TL;DR: A 90-minute audio companion for the boat cruise from Zurich Burkliplatz to Rapperswil across Lake Zurich (Zurichsee), passing the famous Gold Coast, terraced vineyards, and medieval Rapperswil with its rose gardens and castle. A smooth, elegant cruise through the prosperous heartland of German-speaking Switzerland.
Cruise Overview
| Route | Zurich Burkliplatz -- Wollishofen -- Kilchberg -- Thalwil -- Horgen -- Wädenswil -- Richterswil -- Rapperswil |
| Duration | ~90 minutes (short cruise); ~4 hours (full round trip with stops) |
| Operator | ZSG (Zurichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft) |
| Vessel | Motor vessel (various) |
| Swiss Travel Pass | Fully covered (free) for the regular service |
| Best Seat | Upper deck, port (left) side from Zurich for the Gold Coast |
| Best Time | Afternoon for golden light on the eastern shore; morning for the clearest alpine views |
Introduction
[Duration: 3 minutes | Departure from Burkliplatz pier]
Welcome aboard this ch.tours audio guide for the Lake Zurich cruise from Burkliplatz to Rapperswil -- a 90-minute journey across one of the most prosperous and scenically rewarding lakes in Switzerland.
Lake Zurich is 40 kilometers long from Zurich to the upper lake beyond Rapperswil, up to 3.8 kilometers wide, and reaches a maximum depth of 136 meters. It sits at 406 meters above sea level, making it one of the lower-elevation Swiss lakes, and its relatively warm, sheltered water makes it a popular swimming lake in summer. The Limmat River flows out of the lake at Zurich, continuing north through the city and eventually joining the Aare.
But Lake Zurich is more than a body of water. The shores of this lake -- particularly the eastern shore, known as the Gold Coast -- constitute one of the wealthiest residential areas in Europe. Low tax rates, stunning lake views, south-facing exposure, and proximity to Zurich's financial center have drawn the affluent here for generations. The villas you will see cascading down to the lakeshore are among the most expensive real estate in Switzerland.
Do not let the wealth intimidate you, though. Lake Zurich is also remarkably accessible and democratic. The boat service is part of the regular ZSG timetable, accepted by the Swiss Travel Pass, and used by commuters, families, and tourists alike. The shoreline is dotted with public parks, swimming areas, and promenades, and the destination at the far end -- the medieval town of Rapperswil -- is one of the most charming small towns in the country.
The boat is pulling away from Burkliplatz. Let us look back at Zurich before we turn our attention to the lake.
Segment 1: Departing Zurich
[Duration: 8 minutes | 0-10 minutes into the journey]
Burkliplatz, where you just boarded, is the main boat pier in central Zurich, located at the point where the lake narrows into the Limmat River. The plaza is named after Arnold Burcki, the city engineer who oversaw the construction of the Zurich quays in the 1880s. Behind you, the Bahnhofstrasse -- one of the most famous shopping streets in the world -- runs straight north from the lake to the main train station. The buildings along the Bahnhofstrasse house major banks, luxury retailers, and the headquarters of Swiss financial institutions. The street sits atop the vaults of some of the world's most secretive banks -- though that reputation is somewhat outdated now, as Swiss banking secrecy has been significantly reduced since 2018.
As the boat moves out into the lake, look to the starboard side. The hills on the western shore, the so-called Pfnachtseite (the shadow side), are attractive but less celebrated than the eastern shore. The Uetliberg, Zurich's local mountain at 871 meters, is visible from here -- the transmission tower at the summit is a useful landmark. The Uetliberg is reachable by a short S-Bahn ride from Zurich and offers panoramic views of the city, the lake, and the Alps.
On the port side -- the eastern shore -- you are looking at the beginning of the Gold Coast. The Goldkuste stretches from Zollikon, just south of Zurich, down to Meilen and beyond. The term was coined in the mid-20th century and refers to the combination of low communal tax rates, south- and west-facing hillsides with uninterrupted lake and mountain views, and proximity to Zurich. Some of Switzerland's wealthiest residents live along this shore.
The first lakeside community on the port side is Zollikon, followed by Kusnacht. Kusnacht was the long-time home of the psychologist Carl Gustav Jung, who lived and worked here from 1909 until his death in 1961. Jung's house and the tower he built at Bollingen, further down the lake, are private but visible from the water.
