The top 4 cultural experiences in Europe

In a world where the ‘culture’ is thrown around in every darn tourist campaign, and every city claims to be ‘it’, it can be hard to distinguish the true kings.

It’s not Paris, it’s not Berlin – it’s an unexpected side to Europe that you never saw coming.

Zurich, Switzerland, has an incredibly active cultural scene. Not to brag, but they’ve got more than 50 museums and more than 100 galleries, and it’s here to make some noise about its incredibly creative presence.

Zurich Tourism is giving you a chance to win one of two double trips to the beautiful city, where you can fly in style and experience all the wonders of this cultural capital.

So to celebrate this incredible offering, we’ve counted down the top 4 cultural activities that will make your creative soul clap with glee.

Take note, here they are:

Centre Stage

The Opera House, one of the leading such establishments in Europe, enjoys international acclaim for both its opera and ballet productions. Ballet fans will fawn over many ballet greats both performing and choreographing works of art.

The Tonhalle concert hall also boasts some of the best acoustics in the world. The Schauspielhaus, Switzerland’s largest theatre, stages performances of world-class calibre.

And if you’re up for a bit of smooth sounds and funky jazz, the historical shipbuilding halls in the trendy Zürich-West district have given way to a cultural centre complete with Schauspielhaus theatre auditoriums, a restaurant, the Nietturm Bar and the Moods jazz club.

Paint by numbers

A typical feature of Zürich is its high concentration of art galleries; along the Rämistrasse “art mile”, the galleries are just a few minutes’ walk apart, while at the site of the former Löwenbräu brewery they even stand side by side.

In addition to renowned art galleries, the world-famous auction houses, Christie’s and Sotheby’s, have branches in Zürich, which is considered to be one of the world’s major art trade centres.

The city alone is home to over 50 museums, some 14 of which are devoted purely to art. The museum of fine arts, the Kunsthaus Zürich, boasts a significant collection of paintings, sculptures, photographs and videos. In addition, it has an extensive collection of works by Alberto Giacometti.

Another highlight is the Rietberg Museum, one of the leading centers of non-European art in the world. Just a stone’s throw from Zürich’s main station, the Swiss National Museum – housed in an over 100 year old building reminiscent of a fairytale castle – contains the country’s most comprehensive collection of exhibits relating to Swiss cultural history.

Say cheese

Photography is another unique facet of Zurich’s art scene, and the cultural city of Winterthur has made a name for itself as Europe’s largest center for expertise in photography.

Just a 20-minute train ride from Zürich, the Fotomuseum Winterthur and the Swiss Foundation for Photography showcase exceptional images if this is something you fancy. Furthermore, the Oskar Reinhart Museum, exhibiting 500 pictures by important artists, is based here.

In the town of Zug, just 22 minutes by train from Zürich, the light installation by artist James Turrell transforms the station building after dark into a hovering illuminated object.

Festival fever

Horsemen clad in period costumes, a traditional parade and hopes for a fine summer characterise. Doesn’t exactly sound like your typical festival does it?

Well, Zürich’s most traditional festival, Sechseläuten, is anything but ordinary. The spring festival of the guilds is held every April. Here, the “Böögg“ snowman, a figurine stuffed with fireworks, is perched on top of a huge bonfire, and the quicker its head explodes, the longer and hotter the summer will be – or so legend has it.

A quite different kind of festival is the Street Parade, one of the largest house and techno parties in the world, where thousands of colourful, energetic and tireless ravers dance to the beat of the music in balmy Mediterranean-like weather.

One of the absolute highlights is the Zürich Festival in June and July, a unique combination of opera performances, concerts, plays, dance and fringe theatre. But it doesn’t stop here, with the Theaterspektakel, one of the most important European festivals for contemporary performing arts, offers a high-calibre event in September to round out the open air season.

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