Hike /Stadt Zürich
Exploring the University District
Zürich
- Distance
- 5.1 km
- Duration
- 2:00 h
- Ascent
- 85 m
- Descent
- 82 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Fitness
- Easy
- Route type
- Loop
01/ Overview
The route
A city walk between Polyterrasse, ETH and Universität, tracing the transformation from a former farming hill to today’s university district and offering surprising insights into Zurich’s urban development.
The city walk begins at the Polybahn by Zurich’s main railway station and climbs to Polyterrasse. Views open up over the rooftops before the route passes between ETH and Universität into the university district. The themed trail traces how a green hill dotted with farmhouses gradually became a campus.
Passing the Law Library, focusTerra and the ETH Observatory, the route continues uphill. Amid university buildings, streets and occasional open spaces, the circuit reaches its highest point at around 470 metres. It then descends towards Hottingen, with further stops along the way devoted to figures such as Johanna Spyri and Rosa Luxemburg.
The walk returns to the Old Town via Kunsthaus and Schauspielhaus. At Hirschengraben, it passes Predigerkirche, one of the four main churches in Zurich’s Old Town. Shortly afterwards, the approximately five-kilometre circuit ends back at the Polybahn by the main railway station.
Route data: Stadt Zürich, Züri z Fuess · opendata.swiss OPEN · Source
02/ Along the route
What's along the way
Where the route climbs and where it descends. Hover the profile to find the spot on the map.
03/ Conditions
Current conditions
What to know before you set off. Closures and snow are re-checked every day.
How we check: Every night we match the route against the official closures and detours from the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO). Any reported closure that touches the route shows up here.
How we check: We look up a live public transport connection from your starting point to the stop closest to the trailhead. If it ends further away, the nearest stop may be a cable car or bus that isn't running right now.
How we check: Snow depth estimated daily at the lowest and the highest point of the route. Estimates: check the situation on site.
04/ Getting there
Getting there
From your door to the trailhead and home again, by train and bus or by car. Computed live from the timetable.
Or from
Outbound
Return
05/ Weather
Weather on the way
Forecast for the lowest and the highest point of the route.
Weather
06/ Trail & landscape
Trail & landscape
Which paths you walk on and the landscape they lead through.
Larches count as conifer forest here.
07/ Export
Take the route with you
Load the track onto your GPS device, print a route sheet for the trail or send the route to your hiking group.
Share
Send the link to friends or your hiking group.
Export GPX File
For hiking apps, GPS watches and navigation devices.
Print Route Sheet
A4 with map, elevation profile, waypoints and emergency numbers.
