Zurich nightlife by neighbourhood: where to go out, from Langstrasse bars in Kreis 4 and the Kreis 5 clubs to old town cocktail bars, Bellevue and Enge.
Zurich nightlife is spread across five areas, and each one does a different night. Kreis 4 around Langstrasse is the bar street, with Olé Olé Bar, Gonzo and Plaza. Kreis 5, the old industrial west around Hardbrücke, holds the electronic clubs: Hive, Supermarket, Exil and Kauz. The Altstadt is for whisky and cocktails at Widder Bar, Old Crow and Tina Bar. Bellevue has Palais Mascotte, Club Bellevue and the Kronenhalle Bar, and the City and Enge add Kaufleuten, Aura and, in summer, Rimini Bar.
The distances are short, and you can walk between most of these places. The catch is transport: the night network only runs on Friday and Saturday, from about 01:00. This guide covers what each area is like, where to go and who it suits.
Langstrasse runs through Kreis 4, west of the main station. For decades it was the city's red-light district, known for drugs and sex work; today it is where Zurich goes for a drink that turns into a long night. The bars open early and stay open late. Olé Olé Bar at number 138 has been here since 1967. It started as a biker bar, now draws everyone from students to bankers, and opens every day from 17:00 to 04:00, with a jukebox and a cash machine inside.
Across the street, Gonzo has no sign: look for the queue by the phone box. It plays hip-hop, R&B and Afrobeats rather than techno, from Wednesday to Saturday from 23:00. Wednesday and Thursday are free and finish at 04:00; Friday and Saturday cost from CHF 20 and run to 06:00. Every night is 20+. At the southern end of the street, Plaza fills the former Kosmos cinema at Badenerstrasse 109, which opened in 1924. Concerts run early, the bar opens at 20:00, and club nights follow from 23:00 until 04:00, with tickets around CHF 25.
A few minutes further south-west, just over the border in Kreis 3, Frieda's Büxe on Friedaustrasse is a small house and techno club built like a living room, with vintage sofas, a smoking lounge and nights that can run until 08:00. Langstrasse is about 1 km from Zürich HB, through the underpass beneath the tracks. Kreis 4 suits groups who want to move between bars, and anyone who wants hip-hop rather than house. It does not suit a quiet drink: the street is loud and busy until the early hours.
Zürich-West, the old industrial quarter around Hardbrücke station, is where the big electronic rooms are. Geroldstrasse alone has two. Hive at number 5 runs three rooms, Disco, Tanzstube and Frigo, with house and techno from Thursday to Saturday. Thursday closes at 04:00, Friday at 07:00 and Saturday at 09:00 on Sunday morning, and the weekend nights are 21+. A few doors along, Supermarket, a former garage, hands its nights to promoters, so a Friday of techno can be followed by a Saturday of disco. Recent nights ran until 05:00 on Friday and 06:00 on Saturday.
On Hardstrasse, Exil mixes concerts and DJ nights, often on the same evening. Parties are 18+, and the door accepts only an official ID in physical form. Near Limmatplatz, Kauz is the small one: an electronic club with a seasonal cocktail menu built on wild plants and herbs, a cashless bar, a no-photo rule and club nights from 22:00 on Friday and Saturday. For a first drink with a view, Clouds is on the 35th floor of the Prime Tower, next to Hardbrücke station, and stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Hardbrücke is the first S-Bahn stop west of Zürich HB, and the walk back to the main station takes about 20 minutes. On Friday and Saturday the night network runs from about 01:00; on other nights you walk or take a taxi. Kreis 5 suits people who came for house and techno and want to stay out until morning. It does not suit a bar crawl: the venues are spread out and the streets between them are quiet.
The Altstadt covers both banks of the Limmat. On the west side, around Rennweg and the Lindenhof, the bars are small, old and serious about spirits. Widder Bar in the Widder Hotel ranks first in the German-speaking region on the Top 500 Bars list, holds more than 650 whiskies and over 1,200 spirits, and has a pianist playing regularly. It opens daily from 12:00 until 01:00, or 02:00 on Friday and Saturday, and takes no reservations. A few streets away on Schwanengasse, Old Crow was co-founded by a former Widder Bar manager and lines up more than 1,700 bottles behind the bar. It opens from Tuesday to Saturday, 17:00 to 00:30.
