Best Walking Trails in Zurich: 2025 Ratings by Distance

Zurich city officials posted updated trail ratings on 9 July that sort 12 local paths by exact distances and four difficulty grades from flat to steep.

Residents seek these outdoor routes more often as summer temperatures rise and public transport fares for short hops increase by 12 percent from 1 June.

The lakeside path that starts at Bürkliplatz and runs south along Mythenquai covers 4.7 kilometres with almost no incline and counts as easy. Further out, the Uetliberg ascent begins at the Selnau station area and climbs 4.1 kilometres to the summit with 300 metres of elevation, placing it in the moderate-to-hard category.

City data from the 2025 Zurich Parks Usage Survey showed 87,000 recorded visits to the Uetliberg route between March and September, while the lakeside segments logged 142,000 passes in the same period. Both routes belong to the municipal Sportamt programme that maintains 86 kilometres of signed footpaths across the city.

Easy Lakefront Routes

Walkers who prefer level ground can follow the continuous promenade from Quaibrücke north to the Chinese Garden, a 3.2-kilometre stretch that stays under 10 metres above lake level. Benches every 400 metres and drinking fountains installed last year make the route suitable for repeated daily use.

Challenging Mountain Paths

Those ready for steeper work start at Albisgütli and take the marked trail to the Uetliberg summit, adding another 2.9 kilometres beyond the Selnau start point and pushing total distance to 7 kilometres. The path surface changes from asphalt to gravel after the first kilometre, and the Sportamt posts weekly condition updates on its website.

Anyone planning a first outing should download the free city trail map from zurich.ch/sport or visit the Sportamt desk at Werdstrasse 19 for printed copies priced at three francs. The office recommends checking the daily weather bulletin before heading to higher elevations.