Zurich old town, Switzerland

Zurich’s Old Town: The historic heart of the city beats on both sides of the Limmat river. Here guild houses, churches, historic squares, and hidden-away places nestle alongside each other. Zürich’s Old Town, known as the Altstadt, encompasses what was the entire city before 1893. Cobbled and flagstone lanes lead you around landmarks such as the Grossmünster cathedral and Fraumünster church (see below), rows of towering 17th-century buildings with multi-coloured facades, and a stone bridge across the River Limmat.