ETH Zürich
ETH Zürich Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (http://www.ethz.ch/) is one of the most renowned technical universities in the world.
Uetliberg
Go up Uetliberg, a hill overlooking Zurich. You can hike up, or take a train from the main station. Enjoy the 360 degree view from a tall viewing tower not for vertigo sufferers!. This is also the start of the planetenweg planetary walk, an 8 mile walk along the ridge with models of the planets along the way. These are scaled down in true proportion to the solar system. To look at Zürich from the other hills, go to the Irchel Tram station Milchbuck or Käferberg Bucheggplatz, walk up the hill and keep right of the forest.
trip on the Zürichsee
Take a trip on the Zürichsee with one of the two old steam ships. There are a few different routes you can choose from, which will vary mainly in the distance. Or rent a small rowboat.
skiing
Go skiing by train — Buy a snow'n'rail ticket train & skipass at the Hauptbahnhof during winter months, train out in morning, back in evening. Flumserberg is the closest large ski-resort, popular with people from Zurich, with a good range of runs for beginners and experts. Retreat to the right side of the resort if the rest gets busy.
Switzerland has a very strict labor market. You will need a work permission visa and promotion from an employer.
For citizens of the EU-25 countries the bilateral agreements makes it easier to gain a temporary work permit typically for 5 years that is renewable if you have worked. Often a 1 year permit is issued to EU applicants, as such candidates can repeatedly renew even these 1 year permits. Legally, EU applicants have the same status as Swiss applicants when applying for jobs employer does not need to justify hiring them, and must hire them in preference to non-EU/non-Swiss applicants if skills are equivalent.
For all other citizenships you need a company behind you and you must have skills that are rare in the Swiss or EU! labor market.
Working without permission can lead to a night in prison and deportation depending on you and the agreement with your home country.
Polybahn
Take the Polybahn, a 19th century funicular, up the steep hill for a fine view. Starts at tram station Central and goes up to the ETH. Zone 10 ZVV ticket is valid. Nice terrace up there. During the week, the student cafeteria below the terrace is also open to the public.
Go club-hopping
Zã¼rich has proportionately the largest number of clubs per capita in europe. pick up a free copy of the 20 minuten 20 minutes paper and start exploring.
bike ride!
Go for a bike ride! You can get free bikes, skates or other fun transport at several stops throughout town. Beware though that biking within the city is only for the experienced, as trams and buses frequent the roads and tram tracks are a serious hazard to inexperienced cyclists.
organ concerts
The Grossmunster sometimes has organ concerts in the evenings. Check the front door for notices.
Rhine Falls
Take a 45 min train ride to see the largest waterfall in Europe, the Rhine Falls. Take the train from the Zurich Airport or Zurich HB central station to either Winterthur then transfer trains to Schloss Laufen from April-Oct or Schaffhausen then take the city bus #1 or #6 to Neuhausen Zentrum.
Events
Streetparade
(http://www.streetparade.ch) — currently the biggest open air techno rave in europe. it happens one day each year on the second saturday of august, during which trucks which function as mobile soundsystems "love mobiles" start driving along the lake side, starting from the east at utoquai and ending at the west at hafen enge. every year this event attracts nearly a million visitors who dance in the streets to the music which you can hear from anywhere in the city. after the streetparade the party doesn't stop, there are open air parties along the route until midnight and club parties at various locations in town until late the next day, to keep the party going. don't be surprised if the city's cleanliness isn't up to its usual standard the next day.
Züri Fäscht
Which occurs every 3 years next in 2013, is a weekend festival celebrating zurich.
Sechseläuten
Around mid-april, the guilds of zã¼rich celebrate their traditional spring festival with the burning of the snow man bã¶ã¶gg. a procession of several hundreds of people with historical guild costumes and horses takes place in the centre of the town.
Swiss national day
August 1st — celebrations are carried out in many cities in the evenings and fireworks are launched at night. watch them over the lake, or if you're experienced with safely launching fireworks yourself, you can buy them in the days leading up to the national holiday and have fun. the display over the rheinfall, one hour away by s-bahn, is also extremely popular.
Shows and theater
Rote Fabrik
An old silk factory converted to a centre of youth culture and art in the 1980s. The Red Factory became one of the most exciting parts of cultural life. An artists coop, a couple of kilometers south, form along the west bank of Lake Zurich. They have a variety of events, including music, film, and theater.
Schauspielhaus
Zurich's Schauspielhaus is one of the most important theatres in the German speaking part of Europe. The Schauspielhaus has several locations, the most important one being the Pfauen. Students can get really cheap last minute tickets 10 minutes before the show if they show their student ID. The best seats, if available, costs 20 CHF that way.
Opernhaus
The Zurich Opera house shows frequently changing productions of world famous operas. As with the Schauspielhaus, students get a big last-minute discount. The best seats costs 45 CHF for students.
Cinema Arthouse Le Paris
Frequently changing Arthouse Movies, students get a discount.