Lindenhof

This tree-shaded terrace crowns a moraine hill above the Limmat and marks the Roman and medieval core of Zurich, where a customs post and later an imperial palace once stood. Today it is a quiet square paved with gravel, shaded by lime trees and set with stone benches and giant chess boards where locals play. A low wall gives a sweeping view over the river to the old town, the university on the far slope and the church towers rising along the water. It remains a favoured spot to watch the city without a ticket or a queue.