Welcome to Wiedikon: Zurich's District 3
Despite being a city with fewer than a million inhabitants, Zurich is split into twelve (12) districts and a surprising thirty-four (34) neighbourhoods.
Until recently, Elizabeth and I lived in Wiedikon, Zurich's 3rd District, which has three neighbourhoods, namely, Alt-Wiedikon, Friesenberg, and Sihlfeld. Like much of Zurich, Kreis 3 (the German for District 3) has been rapidly changing over the past few years. It started with the creation of the Uetliberg tunnel, and the slowing down and limiting of traffic along Weststrasse. Since then, the area has seen a flourishing of boutiques and cafés. In fact, I often described the area as Zurich's trendy café neighbourhood.
In 2017, we were approached by the City of Zurich's Integration Office to give tours of Kreis 3 to non-German speaking newcomers to the city. The idea is that if people have a better feel for the town, they will integrate better. Furthermore, doing the tours in English helps with people understanding what is happening and ask questions like, "Where should I get my clothing hemmed?"
Having done the tour a few times now, we can recommend any newcomer to the city, especially Kreis 3, to register for it and encourage people in other parts of the city to ask the City of Zurich to create more tours.
Below are a map and a list of the places we walk past or mention. This list should be a reference for anyone interested.
Bahnhof Wiedikon: A train station from where you can catch the S-Bahn down Lake Zurich as far as the Flumserberg ski resort and directly to the airport. No need to go to Zurich Main Station with the tram before getting on one of those trains. To make travel cheaper and easier, we suggest getting a Halbtax card (to get 50% discount on tickets) a City of Zurich Zone pass, or a GA (Generalabonement - unlimited travel with Train, Bus, and Tram in Switzerland)
Steueramt (Werdstrasse 75): Despite Switzerland's reputation as a tax haven, residents still need to pay taxes. The people at the Steueramt will help you with any tax form questions if you don't want to get an accountant. Open Monday to Friday: 8:30 - 16:30.
Caritas (Birmensdorferstrasse 52): Whether you like vintage clothes or just want to save some cash, this second-hand shop will probably have something for you. If that's not your shtick, you can also donate old clothing here.
Zahnärztin Wiedikon (Birmensdorferstrasse 55): Finding a good dentist is hard. Dr. med. dent. Anastasia Gougoulakis has been my dentist for almost 10 years. The prices are fair and the service is great. Open Monday to Friday: 8:00 - 16:30.
Post Office (Seebahnstrasse 89): The Swiss Post is ranked as the best postal service in the world. Despite that though, if you don't have to go to the post office, it's worth avoiding because the lines can get long. Avoid going by registering yourself with the Post online. For letters and postcards being sent in Switzerland, you can text the word "STAMP" to 414 and get a 12 digit code (4 characters on 3 lines) to write on your letter and avoid waiting in line to buy stamps. Open Monday to Friday: 8:00 - 19:00 and Saturday 8:00 - 16:00.
Honig Kuchen (Birmensdorferstrasse 109): This design shop literally translates to "honey cake." Along with some beautiful furnishing items for your flat, the shop also sells honey from beehives in the city of Zurich. Open Tuesday to Friday: 11:00 - 18:30 and Saturday 10:00 - 16:00.
Bethaus (Schlossgasse 10): This building dates back to 1791. It's run by the Reformed Church of Zurich and offers rooms for rent.
Ortsmuseum Wiedikon (Steinstrasse 8): The Ortsmuseum (Area Museum) houses the Quartierverein (City Quarter Club) Kreis 3 which is an umbrella organisation for 36 clubs and associations in Kreis 3. Clubs in sports, music, leisure, culture, business, seniors, home care, parents group, museum and historical areas. They represent the interest of the people in the community and organize events. Membership for CHF 20/year.
Kreisbüro 3 (Zurlindenstrasse 87): You'll need to stop in here if you live in Kreis 3 to register yourself. In Switzerland, you are always obligated to register yourself even if you change flats in the same city. If you are moving in the city of Zurich, you can deregister from your old address and register your new address online. The Kreisbüro 3 also houses the police station. Here are the important Swiss emergency numbers:
Police: 117
Fire: 118
Medical 144
Avanti (Stationsstrasse 1): This is our favourite hole-in-the-wall pizza joint. The guys working there are super grumpy and if you order your buffalo mozzarella pizza to go, make sure they don’t forget it. Despite the moody service, they make amazing pizza (even gluten-free) and the price is right for Zurich. Open Monday to Saturday: 11:00 - 14:30 & 16:30 - 23:30. Sundays: 11:00 - 23:30.
Betreibungsamt Kreis 3 (Sihlfeldstrasse 10): If you want to move into a new flat, you'll need to get a document from the Betreibungsamt that shows that you don't have any creditors after you. If you fail to pay invoices after you receive your reminders and warnings, companies will report you to the Betreibungsamt. Sometimes this happens if you are disputing an invoice.
