Accommodaton in Zurich

Q: Our party of 6 adults will be travelling to Zurich from 2- 9 December to attend a wedding. I’ve searched for affordable hotels online but have found that the nicer ones are a lot more expensive than I thought. Can you recommend self-catering accommodation in the centre of Zurich for us please? - Ashleen Bredeveldt

A: Hotels are not cheap in Zurich, especially in the lead-up to Christmas. The city is not particularly geared up to budget travellers and self-catering options, so you have a difficult task ahead of you. On the www.homelidays.com website I found a very nice apartment in central Zurich, located about 100 metres from the lake. The four-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment caters for up to six persons and is fully equipped with everything from dishwasher and washing machine to satellite TV and computer. Bedding and linen is included. The going rate is 1000-1200 Euros per week. The standard week is Saturday to Saturday so you would have to negotiate with the owner about your dates. You should also check the www.hostelworld.com website for some of the cheaper hostel and hotel options. For example, the Zurich Youth Hostel is offering a twin room with private bathroom for 47 Euros per person. The total cost for a week for six people would be 1974 Euros or 329 Euros per person. This establishment is highly rated highly by travellers and more like a hotel than a backpacker youth hostel. You should not worry about staying in a youth hostel if you are an older person; this is common in Europe. You could also consider the trendy ZicZac Rock-Hotel, which is located in the old part of the city centre close to the main train station. There are various accommodation options, ranging from a double-bed room with shared bathroom at 47 Euros per night to a four-bed room with en-suite bathroom at 48 Euros per person per night. If these prices are still too high for your budget, you could consider staying outside of Zurich for part of the week and only staying in the city on the actual date of the wedding. Also, perhaps you could ask someone in the wedding party who knows Zurich if they can suggest a neighbourhood bed and breakfast or guesthouse in the area where the wedding is taking place. (30 Aug 2009)