Zurich nightlife is compact and runs later than its reputation. The bars line Langstrasse in Kreis 4, the clubs sit in the old industrial streets of Kreis 5 around Hardbrücke, and the cocktail bars and older rooms are in the Altstadt and at Bellevue. Most clubs open at 23:00 and close at 04:00, but several run to 06:00 at the weekend and Hive keeps going until 09:00 on Sunday morning. Entry is usually CHF 20–30, and drinks cost more than in most European cities. Some doors set the age at 20+ or 21+ rather than 18+. Worth knowing: the night network only runs on Friday and Saturday nights, from about 01:00, and a normal ZVV ticket covers it.
Ranked by popularity. Tap a card for opening hours, door tips, getting there and tickets.
For the drinks before and after. Hours, prices and the best nights are on each page.
Two districts do most of the work. Kreis 4 around Langstrasse is for bars, kebab shops and small clubs. Kreis 5 around Hardbrücke station is where the bigger electronic rooms sit, in former industrial buildings. They are about fifteen minutes apart on foot, so one night can easily cover both.
The weekend runs later than you expect. Plaza, Aura and Palais Mascotte stop at 04:00. Gonzo and Supermarket go to 06:00 at the weekend, Hive's Saturday night ends at 09:00 on Sunday, and Frieda's Büxe has run nights until 08:00, even midweek.
It is expensive, so plan the evening. A weekend door costs CHF 20–30, and drinks cost more than in most European cities. Many people start in a bar on Langstrasse, where Olé Olé Bar has been open since 1967 and serves until 04:00 every night, and only head to a club after midnight.
Hive, Supermarket, Kauz and Frieda's Büxe book electronic music every weekend, with long Saturday nights.
Widder Bar holds more than 1,200 spirits, Old Crow over 1,700, and the Kronenhalle Bar has served classic cocktails since 1965.
Gonzo on Langstrasse, Plaza and Kaufleuten run hip-hop, R&B, Afrobeats and Latin nights.
Exil and Plaza put concerts on early in the evening and turn into clubs afterwards.
The KIKI parties move between Palais Mascotte and Hive, and clubs such as Kauz run awareness teams.
The centre is small. From Zürich HB you can walk to Langstrasse, the Altstadt, Bellevue and most of Kreis 5.
Not for you if you want a cheap night. Doors, drinks and taxis cost more here than in most European cities, and from Sunday to Thursday there is no night transport.
Apéro. A drink after work in the Altstadt, on the 35th floor at Clouds, or by the water in summer.
Dinner, then the bars on Langstrasse, which fill from about ten.
Club doors open at Hive, Gonzo, Plaza, Kaufleuten and Aura. The floors are still quiet.
The night network starts on Friday and Saturday, and the clubs fill up.
Closing at Plaza, Aura and Palais Mascotte, and at most clubs on weeknights.
Gonzo and Supermarket close at the weekend. Hive carries on until 07:00 on Friday and 09:00 on Saturday.
Three rooms, Disco, Tanzstube and Frigo, next to Hardbrücke station, from 23:00 until 09:00 on Sunday morning. Weekend nights are 21+.
Start at Olé Olé Bar, open until 04:00 every night, then cross to Gonzo, which is free on Wednesday and Thursday.
Widder Bar has more than 650 whiskies; Old Crow, a few streets away, has over 1,700 bottles. Neither takes reservations, so go early.
Clouds sits at the top of the Prime Tower in Kreis 5, open until midnight on Friday and Saturday, with Hardbrücke station at the foot of the tower.
Plaza fills the old Kosmos cinema on Badenerstrasse, with concerts early in the evening and club nights from 23:00.
Rimini Bar opens in the evening at the Männerbad Schanzengraben, a men's river bath by day, with cushions by the canal. Summer only.
Once known for drugs and sex work, now the city's main bar street. Olé Olé Bar and Gonzo face each other on Langstrasse, Plaza is at the southern end, and Frieda's Büxe is just over the border in Kreis 3.
Former industrial land around Hardbrücke station. Hive and Supermarket share Geroldstrasse, Exil is on Hardstrasse, Kauz near Limmatplatz, and Clouds on the 35th floor of the Prime Tower.
Both banks of the Limmat. Widder Bar and Old Crow on the west side, Tina Bar in the Niederdorf on the east. Good for drinks, quiet for dancing.
