In depth
Luxemburgerli, fresh bread and Saturday markets: a sweet Zurich weekend
Confiseries since 1836, chocolatiers, bakers who grow their own yeast and Saturday markets.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Café FelixZurich has been making chocolate and pastries since the 19th century, and it still takes them seriously: confiseries on the Paradeplatz and the Rennweg, chocolatiers working by hand, bakers who culture their own yeast, and markets on Saturday mornings. A sweet weekend, with the places in our guide.
In Zurich, a sweet tooth is part of the culture. Confiseries have stood on the Paradeplatz since the 19th century, chocolatiers still work by hand a few streets away, and on Saturday mornings the lakeside and the Old Town squares fill with market stalls. Give the city a weekend and plan it around its cafés, its chocolate and its markets.
The great confiseries
David Sprüngli founded his company in 1836; his grandchildren later divided it into the chocolate factory now known as Lindt & Sprüngli and the confectionery, which has stood on the Paradeplatz since 1859. Buy a box of Luxemburgerli in the shop on the ground floor, and take breakfast or the Sunday brunch upstairs.
On the Rennweg, Confiserie Honold has made pralines and pastries since 1905 and is run by the fourth generation; while its house is renovated, it sells from a small pavilion by the Hercules Fountain. In the Niederdorf, the Café & Conditorei 1842 serves patisserie and a legendary hot chocolate over four floors.
Chocolate by hand
Teuscher makes its chocolates and truffles in Zurich, and Café Felix, on the Bellevue, serves its pastries and cakes in a deliberately flowery room. A few steps away, Vollenweider, by the Opera House, follows old recipes by hand and opens on Sundays too.
Max Chocolatier, on Schlüsselgasse near St. Peter, changes its chocolates with the seasons, from Marc de Champagne truffles in winter to passion-fruit thins in summer, and offers one-hour tastings. Near the Main Station, Läderach shows the chocolatier’s craft in its Choco-Atelier, and for a whole afternoon of chocolate, the Lindt Home of Chocolate is a short trip away in Kilchberg.
Stalls are drawn by lot each week, so the stock keeps changing.
Coffee and fresh bread
For breakfast, the Milchbar, in a lane off the Bahnhofstrasse, opens at 6:30 on weekdays, with a delicatessen to take away. Babu’s, on Löwenstrasse, bakes cakes, fruit tarts and waffles to eat with freshly brewed coffee. At Stadelhofen station, John Baker cultures its own yeast and bakes with the seasons; in Kreis 5, the Konditorei Caredda makes Italian pastries every day and its own gelati in summer.
Saturday markets
From May to October, keep Saturday morning for the Bürkliplatz flea market by the lake, the city’s largest, with over 230 pitches; stalls are drawn by lot each week, so the stock keeps changing. Then walk into the Niederdorf for the Rosenhof market, with jewellery, leather, pottery and antiques until 18:00.
On Tuesday and Friday mornings, Helvetiaplatz, off the Langstrasse, holds a fresh food market of regional and far-flung produce. And when it rains, Globus Bellevue has two floors of food, with an open cheese library and a wine cellar.
Our advice: go to Sprüngli early, before the Saturday crowds. Arrive at the Bürkliplatz flea market soon after it opens, bring small notes, and leave room in your case for chocolate.
Why it's on our list
- The great confiseries
- Chocolate by hand
- Coffee and fresh bread
- Saturday markets
- Our advice
Location
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