions by all artists. From the Renaissance to Abstract Expressionism, everything can be seen in a small space. Picasso, Monet, Magritte, Renoir, Gauguin, Cézanne and many more. After the visit, the newly opened Kunsthaus Bar provides refreshments and a snack in between.

Credit: https://www.kunsthaus.ch/

It's really hot outside now and the only thing that helps is a jump into the cool lake. The best place for this is one of the numerous lakeside resorts. The closest is the Utoquai lakeside resort on the left bank of the lake. There you can lie down under one of the numerous parasols and do a few laps around the fins bobbing up and down in the lake water. Then it's a few minutes' walk along the lakeside to the Gelati stand on the lake. There is a wide selection of sorbets here, from classic chocolato to unusual ones like black sesame.

Photo Credit: https://www.gelati1998.ch/en/am-see/

In the evening we visit one of three brasseries, which are only a few minutes' walk from each other. We choose the long-standing Brasserie Lipp , followed by a visit to the Jules Verne Bar right next to the observatory. Here you can enjoy classics such as Moules et Frites or Café de Paris. If you want to get back into the Riviera mood, choose one of the Plateaux Fruits de Mer with mussels, snails and oysters.

Photo Credit: https://www.brasserie-lipp.ch/

You will stay in the newly renovated Ameron Hotel Bellerive Au Lac . The hotel is located directly on the lake promenade, directly behind the Utoquai seaside resort - a distant relative of the sophisticated Hotel Negresco in Nice on the Côte d'Azur.

Photo Credit: https://www.ameroncollection.com/ (also cover photo)

Sunday:

We use the morning to walk from the hotel to the famous Hotel Baur au Lac. We have a reservation for brunch there at 11 a.m. Brunch is a long-standing tradition in Zurich and is usually served until late in the afternoon. At Baur's, this tradition is taken to a new level. Here you can find everything from avocado toast to eggs Benedict, all kinds of bread, cheese and muesli you can imagine.

Photo Credit: https://www.baurs-zurich.ch/

Now we need a digestive walk. This time we take the right side of the lake, past the aviary with exotic birds on the Mythenquai, past the boat docks and rowing club. Here we visit the succulent collection. The Zurich succulent collection has housed the world's most extensive and important special collection of succulent plants since 1931 and is a national cultural asset. In the shop you can buy everything you need to grow your own cactus collection at home.

Photo Credit: https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/

On the way back we stop at Samigo Amusement . A combination of outdoor restaurant, club and entertainment venue and probably the closest to one of the beach clubs in Saint Tropez or Positano. Under yellow and white striped parasols you can get everything from Caesar salad to Neapolitan pizza. If you come at the right time, you can end the weekend here in August at a day rooftop party. You close your eyes for a moment after a bite of pizza and for a moment you are completely transported to the Riviera after this weekend in Zurich.