Stellar art at Kunsthaus Zürich
If you only have time for one gallery, make it Kunsthaus Zürich, which covers all the major genres - from Monet's impressionist landscapes to Munch's expressionist paintings. The biggest draw is the peerless Alberto Giacometti collection, spotlighting the Swiss surrealist's thought- provoking artworks and sticklike sculptures.
Winkelwiese 4, 8001 Zürich
Kunsthaus Zürich Website Strings and sopranos at Zürich Opera House
The giant of Zürich's performing arts scene, the neo-baroque Opera House presents a high-calibre programme of opera and ballet in lavish stucco and red velvet surrounds. For the best seats, book your tickets at the same time as your Zürich hotel.
Falkenstrasse 1, 8008 Zürich
Opera House Website Lyrical readings at the James Joyce Foundation
Lose yourself in the epic works of James Joyce at the well- versed James Joyce Foundation. The Dublin-born writer spent most of the Second World War in Zürich, where he was inspired to pen
Ulysses. There are free public readings of
Ulysses at 5.30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Finnegans Wake at 7 p.m. on Thursdays.
Augustinergasse 9, 8001 Zürich
James Joyce Foundation Website Time travel at the Swiss National Museum
Behind a turreted, neo-Gothic facade, the Swiss National Museum examines Zürich culture through a wealth of artefacts, from prehistory to the present day. A spin takes in the medieval treasury's gem-encrusted relics, the armoury tower's jousting paraphernalia and archaeological finds like a 100,000-year-old flint stone.
Museumstrasse 2, 8021 Zürich
Swiss National Museum Website Industrial revolution at Schiffbau
Once a boatbuilding warehouse, the red-brick Schiffbau in the edgy Züri-West district has been cleverly reincarnated as a dynamic cultural centre. Today the striking post-industrial edifice harbours the cutting-edge Schauspielhaus theatre and one of Zürich's top jazz clubs, Moods.
Schiffbaustrasse 4, 8005 Zürich
Schauspielhaus Website Dada at Cabaret Voltaire
Cabaret Voltaire catapults visitors back to 1916 and the birth of Dadaism, an anti-war artistic and political movement. Revisit an age when Zürich was a hotbed of revolutionary thinking at one of the insightful exhibitions, events and screenings.
Spiegelgasse 1, 8001 Zürich
Cabaret Voltaire Website Classical nights at the Tonhalle
Time your visit to enjoy a classical concert at the grand Tonhalle, opened by Brahms in 1895. Chandeliers illuminate the frescoed hall, where the revered Tonhalle Orchestra perform under the baton of David Zinman.
7 Claridenstrasse, 8002 Zürich
First Thursdays Website Swiss aesthetic at the Design Museum
Vintage billboards from the dawn of Alpine tourism, poster art, graphics and applied arts - the Design Museum presents a fascinating journey through Swiss design. Expect to see collection highlights at one of the rotating exhibitions staged in the rectangular 1930s building.
Ausstellungsstrasse 60, 8005 Zürich
Design Museum Website Museum Rietberg
Perched on a green hill above Lake Zürich, Museum Rietburg occupies an impressive neoclassical mansion, where Wagner once composed to Mathilde Wesendonck's poems. Today's outstanding non-European art collection showcases gems like Tibetan bronzes, Indian miniatures and Aztec sculptures.
15 Gablerstrasse, 8002 Zürich
Museum Rietberg Website Le Corbusier at Heidi Weber Museum
Audacious Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier left his modernist imprint on this cubic edifice. An umbrella-like roof shelters light-flooded spaces that display Heidi Weber's private collection of Le Corbusier's architectural plans, drawings and furniture designs.
Hoeschgasse 8, 8034 Zürich
Heidi Weber Museum Website
