Most people associate Zürich with banking and high-end watches. And they'd be accurate, but there's also so much more to this historic, alpine city. It's o ne of the top-rated cities in the world for well-being, quality of life and satisfaction. It has castles, forts, churches, museums, a great nightlife and delicious food/wine. It's known for its walkable streets, fairy-tale architecture and high-end boutiques and it's perfect for a short break. Your itinerary should include a mix of meandering through narrow alleyways, cruising on the river, visiting museums, drinking Swiss wine, indulging in local delicacies and chasing waterfalls. Below are my recommendations for maximizing your weekend in this lovely city. STAY: The Hotel Wellenberg is situated right in the heart of the Old Town, which is a quaint area that's centrally located, beside the Limmat River. The bar, terrace, library and the breakfast were all great (and were accurately pictured on their website), but the rooms were a bit dated and not nearly as nice as they were represented on the hotel's site. Although I would probably stay in a different hotel, if I went back, I would still want to stay in Old Town. I would look at the Widder Hotel and/or the Storchen . DO/SEE: Stroll around the Altstadt (Zürich's historic Old Town), exploring its cobbled streets, shops, bars and touristy restaurants. Take a river cruise along the Limmat to see the city from a different perspective. The boat starts at Landesmuseum (Swiss National Museum) and takes about an hour, roundtrip. If you only have time for one gallery, make it the Kunsthaus Zurich art museum. This houses over 95k pieces of work, including sculptures, paintings and sketches that date from the 15th century to the present day.  The Matthew Wong/Vincent Van Gogh exhibit is excellent. But my absolute favorite is the beautiful a nd mesmerizing Pipilotti Rist art installation - made up of 3,000 multicolored LED lights set to music. It was so soothing; I could have watched for hours. I highly recommend taking a trip to the spectacular Rhine Falls (only about a 35-minute drive away, if there's no traffic). It is possible to take the train and plan the whole trip yourself, but the private half-day tour we took was well worth the price. Our guide, Martin, was prompt, knowledgeable, funny and had everything sorted for us ahead of time. When we arrived at the falls, we walked down to the various, tiered viewing platforms to see the roaring falls up close. Then we took a very short ferry across the upper Rhine River to board our 15-minute boat ride, which took us right up to the falls. The 15-minute boat ride operates between April and October. The best views are from the front of the vessel, but you will get sprayed if you sit there. On the way back from the waterfalls, since we went when it wasn't all that busy, we had extra time. Martin did a bit of research and found us a place to wine taste, right by a castle, in a picturesque Swiss village. We stopped at Nadine Saxer for some (free) tastings of various pinot noirs and sauvignon blancs. The place was modern and beautiful, and the wines were delicious. Prior to this trip, I had no idea how good Swiss wines were because they don't really export them. Then we drove by Walt Castle. We couldn't get too close though, because it's privately owned. EAT/DRINK: Le Dézaley is a cozy Zurich institution that has been serving up fondue, charcuterie and other Swiss classics for over 120 years. It's touristy, but it delivers! The space is huge and packed. Our service was attentive and friendly. The cheese fondue, and all the fixings, were top-notch and the white wine was delicious. La Muña is located on the sixth floor of the La Réserve Eden au Lac Zürich Hotel. The Peruvian-Japanese inspired menu is filled with ceviche, sushi and steak, complemented with a very impressive wine list. With its antique-style furniture, age-old wooden floors, mysterious objects and spectacular dome, the interior is reminiscent of a cruise ship from the turn of the century. End your evening with a nightcap at the legendary Tina cigar and whisky bar. If you can handle the smoke, it's an intimate, sexy spot known by every full-blooded citizen of Zürich. In just a couple days, you can really explore the depths of Zürich and get a sense of its rich history, elegant culture and gorgeous setting.

Early in the morning, I flew about an hour and a half from London Heathrow to Zurich, Switzerland. #alpine #liechtenstein #vaduz #malbun #triesen #switzerland #zurich #sareis

Cambodia Thailand United States Nicaragua Israel Italy Austria Slovenia Slovakia United Kingdom Spain Switzerland thailand #unitedstates #nicaragua #israel #italy #austria #slovenia #slovakia #unitedkingdom #spain #switzerland

cartagena #colombia #southamerica #valencia #spain #lasfallas #azores #saomiguel #portugal #zurich #switzerland

#yearintravel #madrid #spain #bruges #belgium #italy #sauzed39oulx #amsterdam #netherlands #geneva #switzerland

The Sweden versus Switzerland match that I had tickets to was probably one of the most boring matches Fun facts about Liechtenstein include: Switzerland accidentally invaded Liechtenstein, unintentionally saintpetersburg #stpetersburg #russia #pamplona #spain #sansebastian #biarritz #france #europe #seville #switzerland

Luckily the storm passed before our boat ride to the Switzerland vs. Sweden match. Of all the matches in the 2018 World Cup, Switzerland-Sweden was probably one of the most boring.