On the east bank, the Niederdorf is the old town's pedestrian spine, with restaurants and bars along Niederdorfstrasse. Tina Bar is upstairs at Brasserie Louis: a 40-seat cocktail bar and cigar lounge, open daily from 17:00 and until 02:00 on Friday and Saturday. Trams stop at Central and Rathaus. The Altstadt suits a slower evening of two or three very good drinks, before dinner or before a club elsewhere. It is not where you go to dance: there are no big clubs here, and most bars close by 02:00.
Bellevue is the big tram junction where the Limmat meets the lake, and three good places sit within a few minutes of it. The Kronenhalle Bar on Rämistrasse was designed by Robert Haussmann in 1965, with mahogany panelling, green leather seats and lamps by Diego Giacometti. It opens from 11:30 until midnight, or 00:30 on Friday and Saturday, and it is the place for one classic cocktail. A few doors up Rämistrasse, Club Bellevue is a small electronic club with a strong sound system and no dress code. Parties are 18+, the programme runs from Thursday to Sunday, and the party capacity is about 500.
On Theaterstrasse, Palais Mascotte carries a name that dates back to 1916 and plays Italo disco, disco funk and house. Most Friday nights run from 22:00 to 04:00, and the queer KIKI party has held a day-into-night edition here. Seefeld, the district along the lake behind Bellevue, is mostly residential and quiet after dark, so treat Bellevue itself as the destination. Zürich HB, where the night buses start, is about 1.2 km away. This area suits a central night with short walks between stops. It does not suit a long warehouse night: the rooms are compact and most close at 04:00.
South of the old town, the streets around Paradeplatz and Bahnhofstrasse empty out after the shops close, but a few places keep the area busy at night. Kaufleuten at Pelikanplatz is club, restaurant, bar and stage in one building, about 750 metres from Zürich HB. It calls itself the oldest club in Switzerland, and on 9 April 1919 it hosted the last official Dada soirée in Zurich. Today its weekend club nights cover hip-hop and R&B, Latin, 00s hits and house, with tickets from CHF 20–30, and the whole venue is 18+.
A few minutes away at Bleicherweg 5, Aura runs themed club nights from 23:00 to 04:00 with an 18+ door. In summer, Rimini Bar opens on the deck of the Männerbad Schanzengraben, a men-only river bath by day and a bar for everyone in the evening, until midnight. Further south in Enge, Garibaldi on Gotthardstrasse serves coffee by day and aperitivo, antipasti and cocktails until midnight from Tuesday to Saturday. This area suits a smarter night out and groups booking a lounge. It does not suit a cheap night, and away from the clubs it is quiet after midnight.
For a club weekend, stay near Zürich HB or in Kreis 4 or Kreis 5. Langstrasse is about 1 km from the station and Hardbrücke is one S-Bahn stop away, so most of the clubs in this guide are a walk or a short ride from your bed. Kreis 4 is loud at night, so ask for a room away from the street. The Altstadt and the lake are quieter and pricier, and better if you also want the sights. The night network only runs on Friday and Saturday, which makes a central base more useful midweek. Compare hotels and hostels by area on our page of places to stay in Zurich.
Zurich works best when you pick an area for the first half of the night and a club for the second. For prices, door rules and transport in one place, read the full Zurich nightlife guide. If you are choosing a club, start with our ranked list of the 10 best clubs in Zurich.
Kreis 4 around Langstrasse for bars and hip-hop, and Kreis 5 around Hardbrücke for house and techno clubs. The Altstadt is best for cocktail and whisky bars.
In Kreis 4, west of Zürich HB. Olé Olé Bar and Gonzo, halfway along the street, are about 1 km from the station on foot.
Kreis 5. Hive and Supermarket share Geroldstrasse by Hardbrücke station, and Kauz is near Limmatplatz.
On Friday and Saturday, night buses leave Zürich HB every 30 minutes between 01:15 and 04:15, and the night S-Bahn runs mostly hourly, on a normal ticket. On other nights, walk or take a taxi.
Near Zürich HB or in Kreis 4 or Kreis 5. Langstrasse and the Kreis 5 clubs are then a walk or one S-Bahn stop away.
