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Kreis 4 & Langstrasse

Kreis 4 and the Langstrasse: the back story

In depth·Kreis 4 & Langstrasse

Area guide

The new buildings of Europaallee beside the main station, at dusk
Photo CreditImage courtesy of © Daniel Reust · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

About Kreis 4 and the Langstrasse: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Zurich Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Behind the main station, Kreis 4 and its neighbour Kreis 3 are Zurich’s most colourful districts: the Langstrasse, once the red-light district, now the city’s nightlife street, the new Europaallee along the tracks, and some of the city’s most exciting cooking.

Sights

The Swiss National Museum and the Europaallee.

The towers of the Swiss National Museum beside the concrete wing of its new building, under a blue sky
The towers of the Swiss National Museum beside the concrete wing of its new building, under a blue sky
Photo CreditImage courtesy of © 1904.CC · CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Eating

KLE, Wirtschaft im FRANZ and EquiTable (One MICHELIN Star, 2025); Gaijin Izakaya, DAR, Gül and Barranco (Bib Gourmand); LOFT FIVE, Silex and AMEO.

Come for dinner, stay for the bars.

Staying

25hours Hotel Langstrasse.

Our advice: book the starred tables here well ahead: they are small.

Why it's on our list

  • Sights
  • Eating
  • Staying

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Kreis 4 and the Langstrasse: the back story before you go.

What’s nearby

Distances from Kreis 4 and the Langstrasse: the back story are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 14 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.

Nearest stations and tram stops

  1. BäckeranlageTram150 m2 min walk
  2. GüterbahnhofTram250 m3 min walk
  3. LochergutTram450 m6 min walk

Key sights

  1. Bahnhofstrasse1.5 kmWalk 19 minCycle 6 minCar or taxi 9 min
  2. Fraumünster1.8 kmWalk 23 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 9 min
  3. Grossmünster2.0 kmWalk 24 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 10 min
  4. Lake promenade2.0 kmWalk 25 minCycle 9 minCar or taxi 10 min
  5. Kunsthaus Zürich2.2 kmWalk 28 minCycle 10 minCar or taxi 10 min
  6. Opera House2.5 kmWalk 31 minCycle 11 minCar or taxi 11 min
  7. Zurich Airport8.5 kmCycle 36 minCar or taxi 25 min

Main railway stations

  1. Zürich Hardbrücke750 mWalk 10 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 7 min
  2. Zürich HB1.4 kmWalk 17 minCycle 6 minCar or taxi 8 min
  3. Zürich Enge1.8 kmWalk 22 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 9 min
  4. Zürich Stadelhofen2.5 kmWalk 31 minCycle 11 minCar or taxi 11 min
  5. Zürich Oerlikon4.0 kmCycle 17 minCar or taxi 15 min
  6. Zürich Flughafen8.5 kmCycle 36 minCar or taxi 25 min

Location

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