Europaallee has gradually come to life. This newly created Zurich neighborhood, located right next to the main station and stretching from the listed Sihlpost building to Langstrasse, is the focal point of the professional and tourism landscape of the city and region of Zurich. A place to linger, relax and explore, where people constantly come and go, has been created here. Visitors can take a guided tour and witness all the action.

Creatives are the face of the new district

The development of the neighborhood was completed in stages from 2009 to 2020. It now combines shops, services, restaurants, educational facilities, offices and homes: a successful mix that contributes to the vibrant atmosphere of this new district. But the fact that it is now filled with people happily strolling, laughing, taking photos, having fun, drinking and eating also has a lot to do with the creative professionals who give this neighborhood a face. Thanks to them, this new urban area has become a shopping location that has captured the hearts of design enthusiasts, and is now a dining destination and lively leisure zone for the whole family.

Creative minds also work here: driven by passion and inventiveness, they create products, sustainable concepts and manufacture innovative ideas that shape and distinguish the new district.

Design made in Zurich

One example is the ‘Die Macherei’ creative collective located in the middle of Europaallee: a group of designers, craftspeople, artists and photographers work here according to the motto ‘sharing is caring.’ What’s so special about this? The Zurich designers have a strong local presence because they rent their retail premises together, exchange ideas and advise customers, telling them about the background of their locally made products.

Zurich values cleanliness – natural soap with cult status

Soeder natural soap has already become a cult favorite. The stylish refillable soap dispenser has become an integral feature of many restrooms in cafés, bars and restaurants throughout Zurich. It’s often worth visiting the restroom just to wash your hands with this fragrant liquid soap. Soeder’s founders – the designer couple Hanna and Johan Olzon Akerström – are originally from Sweden and have been selling their natural, locally made care products throughout Switzerland since 2015. Their minimalist Scandinavian Soeder store at the main station is now one of many.

Street art for a colorful cityscape

Two brothers, known by their pseudonyms ‘Dr. Drax’ and ‘Phase’ form the artist duo ‘One Truth,’ and are among the city’s most active and well-known graffiti artists. Their comic-strip style is humorous and distinctive and their colorful works of art adorn many gray facades, including the ‘graffiti studio’ better known as Amboss Rampe. This used to be the municipal police stables, then an auto repair shop and later still a sales outlet for Amboss Beer. Today, the building is a bar, club, cultural center and restaurant. The exterior walls have been decorated by various street artists and are a prominent feature of Zollstrasse.

While strolling through Europaallee and crossing Negrellisteg with a view over the railway tracks towards Zollhaus, the ongoing development of the surrounding area becomes apparent. Within 12 years, the enclosed SBB site next to the main station has become a vibrant neighborhood, based on Kees Christianse’s urban master plan. 

DISCOVER THE CITY ON FOOT: THEMED TOURS 

The easiest way to explore this trendy district, as well as other parts of the city, is on a guided tour. Zürich Tourism has a new series of 

English-language walking tours that take place every other Wednesday evening, each focusing on different topics and locations in Zurich. These tours may be of particular interest to expats living in Zurich, but are aimed at anyone who wants to learn more about the city’s rich culture and history. The ‘Made in Zurich’ tour, for example, guides visitors through the area around the main station, allowing them to witness the action first hand. It stops in various places, providing insights into urban production – from natural soap, through coffee machines, to cheese and chocolate. And there is also an opportunity to sample some of the products, of course.

Further information can be found here.