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Switzerland · Canton of Zurich

Zurich, Switzerland evidence & sources.

Let the lake lend the city a softer edge.

Get informed before you go. Read the evidence behind six travel signals for Zurich and understand where the research describes national context rather than local conditions.

Scenic view of Zurich

Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0 de / original · Cropped for display

Weather sources & averages

Weather sources & averages

Average low and high are averages of daily minima and maxima, with the daily mean between them. Values are day-weighted seasonal averages for 2001–2025 from NASA POWER / MERRA-2 daily records. These are typical conditions, not record extremes or a travel-date forecast. Gridded estimates can differ from a local station.

Precipitation is an estimated three-month total, including rain and snow water equivalent, from NASA POWER’s 2001–2025 climatology. Rain bars compare seasons within this destination.

Current weather-model estimates: MET Norway · CC BY 4.0; converted to your selected units. Location and time zone: GeoNames · CC BY 4.0.

Research reviewed 19 October 2026. Ratings are site interpretations of the cited evidence, not official scores or a live alert feed. Higher bands mean more favorable conditions. Missing evidence stays unscored. National data cannot describe every neighborhood or traveler’s experience. Read the scoring method →

Inclusion Index

Not yet scored · evidence gap

Lowest available evidence band across ethnic/racial, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ harassment or identity-related crimes. 0/3 lenses have scored evidence. Missing lenses are not treated as favorable; sources and populations differ, so this is a precaution flag, not an overall inclusion or crime-rate estimate.

Ethnic & racial harassment

Not yet scored · evidence gap

No comparable ethnic / racial harassment rate adopted. Individual incident alerts remain visible below where available.

Evidence gap · Not established

No comparable source adopted for a score.

Antisemitic harassment & crimes

Not yet scored · evidence gap

No sufficiently comparable antisemitic harassment or hate-crime measure adopted for this location. Missing data does not imply no antisemitism.

Evidence gap · Not established

No comparable source adopted for a score.

Anti-LGBTQ+ harassment & crimes

Not yet scored · evidence gap

No sufficiently comparable LGBTQ+ harassment or identity-related crime evidence adopted. Legal recognition alone is not used to infer harassment prevalence.

Evidence gap · Not established

No comparable source adopted for a score.

Scope: National and localized evidence · see each lens
Basis: Lowest available lens band; not an average, prevalence estimate or validated index
Confidence / relevance: Limited comparability · partial coverage

Theft & pickpocket safety

3 / 5

Tourist theft is reported at stations, airports and in major cities including Zurich.

Scope: Country advisory proxy; city context where named
Basis: Advisory wording → editorial precaution band
Confidence / relevance: Moderate

Violent crime safety

Not yet scored · evidence gap

The reviewed guidance does not provide a comparable violent-crime frequency assessment.

Scope: Country advisory proxy
Basis: Insufficient frequency evidence
Confidence / relevance: Not scored

Water & sanitation

5 / 5

Basic sanitation coverage 99.9% (2024); basic drinking-water coverage 100.0% (2024). National access indicators, not a guarantee of tap-water safety or street cleanliness.

Scope: National population proxy
Basis: Lower of two coverage percentages → published site thresholds
Confidence / relevance: Moderate · indirect measure

English accessibility

4 / 5

EF EPI 2025 national English score: 564. The rating follows EF’s five proficiency bands. Volunteer adults are not a representative tourist-service sample; English ability is not friendliness.

Scope: Country proxy · English only
Basis: EF proficiency band → 1–5
Confidence / relevance: Limited traveler relevance

Credit-card acceptance

4 / 5

Switzerland Tourism describes card acceptance as almost universal.

VisaVisaNot yet verifiedListed in visitor guidance
MastercardMastercardNot yet verifiedListed in visitor guidance
American ExpressAmerican ExpressNot yet verifiedListed in visitor guidance
DiscoverDiscoverNot yet verifiedNot separately verified

Scope: Country visitor guidance / network context; not a city shop census
Basis: Direct credit-card use + network breadth + app / cash dependence
Confidence / relevance: Editorial band · network coverage may be incomplete