Yardbird (Weststrasse 146): This is Zurich's first Southern Fried Chicken restaurant. Started by two brothers, who are also behind the restaurants The Bite and Brisket. These brothers used to be unemployed but got a hand-up from Verein GO! which provides microcredits to entrepreneurs. The chicken here is fantastic. Open Tuesday to Friday: 11:30 - 13:30 & 18:00 - 23:30, Saturday: 18:00 - 23:30.
West 169 (Weststrasse 169): This new café / wine bar is one of the latest to open its doors in Wiedikon. Come here for fabulous coffee and a wide selection of Natural Wines aka Orange Wines. They also do brunch. Open Wednesday to Friday: 8:00 - 22:00, Saturday 10:00 - 22:00 and Sunday 10:00 - 18:00.
Brupbacherplatz (Weststrasse 194): This small yet trendy square has great restaurants and bars from a great little Indian restaurant (Sher-E-Punjab) to the Japanese Ramen joint (MIKI Ramen) to one of Zurich's best gelato places (Gelateria di Berna) and one of the trendiest cocktail bars (Raygrodski). You can spend an entire night out just in this square.
Idaplatz: Just a block away from Brupbacherplatz is the legendary Idaplatz. Bertastrasse, one of the streets running past Idaplatz is called one of the most beautiful streets in Zurich thanks to the cherry blossoms in spring. There are festivals on the square in the spring and summer. Like Brupbacherplatz the area is full of cafés, bars, restaurants and boutiques. Our recommendations are Bei Babette, Chornlade, and Le Mezzerie.
Aemtlerstrasse: This street is also full of bars and restaurants including the Tapas & Friends and Café Plüsch. It also connects Wiedikon to the Sihlfeld area.
Friedhof Sihlfeld: This cemetery is one of the largest in Zurich and the resting place of Heidi author Johanna Spyri.
Fritschiwiese: This park is a family-friendly area to relax and let kids play. There is even a room (Popcorntreff) that can be rented for children's parties from April to October. The café Z am Park is also a nice place to relax with the paper, coffee and a gipfeli.
Goldbrunnenplatz: Unlike Brupbacherplatz and Idaplatz, this square is not so nice. However, it does have a tram stop, a little coffee to-go café (Vi-Café) and one of the best Lebanese food stands in the city (Le Liban).
Triemlispital (Birmensdorferstrasse 497): This is one of the largest hospitals in Zurich. It's recently been renovated and features exclusive double rooms with views over the city. Triemlispital also has a large and well-known maternity ward.
Hotel Atlantis (Döltschiweg 234): If you're looking for a romantic getaway or day at the spa in your own neighbourhood, the five-star Hotel Atlantis on the foot of Zurich's home mountain - Uetliberg is the place for you. Fine dining and beautiful surroundings make this hotel the perfect urban escape.
Green Marathon: This 42km marked trail around Zurich runs along the Uetliberg's Panoramaweg. If you're a runner, jogger or just curious, we highly recommend exploring the Green Marathon either all in one go or as a stage run.
GZ Heuried (Döltschiweg 130): This is one of the city's many community centres. You can rent rooms and visit different events organised here. For the kids, there are animals and a playground.
Freibad Heuried (Wasserschöpfi 71): This newly renovated public pool is the perfect place to cool down and relax in the summer. There are areas for children and for swimmers as well as plenty of lawn space to sunbathe and picnic. The beers and food are also inexpensive for Zurich. Right beside the pool is the new ice rink (Sportzentrum Heuried) as well.
Sihlcity (Kalanderplatz 1): One of Zurich's largest shopping malls, Sihlcity blends former industrial buildings with modern architecture. Along with shopping, you'll find a cinema, restaurants and a hotel all at the one stop.
Bäckerei Gold (Manessestr. 186 ): Switzerland is the land of bread. The Swiss love bread with a crispy crust. Zurich's most famous bread is the GOLD Bürli - a crusty bun that should always be served with bratwurst. Open Monday - Friday 7:00 - 12:00 and 13:00 - 16:45.
Drehscheibe Manesse (Staffelstrasse 5): The Drehscheibe Manesse is an outpost of the GZ Heuried. Because Kreis 3 is so large, it made sense to have a second community centre on this side of the city. Again, residents of Kreis 3 are welcome to reserve the room for events or to visit events and programs happening there.
Maison Manesse (Hopfenstrasse 2): Maison Manesse is perhaps one of Zurich's most celebrated restaurants. Recognized for its creative menus and fine dining atmosphere, it's the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion, like a pay raise. Open Monday: 11:45 - 14:00, Tuesday to Friday: 11:45 - 14:00 & 18:00 - 00:00, Saturday: 18:00 - 00:00.
