Kreis 9 Altstetten Zurich – All our local tips

You want to travel through time and meet eye-witnesses of the last half century? Search no further, the “Outlane” is your place: a mix between bar, museum and private collection of pinball machines and old video games that you can play.

The Outlane is run by two crazy collectors and contains 50 Flippers and about 10 old consoles with ever-changing old video games. The most ancient flippers are from the beginning days in the forties, very simple and sweet (and pretty boring to play), whereas the newest ones have a lot of kick-ass features. All these machines have a story to tell, they reveal things about the time they were made. If you’re interested, drop in and talk to the owners, they like to tell people about their collection.

Being no regular bar, the Outlane is only opened once per month – and it’s almost impossible to find. In the middle of a living quarter, you have to walk down a car garage and ring on an unimposing door. Well, that has it’s charm too, doesn’t it? Check out the comments of this article for a detailed description how to get there.

One last thing: Please consider this place a museum, not a bar to get shit-faced and out of control. You got plenty of opportunities to do that at the Langstrasse.

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Outlane | Art & culture, Bars
Fuchsiastrasse 10 | Kreis 9 Altstetten
Every last Thursday in the month from 20:30

The Uetliberg is pretty well known and very touristy. So what is it doing here, you ask? Well, I don’t want to tell you about the famous Zurich lookout per se, I want to recommend you a way to get there: I want you to walk up there. Don’t take the train, as they say, it’s boring, and you miss the beautiful path through the beautiful wood and that would be a pity.

So if it’s raining take the the Bus Number 72 or the Tram 14 to their terminal station “Triemli” and from there head to the hill. Or take the Tram number 13 to “Albisgüetli”, also an terminal station for an alternative way up. Getting up takes about an hour, a bit less if you’re an athlete, a bit more if you’re a slacker like me. Halfway up there’s a booth where you can buy hot chocolate, tea or punch to warm up and refresh yourself a bit. Then on the top you can enjoy the view over Zurich, feeling that you really deserved it after a healthy dose of exercise.

To get back into the city, I allow you to take the train.

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Uetliberg by Foot | Coffee & tea, Relaxing
Triemli | Kreis 9 Altstetten
Daily (but I recommend you to go when it’s good weather)

An island in the city: beyond the lake and the river, Zurich offers this attraction too. It just feels different to be surrounded by water from every side (trust me, I am Greek). Ok, the island in question is reachable through pedestrian bridges.

The Werdinsel is located in the river Limmat in the city quarter called Höngg. I am a regular visitor of the island since I live nearby. The island appeals to different people and tastes and is, naturally, most popular in the summer.

The upper (eastern) side offers supervised river bathing for the mainstream. Families would appreciate the natural shade of the trees (if desired) and the little pool and playground for the offspring.

Moving westwards you encounter some vast fields which serve as a football playground.

The lower side is a popular nudist area (officially illegal since 1983) that is divided into two parts: the major part has a fraction of women and heterosexual men around 0.1%. The smallest part, separated from the rest by a shallow water canal, attracts a more mixed public. On a hot Sunday evening, the naked sun-worshippers are occasionally flushed with the smoke from the ad-hoc sausage grilling of non-naked locals.

There is a summer festival (Inselfäscht) in the beginning of July.

But the island is also ideal for walking, jogging and cycling during the other seasons, especially during the autumn. I have also heard of senior citizens bathing in the ice-cold river water during the winter (brrrr).

Click here for more photos.

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Werdinsel | Relaxing, Snacks | Free
Badeplatz Au-Höngg | Kreis 9 Altstetten | +41443417193
24 hours daily