Layover in ZRH or LIS?
 

Guys,

Burning some Aeroplan miles en-route to London from NY and I have a choice of a roughly 8 hour layover in Zurich or the same in Lisbon. Which one would you recommend? Why?


One thing that is kinda swaying me towards LIS layover is that TAP has their new 330-900neo scheduled as of now.

ZRH being a bigger airport, you'll have a better choice (well, better is slightly exagerated ;)) for an 8 hours long layover. If I were you, I'll decide based on the arrival time at LHR or on the kind of service that you expect on board or, perhaps it makes more sense, on the price of the ticket. Finally, 8 hours may be long enough to make a short journey to either city centre. Have you seen either of them? If yes, choose the other.

Both airports are 20 minutes away from the center.

What time of the year? LIS tends to be warmer than ZRH
What time of the day? LIS tends to have worse passport control lines than ZRH.

In either case you have a good 6.5 hrs in the city.

Search for the LIS layover thread.

There is a ZRH layover thread on the Swiss (LX) board

But tbh go with the flight / airline that has the best seat/service/timing options

Zurich is quite a bit more expensive than Lisbon, if you plan to spend money.

A bit more expensive? This is the understatement of the year! :D

Trains into downtown Züri will be quicker than those into downtown Lisbon. If it's summer, then ZRH might be the better choice. The lakeside is pretty nice, and you can get there quickly. The castle just up the hill from downtown in LIS is pretty cool at sunset though. Tough choice, but you can't go wrong with either.

I said quite a bit more expensive :)

Uber takes 15-20 mins to downtown and will cost less than the train in ZRH for one person :D, the metro will be 30-35 (it takes the long way around).

I would pick ZRH, but it's a matter of personal preference. As others have noted, you will definitely spend more money if you visit Zurich for the day :)

Three-zone day pass in ZRH is about 14 francs per person and I think you can use all public transport for that.

Uber to and from the airport in LIS + 2 day passes will be about the same for 2 people :)

So what can one do with an afternoon and evening in Zuerich?

Lunch and dinner? Take a trip on the lake ferry. Go up to Uetliberg. Visit the National Museum, for just a few ideas.

Thanks, we will be there on Monday, April 1. I expect that outdoor activity potential will depend on the weather.