The tram junction at Bellevue has Palais Mascotte, Club Bellevue and the Kronenhalle Bar within a few minutes of each other. Seefeld behind it is mostly residential.
Kaufleuten and Aura near Paradeplatz, Rimini Bar on the Schanzengraben in summer, and Garibaldi in Enge for an aperitivo.
Most clubs are 18+ and want to see an ID. Some set the bar higher: Gonzo is 20+ every night, the weekend nights at Hive are 21+, and Plaza's hip-hop night admits women from 18 and men from 20. Exil asks for an official ID in physical form. Club Bellevue has no dress code, and Kauz bans photos, runs an awareness team and takes no cash.
Expect CHF 20–30 at the weekend: CHF 20 for a Frieda's Büxe night, CHF 25 for a club night at Plaza, from CHF 20 at Gonzo on Friday and Saturday, and from CHF 20 to 30 at Kaufleuten. Gonzo is free on Wednesday and Thursday, and the bars are free to enter.
The ZVV night network runs only on Friday and Saturday nights and before public holidays, from about 01:00. Night buses leave Zürich HB every 30 minutes between 01:15 and 04:15, and the night S-Bahn lines (SN) mostly run hourly. A normal ticket is enough: the CHF 5 night supplement was scrapped in December 2020. A one-hour ticket for the city zone costs CHF 4.70. From Sunday to Thursday, walk or take a taxi.
| Club entry | CHF 20–30 (≈ €21–32) |
| Beer in a club | CHF 7–9 (≈ €7.50–9.50) |
| Cocktail | CHF 18–24 (≈ €19–26) |
| Cloakroom | CHF 2–5 (≈ €2–5) |
| Night bus or S-Bahn, city zone | CHF 4.70 (≈ €5) |
| Taxi across town | CHF 30–45 (≈ €32–48) |
| Kebab at 04:00 | CHF 12–16 (≈ €13–17) |
| Hostel bed, weekend | CHF 50–80 (≈ €53–85) |
Beers on Langstrasse, a free Wednesday or Thursday at Gonzo, a kebab and the walk home.
A bar first, a CHF 25 door, five drinks, the cloakroom and a night bus.
Cocktails at Widder Bar or Clouds, a long night at Hive and a taxi home.
From Sunday to Thursday there is no night network. If you go out midweek, know your walk home or budget for a taxi.
Exil wants an official ID in physical form, and the 20+ and 21+ doors check ages. A photo on your phone will not do.
Hive, Supermarket, Exil and Clouds are all a few minutes from Hardbrücke station.
Hive opens on Thursday from 23:00, Gonzo is free, and Frieda's Büxe has run Thursday nights until 08:00.
Kauz is cashless and takes card, TWINT or its own Kauz-Cash Card.
Kauz bans photos on the floor, and awareness teams at clubs such as Kauz and Palais Mascotte step in when someone crosses a line.
On 9 April 1919 the eighth and final official Dada soirée in Zurich filled the Kaufleuten hall, with about 1,500 people according to Tristan Tzara.
Badenerstrasse 109 opened in February 1924 as the Kosmos cinema, Zurich's first cinema built on a pie-slice floor plan. It became an event venue in 2010.
Architect Robert Haussmann designed it, with lamps by the sculptor Diego Giacometti.
Until December 2020, riding the night network cost an extra CHF 5. Now a normal ticket covers it.
Most close at 04:00. At the weekend Gonzo and Supermarket run to 06:00, Hive to 07:00 on Friday and 09:00 on Saturday, and some nights at Frieda's Büxe end at 08:00.
Kreis 4 around Langstrasse for bars and small clubs, Kreis 5 around Hardbrücke for the electronic clubs, and the Altstadt for cocktail and whisky bars.
Only on Friday and Saturday nights and before public holidays, from about 01:00. Night buses leave Zürich HB every 30 minutes until 04:15, and a normal ticket is valid.
Entry is usually CHF 20–30 and drinks are expensive. A normal night with a club door, five drinks and a night bus comes to about CHF 100.
18+ at most clubs. Gonzo is 20+, Hive's weekend nights are 21+, and Plaza's hip-hop night is 18+ for women and 20+ for men.
Club Bellevue says it has none, and the house rules we found at the electronic clubs are about behaviour rather than clothes: Kauz bans photos and runs an awareness team. Check the event page for themed nights.
See which clubs and bars are open right now, who is playing and where to get tickets. Live in four cities, with more on the way.
