Most visitors stay on the Limmat and never cross to the east side of the lake. Riesbach and the streets above it are calmer and greener, and in a short stretch they hold a steel-and-glass pavilion by Le Corbusier, a garden given by a Chinese city, a hillside of greenhouses and a minaret. Start by the water and keep climbing gently east.
A box of colour by the lake
The Pavillon Le Corbusier was commissioned by Heidi Weber and finished in 1967, and it was the last building Le Corbusier designed. Walk all the way round it first: the coloured enamel panels and the steel frame sit under a big roof that seems to float above them. Then go in. It is closed on Mondays and runs as a museum only from spring to late November, so check before you come.
A gift from Kunming
The Chinagarten Zürich is only a short stroll away, on the same stretch of shore. It was a present from Kunming, Zurich's Chinese partner city, and its theme is the Three Friends of Winter, plants that stay green or flower in the cold. Take the paths slowly and look at how rocks, water and little pavilions are arranged to be seen from one spot to the next. Entry is free.
Greenhouses on the slope
Climb away from the lake to the Botanischer Garten der Universität Zürich, opened in 1977 on a hillside. Its three domed glass houses each hold a different climate, and the grounds are free to enter. Spend your time in the domes if the weather is poor, and in the open beds if it is fine.
A minaret
The Mahmood Mosque on Forchstrasse was the first purpose-built mosque in Switzerland, finished in 1963 by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Its minaret is 18 metres tall. Switzerland has since banned new minarets by popular vote. It is a working place of worship, so look at it from the street and be quiet if you go near.
The walk goes from modernist design to a Chinese garden, a plant collection and a mosque, all on the east side of the lake.