Zurich Lake West-Shore Running Route

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Length 4.6 km (2.9 miles), terrain flat

Zürich Routes List:
East shore out-and-back  
West shore out-and-back  
Zürich old-town loop  
Uetliberg hilltop trail

For more running routes, see the Route List

Here's another nice, short running route in Zürich. This out-and-back run follows the western shore of Lake Zurich. We'll start in the same spot as the eastern-shore run, at Bürkliplatz, at the northern tip of the lake. This is where downtown Zurich meets the water.

Bürkliplatz in autumn: Ganymede with the western shore in background -- our route!

Standing there at the Ganymede statue, turn right to run westwards, directly along the water, going past some tour-boat docks.

NOTE: see the Destinations Tips page for tips about spending your free time in this great town!
 
You'll soon enter the Arboretum, a nice green park as the shore turns to the left, going south. The park is sprinkled with clusters of gigantic trees: weeping beech trees and sequoias. You leave the park heading straight southwards, past a waterside café and a fountain out in the lake.

Arboretum sequoias

You'll now go past the first of several marinas, Mythenquai here in the section of town called Enge. You can stay along the water here, with the marina parking lot to the right.

The marina and café in Enge

But then your progress will be blocked by the fenced-in bathing area called Mythenbad. So run around its right side, along the parallel shore road, Mythenquai.

You have to stay along the street for a short ways, but then you can turn left through the next parking lot to get back to the water.

You'll come to a little island, Saffa Island, and another spot where the direct shore trail ends. Straight ahead are the home docks for the big tour ships.

View back to the city from Saffa Island

This route will turn around here and head the same way back to Bürkliplatz. You could continue running south along the western shore for a long way, though, if you want to rack-up the kilometers. Just follow Seestrasse as far as you can.

End of the line: the tour-boat docks with a bit of snow