Hotels near Zurich West

For most of the 20th century, Zurich West was a heavy-industry district full of shipbuilding yards, breweries and machine works. Since 2000 it has become the creative heart of the city, with converted brick factories, contemporary galleries, and street food markets. The 126-metre Prime Tower (once Switzerland's tallest building) marks the district's centre, and the Freitag flagship store - a 26-metre stack of rusty shipping containers on Geroldstrasse - has become an unlikely landmark. You can climb to the top for a free view over the rooftops.

Next door, Frau Gerolds Garten is a seasonal urban garden and beer terrace built into the shipping-yard yards - salvaged furniture, garden beds, string lights, and a rotating cast of pop-up kitchens under the arches of the S-Bahn viaduct. Nearby, the Viadukt (the 36 vaulted stone arches of the 1894 railway viaduct) has been converted into design shops, delis and a food hall. IM VIADUKT and Frau Gerold together form the best evening food and drink circuit in the city outside the old town.

Pro Tip: Come Thursday to Saturday evening when the district is at its liveliest. Frau Gerolds Garten closes for winter from November to March; in that window, head to the covered Markthalle im Viadukt instead.