Skip to content
TimeToStep

Zurich guide

The Area Around the Rietberg Museum: Football, Lakeshore and Villa Parks in Enge

From the FIFA Museum by Enge station to the lakeside Arboretum, Belvoirpark and the Rietberg Museum in its villa park. It suits first-time visitors who want Zurich's quieter south-west shore; the museums are closed on Mondays.

Enge is where Zurich's lake stops being a postcard and becomes a place people swim, picnic and walk the dog. This route links a football museum, a shoreline park, a garden once owned by a famous family and a museum of art from beyond Europe, all within a short stroll of each other.

FIFA Museum

The FIFA Museum stands opposite Enge station on Seestrasse and spreads over three floors. Look for the wall of national team shirts arranged by colour, then the section that lines up every FIFA member team. It is a museum for fans, but the displays are clear enough for anyone. Leave by the lake side and walk down towards the water.

FIFA Museum
FIFA MuseumMuseumGo in if you like football or want a rainy-day option; the shirt wall alone is worth a look. The museum is closed on Mondays.Photo: Mister No, CC BY 3.0

Arboretum

The Arboretum sits on land won from the lake when the shore promenades were finished in 1887. It was laid out in the English landscape style as a place to learn about trees, and in summer it doubles as a swimming spot. Walk the shore path and stop at the aviary. The lake is the point here.

Arboretum
ArboretumParkWalk the lakeside path rather than the inner lawns, and sit by the water for a few minutes. In summer people swim here.Photo: Pakwesi at de.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0

Belvoirpark

Follow the shore south and turn uphill into Belvoirpark. The villa at its top was built between 1828 and 1831; Alfred Escher, the railway and banking figure, later owned the estate. The city bought it in 1901 and opened the park to everyone. Head for the iris and daylily garden, planted in 1985.

Belvoirpark
BelvoirparkParkClimb to the villa, then wander the iris garden. The villa now houses a restaurant.Photo: Roland zh, CC BY-SA 3.0

Rietberg Museum

Cross the quiet streets to the Rietberg Museum, Switzerland's largest museum for non-European art. It began with Baron Eduard von der Heydt's collection and opened in 1952 in Villa Wesendonck, built in the 1850s for Otto and Mathilde Wesendonck. Walk the park first: the old villas are as much the draw as the Asian, African and American objects inside.

Rietberg Museum
Rietberg MuseumMuseumGo in; start in the old villa and finish with the park. Closed on Mondays.Photo: Ikiwaner, CC BY-SA 3.0

Four stops, one shoreline and two very different ways to spend a morning: kicking a ball in a museum, then being quiet among the world's art. Enge rewards a slow pace.