Main train station

Switzerland’s first railway station was built on this location in 1847 as the terminus of the “Spanisch-Brötli-Bahn” railway. Just 24 years later, the station had to make way for a new one due to the increase in traffic volume, and the large railway station hall was built. At its opening, people came from far and wide to see it, because it was the first time that a hall of that size had been built as a freestanding steel structure without pillars. At the time, six tracks led into the hall and met on a turntable in front of the hall so that the locomotives could be turned as needed. Today, many people describe Zürich’s Main Station as the first shopping center to have its own railway station. Situated at the heart of Europe’s traffic hub with more than 1900 trains passing through daily, the station also boasts bistros, boutiques and a first-class restaurant, providing travelers with everything they need.

On your way to the next tourist destination, you can view the statue of railway pioneer Alfred Escher, whose greatest achievement was the building of the Gotthard Railway. His memorial stands at one end of Bahnhofstrasse in front of the main entrance to the Main Station with a view in the direction of Gotthard.