Flughafen Zürich
Zurich Airport (ZRH)
Usage
Switzerland's largest international airport, in Kloten just north of the city; about 10 minutes by train from Zürich Hauptbahnhof. Signs and timetables show this Standard German spelling.
Grammar Note
A proper name made of Flughafen (airport) and Zürich
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
Zurich Main Station
Usage
Switzerland's biggest railway station, with trains to all parts of the country, international services and the airport. It is often abbreviated HB on tickets and boards. Signs and timetables show this Standard German spelling.
Grammar Note
Hauptbahnhof is a compound of Haupt (main) and Bahnhof (station)
Bahnhofstrasse
Usage
The main shopping street of Zürich, running from the main station toward the lake, lined with banks and luxury shops. Swiss street names are written with ss, never ß
Grammar Note
Compound of Bahnhof (station) and Strasse (street); the Swiss spelling uses ss
Paradeplatz
Usage
A square on Bahnhofstrasse lined with large banks, and a busy tram interchange
Grammar Note
Compound of Parade and Platz (square)
Bellevue
Usage
A large tram stop at the foot of Lake Zürich, close to the opera house and the old town. The name is French in origin
Grammar Note
A name taken from French (bel + vue, nice view) and used unchanged in Swiss German
Grossmünster
Usage
The twin-towered Romanesque church that is the symbol of Zürich; the reformer Zwingli preached here
Grammar Note
Compound of gross (large) and Münster (minster, large church)
Fraumünster
Usage
A church on the left bank of the Limmat, known for its stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall
Grammar Note
Compound of Frau (lady) and Münster (minster)
Lindenhof
Usage
A small hilltop square above the old town, planted with lime trees, with a view of the Limmat and the city
Grammar Note
Compound of Linden (lime trees) and Hof (court, yard)
Uetliberg
Usage
A hill of about 870 m just west of the city, reachable from the main station on the S10 train, with views over the city and the lake
Grammar Note
A proper name ending in Berg (mountain)
Zürichsee
Lake Zurich
Usage
The long lake south of the city, with excursion boats and, in summer, lakeside swimming baths (Badi)
Grammar Note
Compound of Zürich and See (lake)
Limmat
Limmat River
Usage
The river that flows out of Lake Zürich and splits the old town in two, with promenades and cafés on both banks
Grammar Note
A river name; maps give just Limmat for the river
Landesmuseum Zürich
Swiss National Museum Zurich
Usage
The national museum of Swiss history and culture, in a castle-like building right next to the main station
Grammar Note
Compound of Landes (of the country) and Museum
Kunsthaus Zürich
Kunsthaus Zurich
Usage
Zürich's main art museum, with works by Giacometti, Munch and many others
Grammar Note
Compound of Kunst (art) and Haus (house)
Opernhaus Zürich
Zurich Opera House
Usage
The opera house by the lake near Bellevue, staging opera and ballet
Grammar Note
Compound of Oper (opera) and Haus (house)
Zoo Zürich
Zurich Zoo
Usage
The zoo on the Zürichberg hill, reachable from the city centre by tram
Grammar Note
A two-word name; Zoo is spelled as in Standard German
ETH Zürich
ETH Zurich
Usage
The abbreviation of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, on a hillside above the old town and signed simply as ETH
Grammar Note
ETH stands for Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule
Zürich Stadelhofen
Zurich Stadelhofen Station
Usage
An S-Bahn station right by Bellevue; trains toward the lakeside and the Forch line stop here
Grammar Note
Station names are written as city name plus district name
Sechseläutenplatz
Usage
The square in front of the opera house where the winter figure is burned at the end of the Sechseläuten spring festival
Grammar Note
Compound of the festival name Sechseläuten and Platz (square)
Zürich Oerlikon
Zurich Oerlikon Station
Usage
A large station in the north of the city, served by airport trains and long-distance trains
Grammar Note
