Zürich, Switzerland

• Official languages of Switzerland: German, French, Italian and Romansh
• Currency: Swiss franc (1 € = 1.5 CHF)
• Railway info: the Swiss Federal Railway connects the major cities and reservations are only needed for special scenic trains. InterRail passes are also valid for travel on many private railway companies and various buses will give discounts. Switzerland is very well connected to the rest of European countries. For example, the trip from Austria (Innsbruck) to Zürich only takes about 3.5h with the ÖBB train. There are also high-speed trains to France - the TGV train ride from Geneva to Paris is only 3.5h, but tickets must be reserved in advance.

Swiss cuisine is largely influenced by that of its neighbors - Germany, Italy and France - but the Swiss do have their own unique dishes. Switzerland was historically a country of farmers, so their specialties often incorporated potatoes and cheese (Rösti, Fondue, and Raclette), and also more exquisite ingredients, such as chocolate. As everyone knows, cheese and chocolate are the two foods Switzerland is world famous for. Tarts and quiches are also traditional Swiss dishes, and tarts in particular are made with all sorts of toppings, from apples to onions. Cervelat or cervelas is considered the national sausage and is popular all over Switzerland. Zürcher Geschentzeltes is a Swiss dish from the Zürich region: thin strips of veal with mushrooms served with a cream sauce and rösti.

Rivella, a carbonated drink based on lactose, is one of the most popular drinks in Switzerland. The chocolate drink Ovomaltine originates in Switzerland and enjoys ongoing popularity, especially among young people.

Zürich is the largest city in Switzerland and its main commercial center. It has been named the wealthiest city in Europe and also the city with the best quality of life in the world. In Zürich, most of the action revolves around water, with the River Limmat, which splits the old city in two, flowing into the lake and the Sihl joining it north of the center.

It shouldn't be too difficult to get around Zürich, since InterRail passes are valid on the local trains (S-Bahn) and the best way to see the old town is on foot.

Places to see:

• Grossmünster: a Romanesque-style church. Construction of the present structure commenced around 1100 and it was inaugurated around 1220. Recent archaeological evidence confirms the presence of a Roman burial ground at the site. Richard Wagner (the famous composer) is known to have mocked the church's appearance as that of two pepper dispensers.
• Fraumünster: for most of the middle ages, Zürich was ruled by the abbesses of Fraumünster. Today it is mostly interesting for its stained-glass windows created by Marc Chagall in 1970.
  
• St Peter's church: located near the Lindenhof hill and was built on a site of a temple to Jupiter. The tower's clock face is the largest church clock face in Europe.
  

View of Zürich (and St Peter's church) during the day

• Lindenhof and Niederdorf - the oldest parts of Zürich, with settlement traces dating to pre-Roman times. The Lindenhof hill is the site of a Roman castle.
  

In Niederdorf

• The Guild houses along the Limmat river
• Üetliberg - a mountain with a panoramic view of the whole city as well as the lake (the summit is accessible by train, 20min from the central station)
• The Chinese garden and the old botanical garden are not too far from the old town (in the Seefeld quarter). The Chinese garden was a present to Zürich from its Chinese partner town Kunming.
  

The Chinese garden

• The Bahnhofstrasse is a shopping street, starts at the main train station
• The Langstrasse (Red light district) is supposed to be very safe
• Of course, if the weather is nice we should explore the old town in more detail and see Lake Zürich from up close
• Finally, the Rhine falls are a must see: the largest plain waterfalls in Europe, located near Winterthur and easily accessible by train (~45min from Zürich central station). There are observation decks, guided tours, two castles... Definitely worth visiting.

The Rhine Falls!

View of Zürich at night (Limmat river, Fraumünster and a guild house on its left)

Where to spend the night:
I found several youth hostels that aren't terribly expensive (35-50 CHF/person/night), but I think a good option would be going to the Rhine falls in the evening and camping at the Winterthur Camp Site (the website is all in German, aaargh!) We could go back to Zürich in the morning and continue on our journey.