Top Reasons to Go to Zurich

A dip into the Middle Ages: Museum-perfect in their leaded-glass and Gothic-wood details, a dozen medieval guildhalls have been transformed into time-burnished restaurants.

Extreme shopping: Luxury-encrusted with noted stores, Bahnhofstrasse is also lined with banks to refill your empty wallets—the nearby Altstadt has other "Ring bell to enter" boutiques, one of which may have that $10,000 belt you've been looking for.

Amazing architecture: The Old Town and the left bank's Oberdorf and Niederdorf have barely changed since the 18th century—savor their pedestrian-only cobblestone streets, medieval churches, and see-and-be-seen outdoor cafés.

The "Great Church": The Grossmünster lords over the city, both architecturally and psychologically, for here Ulrich Zwingli taught the city to buckle down, fear the Lord, and hail the Protestant work ethic in the 15th century.