Limmatquai

The Limmatquai, in Zurich

The Limmatquai is a lively quay that runs along the river Limmat in the heart of Zurich, lined with old guild houses with typical façades. The Zurich audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this formerly road artery, become pedestrian and travelled by trams, that offers a fine view over the left bank and its bell towers reflected in the clear waters of the river.

The quay of the guild houses

You join the Limmatquai that, as its name indicates, runs along the river Limmat. It is in Zurich that this river begins, for it is the lake that flows into the Limmat, and not the reverse. This street, formerly an important road axis, is today mainly reserved for pedestrians and trams. It offers a fine view over the left bank, whose period buildings and bell towers are reflected in the clear waters of the river. On your right, the arcades of the old guild houses, with typically Zurich façades, hide numerous shops and invite to the walk, to shopping and to breaks on terraces. These guild houses, heritage of the Middle Ages, testify to the power of the trade guilds that long governed the city. Difficult to imagine today, but in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the houses were built directly on the bank of the Limmat and were accessible by land only on the other side, by the streets Oberdorfstrasse and Niederdorfstrasse. Over the centuries, the river was more and more canalised and the quays laid out such as we know them. Lively and picturesque, the Limmatquai links the main monuments of the old town, from the Grossmünster to the Rathaus. A picturesque quay and a showcase of the old town, the Limmatquai is a fine stop of the discovery of Zurich.

What to see

Here you walk along a lively quay along the Limmat, formerly a road axis and today reserved for pedestrians and trams; lined with the old guild houses with typically Zurich arcaded façades, it offers a fine view over the left bank, its bell towers and their reflections, and links the Grossmünster to the Rathaus. The Limmatquai is a showcase of the old town of Zurich. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Limmatquai runs along the river Limmat, in the old town of Zurich, reachable on foot or by tram. It is a street freely accessible, lined with guild houses, shops and cafés, lively all day. You walk along it during a stroll along the river.

What is the Limmatquai in Zurich?

It is a lively quay that runs along the river Limmat in the old town, formerly a road axis and today reserved for pedestrians and trams; lined with the old guild houses with typically Zurich façades, it offers a fine view over the left bank and its bell towers reflected in the water, and links the main monuments of the historic centre.

Where is the Limmatquai in Zurich?

Along the river Limmat, in the old town of Zurich, in Switzerland.