Segment 2: Kilchberg and the Chocolate Connection
[Duration: 6 minutes | 10-20 minutes into the journey]
On the starboard side, the village on the western shore is Kilchberg, and it has a connection to one of Switzerland's most famous products. Kilchberg is home to the Lindt & Sprungli chocolate factory, and since 2020, it is also home to the Lindt Home of Chocolate -- the world's largest chocolate museum. The museum, designed by the Swiss architecture firm Christ & Gantenbein, features a 9-meter-tall chocolate fountain in the atrium, interactive exhibits on the history of chocolate production, and, naturally, a shop and tasting area. Entry is approximately CHF 15. If you love chocolate, it is worth a separate trip.
Kilchberg also has a literary connection. The German writer Thomas Mann spent the last years of his life here, from 1954 until his death in 1955. Mann, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929, is buried in the Kilchberg cemetery.
The boat is now cruising through the central section of the lake. If the weather is clear, look south toward the far end. On a good day, the Alps are visible above the horizon, a jagged line of snow-covered peaks including the Glarner Alps and, further west, hints of the Bernese Oberland. The contrast between the cultivated, prosperous lakeshore and the wild mountains beyond is one of the defining visual experiences of Lake Zurich.
Segment 3: The Gold Coast -- Erlenbach to Meilen
[Duration: 8 minutes | 20-35 minutes into the journey]
The eastern shore is now at its most characteristic. The communities of Erlenbach, Herrliberg, and Meilen line the port side, each one a picture of Swiss-German affluence -- immaculate gardens, modernist villas interspersed with traditional houses, private boat docks, and the occasional glimpse of a swimming pool through the trees.
Herrliberg deserves special mention. This small community of about 5,500 residents has one of the lowest tax rates of any municipality in the canton of Zurich, and its population includes a disproportionate number of business leaders, bankers, and industrialists. The views from the hillside above Herrliberg -- lake, mountains, and the city of Zurich in the distance -- are genuinely spectacular and go some way toward explaining the premium.
On the starboard side, the western shore communities of Thalwil, Oberrieden, and Horgen are more modest but equally pleasant. Horgen is the largest town on the western shore, with a population of about 23,000, and it is an important rail junction where the Zurich-to-Zug line branches off from the lakeside route.
Between Horgen and Meilen, the lake reaches its widest point -- about 3.8 kilometers. This is the stretch where you feel most fully on open water, with the two shores drawing apart and the mountain backdrop appearing at its most expansive.
Notice the vineyard terraces that appear periodically along both shores. Lake Zurich has a long winemaking tradition, and the south- and west-facing slopes above the lake produce respectable Pinot Noir and Riesling-Sylvaner wines. The vineyards are small and production is limited -- you will rarely find Lake Zurich wines outside the region -- but several lakeside restaurants serve local vintages, and a glass of Zurichsee Blauburgunder on a terrace above the water is a quintessentially local experience.
Segment 4: Wädenswil and the Narrowing
[Duration: 6 minutes | 35-50 minutes into the journey]
The town on the starboard side is Wadenswil, a community of about 24,000 that has an important agricultural connection. Wadenswil is home to the Agroscope research center, one of Switzerland's leading institutions for food science and agricultural research, and the campus of the ZHAW (Zurich University of Applied Sciences) department of Life Sciences and Facility Management. The terraced gardens and experimental vineyards on the hillside above the town are part of this research.
South of Wadenswil, the lake begins to narrow noticeably. You are approaching the Seedamm -- the narrow causeway and bridge that crosses the lake between Rapperswil and Hurden, dividing it into the lower lake (the main body you have been crossing) and the Obersee, the smaller upper lake beyond.
The Seedamm has existed in some form since prehistoric times. Archaeological evidence shows that a wooden bridge or walkway crossed the lake here as early as 1,500 BCE -- a Bronze Age structure that is one of the earliest known lake crossings in Switzerland. The current causeway carries a road and railway tracks, and the pedestrian wooden bridge beside it -- the Holzsteg -- was rebuilt in 2001 and is 841 meters long, making it one of the longest wooden pedestrian bridges in Switzerland.
On the port side, the town of Richterswil marks the eastern shore's transition from suburb to small town. The community has some well-preserved historic buildings and a lively lakefront promenade.
Segment 5: The Au Peninsula and Rapperswil Approach
[Duration: 8 minutes | 50-65 minutes into the journey]
On the port side, the wooded peninsula extending into the lake is the Au Peninsula, one of the most important nature reserves on Lake Zurich. The Au is a protected wetland and forest area, home to a rich population of waterbirds, including grebes, herons, and cormorants. The contrast between the manicured Gold Coast you passed earlier and this wild, forested shoreline is striking -- a reminder that even in one of the most densely settled parts of Switzerland, nature reserves survive.
