Zurich Nightlife: Top 10 Bars & Nightclubs
This is my ultimate Zurich nightlife guide featuring the Top 10 bars & nightclubs which I carefully selected including places such as Frau Gerolds Garten, Les Halles, Nietturm, Helsinkiklub, Mascotte, and Hive.
- Why: Biggest nightlife scene in Switzerland.
- Last Call: Big clubs close at 8:00am
- Accommodation: Airbnb ($46 OFF) stay near Langestrasse for easy access.
- Best Zurich Bar: Les Halles (Friday night)
- Best Zurich Nightclub: Hive (Saturday night)
Kick off your evening at either the Widder Bar for its 250 malt whiskies and their bizarre cocktails or head over to Zürich West for a few drinks at outdoor beer garden Frau Gerolds or Les Halles, which is a fun indoor lounge with pinball machines, fussball and a giant bar - the best spot to socialize with the locals.
Places
1. Widder Bar
250 malt whiskies, the most popular bar in Zurich
2. Frau Gerolds Garten
Giant outdoor beer garden built out of old shipping containers
3. Les Halles
Super fun laid back indoor semi-beergarden with games, pinball machines and a jolly atmosphere.
4. Nietturm
Fancy lounge in the clouds with a panorama view of Zurich
5. Helsinkiklub
Ultra local hippy club with great music, happy people and inviting atmosphere. My favorite in Zurich!
6. Hard One
Great nightclub for hiphop, rap, r&b and reggae.
7. Maag Music Hall
Massive event center with special events and concerts on weekends.
8. Supermarket
Underground techno club with an expensive cover charge.
9. Mascotte
Upbeat nightclub with house, top40 and young crowd. Excellent for a good night out.
10. Hive
Considered the best nightclub in Zurich, playing techno and tech-house this 2-story spot should not be missed!
If you are not a heavy clubber I highly recommend Helsinkiklub, one of the most fun places in town with laid back locals, hiphop, cheap beers and a welcoming atmosphere.
As most of you know, Zurich is the most expensive city in the world and many of these parties are quite expensive with entrance fees around $30 CAD and beers around $14 CAD it can end up being an expensive night for the average traveller.
Hard One was a great club for hiphop, rap, R&B and reggae music and have a very young crowd.
For the best party in town head over to Hive nightclub, this fantastic venue has 2-stories playing techno in the basement and tech-house in the upstairs. Entrance at Hive was $30 and beers $12 CAD per bottle.
Please note that Swiss locals go to clubs really late, 2am is no exception. Any time before 1am you may run into an empty club so until that time socialize at either Les Halles, Frau Gerolds Garten or Helsinkiklub.
An alternative area would be the bars and clubs on the Langstrasse located South-East of the popular Zurich West area which I primarily covered in this article.
In conclusion; I was surprised that the most popular genre of music in Zurich was hiphop, which was played at most clubs I went to. The Swiss locals are very friendly; everyone loves to speak English so don't shy away from making many new friends.
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