The first person we spoke to in Zurich was this young, chilled concierge who met us at the airport. Dude was probably in his late twenties, had this relaxed energy about him, and spoke somewhat decent English with just a hint of accent.
"First time in Zurich?" he asked, probably noticing the way we were looking around like confused villagers.
"Yeah, first time. So what's life like here?" I said, as we waited for our big luggages to drop at baggage claim.
He didn't hear me the first time; I guess my Yoruba accent caught him off guard. So he leaned forward, and I repeated my question, this time, sloooowly, with international student pronunciation.
He put his hands in his pockets and chuckled. "Man, it's boring. Not much to do. But the pay is good compared to other parts of Europe".
"Not much to do for you or not much to do for tourists?", I asked curiously.
"Oh there’s much to do for tourists, especially since you're here for the first time, you can go to the old town, Lake Zurich, the Rhine Falls - that's a bit outside but worth it. There's also the FIFA museum if you're into football, and the zoo is a must...”
He kept going on and on. I couldn't keep track of all the places, but Mimie was diligently taking notes like she was preparing for an exam.
He seemed genuinely excited to help us. Or maybe he was just doing his job really well. He assisted us to the transport area and kept talking about Zurich and all these tourist places we should visit, but honestly, I couldn't care less at that moment. I was tired and just wanted to get to the hotel.
We stepped out of the airport exit, and the weather hit us with a big 20-degree drop from Dubai’s 40 degrees we were coming from.
Welcome to Switzerland.
We went on to spend a week in Zurich. And in this period, here are 15 news things I learned that made me go "oh really?" during the stay.
1. Shops close early, and they're not apologetic about it
“They’re closed”, Mimie said.
“What do you mean they're closed, it’s just 4 pm” - I said, as we stood aimlessly in front of a coffee shop at 4:10 PM on a Tuesday.
Where I’m coming from, the second shift of the day starts at 4 PM, and there’s still a third shift. So, this was a shocker.
As we later realised, they close pretty early around here. Not because business is slow, and not because they’re lazy, but just because they're done for the day.
“We’ve logged off for the day, currently having beer with our friends at the local pub, come back at 9 am tomorrow, you weirdo”, that’s how I interpreted the huge “we are closed” sign on the door.
That was the first clue that people take life simply around here.
2. It’s giving “old money vibe”
You know that old money vibe where wealth is so established it doesn't need to show off?
While we were strolling to a restaurant at 9 AM, we looked over a bridge that had houses lined on both sides. This dude, dressed like your typical "corporate bro" in a crisp shirt and black boots, casually stepped out of his backyard, which happened to be connected to this fancy lake right in the middle of the city. He got on his boat and (I presume) cruised off to work.
“That must be nice, let’s move here”, - I jokingly told Mimie.
There are levels to these doings, and that guy is on the penthouse level.
3. Walking is a norm
In Dubai, we don’t really walk, as the city is not built for walking.
Surprisingly, in Zurich, we didn't take a single Uber or taxi. We just walked everywhere. According to Mimie, it's a good way to lose all this fat. I can't argue with that logic.
The city is actually built for humans who use their legs. I call it Legedez Benz.
The health app on my phone even sent me a notification that reads “you are moving more than your average steps in the past 30 days” - a win in my book.
4. These buildings have seen things
The architecture is wild, legacy buildings that look like they were built in 1822 and somehow survived multiple bomb blasts from WWII, but are still standing pretty.
You could tell that the buildings were old, but they looked good.
You walk past a random cafe and realise it's been serving coffee since before your grandfather was born.
5. They speak German
I wasn't expecting that, but apparently, they speak Swiss German. And, according to the lady at the restaurant (can’t remember her name), Swiss German is like German's rebellious cousin that decided to do its own thing.
Most people speak English though, and most road signs have English version, so you won't really struggle much if you understand English.
6. Everything felt safe
When you're in a place and you see people riding around in drop-tops with their roofs down, you can tell they're not worried about someone randomly giving them a knock on the head in the middle of the street, not to mention someone robbing them.
That's what safety feels like.
7. Everything costs your kidney (and maybe your liver too)
Everything is expensive.
To put it in context, we hired a nanny for 5 days, and we paid about the same amount we pay our nanny for 3 months in Dubai.
Why? Payment is per hour, and the price of services racks up relatively fast once you break it down into hours.
We didn’t even use the nanny, cos Desi didn't like her, and guess what? No refund. They don’t joke around in Zurich.
8. You can drink from public fountains
I'm not sure why they trust the water that much. I didn't try it, though, because the last thing you want on a trip is a running stomach from water poisoning. Then you're pressed desperately while walking around, you run to a nearby restaurant to use the toilet, and they tell you it's 4:01 PM – they closed one minute ago.
9. Their zoo is a whole vacation
We did take a taxi here (I just remembered, it's the only place we didn't walk to), but the whole place was family-friendly and walk-friendly.
We easily did 10K steps that day. You had to walk from one habitat to another to see the animals. This is because they kept them in natural environments, not cramped cages. I wouldn't call the place a zoo, at least not in the context I’m familiar with.
10. Coffee is mostly trash
When you're battling jet lag, good coffee can save your life. But here? It's basically water with brown colouring and a cube of sugar. I've had better coffee from the one Desi makes at home.
11. Food is mostly trash
We just kept swallowing bread and chicken. Everything else was a miss. We later found this place called Babu's, about a 15-minute walk away, and that morning stroll for some decent food and coffee was worth every step.
12. Bicycles everywhere
Another clear sign that life is simple is when your biggest transportation decision is "road bike or mountain bike?".
Most people rode bicycles around, although that might be because the roads aren’t really as big, a typical European vibe, at least compared to a place like Dubai.
13. The population is relatively low
Matteo, the nice guy at the hotel entrance, mentioned that the population can shoot up to 2 million during peak tourist season, but if you're counting only actual residents, it drops to around 400,000.
No wonder life moves at a slower pace. Low population means low competition, low pressure, and apparently, low stress levels all around. Meanwhile, in other competitive cities, people are fighting for life like it's the Hunger Games.
14. The tip culture is... direct
They don't ask, "Would you like to tip?"
They ask, "How much would you like to tip?".
It's kind of awkward when you say "zero" to such a question, especially when the lady asks while smiling sheepishly at you, but that’s the trick.
15. The pace is therapeutic
Everything moves at a calm, measured pace. Not slow because of inefficiency or laziness, but slow because they've figured out that rushing everywhere doesn't make life better.
It's the kind of pace that makes you realise how unnecessarily frantic everything else feels.
It's therapeutic in a way that makes you question why we've all agreed that chaos equals productivity.
In summary, life is soft in Zurich. I could live there. Well, if I could afford it, and that's a big if, considering I opened my mouth every time I checked a receipt.
But, let’s say I could afford it, would I trade everything else for Swiss serenity? Maybe not now, maybe when I’m 65.
But at least now I know what an alternative looks like.
Disclaimer: These observations are purely based on my experience during one week in Zurich. How you observe a location is very context-dependent. And that's the beauty of travel; it's personal and subjective.