Oe is the traditional spelling of ö in this place name
Niederdorf
Usage
The pedestrian-friendly old-town quarter on the east bank of the Limmat, with narrow lanes full of restaurants and bars
Grammar Note
Compound of nieder (lower) and Dorf (village)
Bahnhof Luzern
Lucerne Station
Usage
Lucerne's main station, right by the lake, within walking distance of the boat landings and the old town
Grammar Note
Bahnhof (station) plus the city name; Switzerland writes Lucerne as Luzern
Kapellbrücke
Chapel Bridge
Usage
A covered wooden footbridge across the Reuss, the symbol of Lucerne, with painted panels under the roof
Grammar Note
Compound of Kapelle (chapel) and Brücke (bridge)
Pilatus
Mount Pilatus
Usage
A mountain of about 2,100 m rising south of Lucerne; a cogwheel railway and cable cars go near the top
Grammar Note
A mountain name, used without an article
Rigi
Mount Rigi
Usage
A mountain above Lake Lucerne, famous for Europe's first mountain railway
Grammar Note
A mountain name, sometimes called the Queen of the Mountains
Vierwaldstättersee
Lake Lucerne
Usage
The large lake at Lucerne. Its German name means the lake of the four forest cantons; in English it is called Lake Lucerne
Grammar Note
A long compound of vier (four), Waldstätte (forest cantons) and See (lake)
Löwendenkmal
Lion Monument
Usage
A dying lion carved into a rock wall, a memorial to the Swiss guards killed in the French Revolution
Grammar Note
Compound of Löwe (lion) and Denkmal (monument)
Verkehrshaus der Schweiz
Swiss Museum of Transport
Usage
A large transport museum in Lucerne with trains, ships and aircraft, popular with children
Grammar Note
der Schweiz is the Standard German possessive form meaning of Switzerland
KKL Luzern
Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre
Usage
The concert hall and congress centre by the station on the lakefront, the main venue of the summer music festival
Grammar Note
KKL stands for Kultur- und Kongresszentrum
Bahnhof Bern
Bern Station
Usage
The main station of Bern, the Swiss capital, at the edge of the old town, within walking distance of the Aare
Grammar Note
Bahnhof (station) plus the city name
Bundeshaus
Federal Palace
Usage
The parliament building in Bern, also the seat of the federal government; guided tours are offered on certain days
Grammar Note
Compound of Bund (confederation) and Haus (building)
Zytglogge
Usage
The medieval clock tower of Bern's old town, whose astronomical clock puts on a show shortly before each hour. The name is written in the local dialect spelling
Grammar Note
The official name keeps the Bernese dialect spelling (Zyt = time, Glogge = bell)
Bärenpark Bern
Bern Bear Park
Usage
A riverside park on the slope above the Aare where bears, the animal of Bern's coat of arms, are kept; entry is free
Grammar Note
Compound of Bär (bear) and Park
Berner Münster
Bern Minster
Usage
A late Gothic minster with the tallest church tower in Switzerland; you can climb it for a view over the old town
Grammar Note
Berner is the adjective form of Bern, meaning of Bern
Aare
Aare River
Usage
The river that loops around Bern's old town; in summer locals swim downstream from upriver
Grammar Note
A river name; the Aare also flows through Thun and Interlaken
Rosengarten Bern
Bern Rosengarten
Usage
A hilltop park above the old town, famous for its classic view of Bern's rooftops
Grammar Note
Compound of Rose (rose) and Garten (garden)
Zentrum Paul Klee
Usage
A museum of the painter Paul Klee's work in a wave-shaped building on a hillside east of Bern's centre
Grammar Note
Zentrum (centre) plus a person's name
Gurten
Usage
Bern's local hill to the south of the city; a funicular goes up, with views of Bern and the Alps
Grammar Note
A hill name that Bernese also know as a summer festival name
Flughafen Bern-Belp
Bern Airport (Belp)
Usage
A small airport in the village of Belp south of Bern; signs write the name with a hyphen as Bern-Belp
Grammar Note
Place names combined into one are joined with a hyphen
Bahnhof Basel SBB
Basel SBB Station
Usage
