It may seem slightly unusual to suggest that tourists should be interested in visiting the drinking fountains of Zürich, but they are very important and symbolic for the city. Zürich prides itself on providing a clean-living, healthy environment for all of its citizens. This translates into shiny streets, (so clean that James Joyce once commented that you could eat minestrone from the pavements of Bahnhofstrasse), a clean river and lake and over 1,200 drinking fountains.

I have marked one of my favourites on the map below, but you will find them everywhere. Some are old, some are new, most of them are engraved with the year they were established. Some are truly works of art and others are purely there to fulfill the need for safe hydration.

So, while you are visiting this idyllic city, do like the locals… Invest in a steel or glass water bottle and fill up as you go. You’ll be saving the environment and becoming a true Zürcher.