Now look ahead. The town visible at the far end of the lake, at the base of a low hill crowned by a castle, is Rapperswil -- your destination and one of the most rewarding small towns in Switzerland.
As the boat approaches, the castle becomes more prominent. Schloss Rapperswil sits atop a glacial drumlin -- a low, elongated hill shaped by Ice Age glaciers -- and has commanded the lake crossing for over 800 years. The castle was built around 1220 by the Counts of Rapperswil and has served as a fortification, a residence, and, for over a century, as the home of the Polish National Museum -- a connection that will make more sense when we arrive.
Below the castle, the town of Rapperswil spreads down to the lakeshore in a tangle of medieval lanes, pastel-painted houses, and small squares. Rapperswil is known as the Rosenstadt -- the City of Roses -- and with good reason. The castle gardens alone contain over 16,000 rose bushes representing more than 600 varieties, and the town's streets, squares, and parks are planted with roses throughout. In June and July, when the roses are at their peak, the town is genuinely intoxicating.
Segment 6: Arrival in Rapperswil
[Duration: 8 minutes | 65-80 minutes into the journey]
As the boat comes alongside the Rapperswil pier, the town presents its best face -- the castle above, the medieval waterfront below, and the lake stretching back toward Zurich behind you.
Rapperswil has a population of approximately 27,000 (as part of the merged municipality of Rapperswil-Jona since 2007) and sits in the canton of St. Gallen, not Zurich. This small distinction matters: Rapperswil has a distinctly different character from the Zurich lakeside communities, more relaxed, more medieval, and more oriented toward the Obersee and eastern Switzerland.
The Polish connection is one of the town's most unexpected features. In 1870, Count Wladyslaw Broel-Plater established the Polish National Museum in Rapperswil Castle, intended as a repository for Polish cultural heritage at a time when Poland itself had been partitioned and effectively erased from the map of Europe. The museum housed documents, artworks, and historical objects relating to Polish history and the fight for independence. The collection was returned to Poland in 1927 after the country regained independence, but a second museum was established during World War II and operated until 1952. The castle still displays a small exhibition on this Polish-Swiss connection.
If you disembark and walk through the old town, you will find a remarkably intact medieval core. The Hauptplatz -- the main square -- is surrounded by painted buildings with arcaded ground floors. The narrow lanes that climb from the waterfront to the castle are lined with small shops, cafes, and galleries. And the castle terrace offers a panoramic view over the Obersee, the Seedamm crossing, and, on clear days, the distant Glarner Alps.
The Holzsteg -- the wooden pedestrian bridge -- extends from near the pier across to Hurden on the opposite shore. Walking across it, with the lake on both sides and the mountains ahead, is one of the most peaceful experiences you can have near Zurich.
Closing
[Duration: 3 minutes]
Your Lake Zurich cruise from Burkliplatz to Rapperswil is complete. Over the past 90 minutes, you have traveled the full length of one of Switzerland's most diverse lakes -- from the urban sophistication of Zurich through the quiet wealth of the Gold Coast to the medieval charm of Rapperswil.
Lake Zurich may lack the alpine drama of Lake Lucerne or the turquoise intensity of Lake Brienz, but it offers something different and equally valuable: a portrait of Swiss-German life at its most refined, a landscape where prosperity and beauty have coexisted for centuries, where vineyards, villas, and nature reserves share the same shoreline, and where a 21st-century financial capital connects by water to a medieval rose town.
For the return journey, you can take the boat back, or you can catch the S-Bahn from Rapperswil to Zurich HB -- the train takes about 35 minutes, runs frequently, and is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass. The train follows the eastern shore for part of the route, giving you a different perspective on the Gold Coast.
If you are continuing your Swiss journey, ch.tours offers audio guides for Zurich's Old Town, Lake Lucerne, and many more scenic routes. Lake Zurich is the perfect starting point.
Thank you for cruising with us today. Enjoy Rapperswil and its roses.
Source: ch.tours | Audio Guide Script | Last updated: March 2026 | Data from ZSG (zsg.ch), MySwitzerland.com, SBB (sbb.ch), Swisstopo, Schloss Rapperswil, Lindt Home of Chocolate (lindt-home-of-chocolate.com)