Basel's Swiss Federal Railways station, with international trains to France and Germany. SBB stands for Swiss Federal Railways
Grammar Note
SBB stands for Schweizerische Bundesbahnen
EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
Usage
An airport on French soil shared by France, Switzerland and Germany; a bus connects it with central Basel
Grammar Note
The official name joins three city names with hyphens
Basler Münster
Basel Minster
Usage
A red sandstone minster above the Rhine; the tower offers a view over the river and the city
Grammar Note
Basler is the adjective form of Basel, meaning of Basel
Marktplatz Basel
Basel Marktplatz
Usage
The central square of the old town, with the red town hall on one side and a market on weekdays
Grammar Note
Compound of Markt (market) and Platz (square)
Rathaus Basel
Basel Town Hall
Usage
The red building on Marktplatz; its painted courtyard is the highlight
Grammar Note
Compound of Rat (council) and Haus (building)
Mittlere Brücke
Usage
Basel's old bridge over the Rhine, linking Greater and Lesser Basel. The name means the middle bridge
Grammar Note
Mittlere is the feminine form of the adjective mittler (middle)
Tinguely-Museum
Tinguely Museum
Usage
A museum on the Rhine dedicated to Jean Tinguely, known for his moving machine sculptures
Grammar Note
A person's name and Museum joined with a hyphen
Kunstmuseum Basel
Usage
A museum holding one of the oldest public art collections in the world, from Holbein to modern art
Grammar Note
Compound of Kunst (art) and Museum
Interlaken Ost
Interlaken Ost Station
Usage
The east station where you change for the Jungfrau mountain trains and Lake Brienz boats. Ost means east
Grammar Note
Ost is the direction east; the other station is Interlaken West
Interlaken West
Interlaken West Station
Usage
The west station on the Lake Thun side, closer to the town centre and many hotels. West means west
Grammar Note
West is the direction west; the other station is Interlaken Ost
Jungfraujoch
Usage
A railway station at about 3,450 m, the highest in Europe, with a glacier and viewing platforms
Grammar Note
Compound of Jungfrau (a mountain) and Joch (mountain saddle)
Harder Kulm
Usage
A viewpoint right above Interlaken, reached by funicular, overlooking the two lakes
Grammar Note
Kulm means summit; the pattern is mountain name plus Kulm
Brienzersee
Lake Brienz
Usage
The emerald-coloured lake east of Interlaken
Grammar Note
Brienzer (of Brienz) plus See (lake)
Thunersee
Lake Thun
Usage
The large lake west of Interlaken; excursion boats stop at towns with castles
Grammar Note
Thuner (of Thun) plus See (lake)
Lauterbrunnen
Usage
A village in a deep valley with waterfalls dropping from steep cliffs; the changing point for Wengen and Mürren
Grammar Note
A village name, said to come from clear springs
Grindelwald
Usage
A mountain resort at the foot of the Eiger north face, a base for hiking and skiing
Grammar Note
A village name; Wald means forest
Schynige Platte
Usage
A viewpoint reached by a vintage cogwheel train from Wilderswil, with an alpine botanical garden. The spelling is dialectal
Grammar Note
Schynige is a dialect-style spelling that is kept as it is and not respelled in Standard German
Trümmelbachfälle
Trümmelbach Falls
Usage
Glacier waterfalls inside the mountain in the Lauterbrunnen valley, visited by lift and walkways
Grammar Note
Compound of Trümmelbach (a stream) and Fälle (falls, plural)
Schilthorn
Usage
A summit viewpoint of about 2,970 m reached by cable car, with a revolving restaurant
Grammar Note
A mountain name ending in Horn (pointed peak)
Wengen
Usage
A mountain village closed to cars, reached by cogwheel train from Lauterbrunnen
Grammar Note
A village name
Mürren
Usage
A quiet village on a cliff edge, car-free, reached by cable car and funicular
Grammar Note
A village name
Rheinfall
Rhine Falls
Usage
A waterfall near Schaffhausen, one of the most powerful in Europe; boat trips go right up to it
Grammar Note
Compound of Rhein (the Rhine) and Fall (waterfall)
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