Winterthur is a cultural city with many different museums, among them the Oskar Reinhart Museum am Römerholz exhibiting modern art, the Technorama science centre and the Fotostiftung Schweiz showing Swiss and European photography. It is Switzerland's 6th biggest city, with a population of 112,000 in 2018.
In the late 19th and early 20th century, local companies such as Rieter and Sulzer turned the formally quiet little town into a booming industrial city with an incredible wealth and ever-growing workforce. Diesel engines built in Winterthur powered large ships on all seven seas, while Winterthur-built textile appliances were in service worldwide.
Starting in the 1970s and 80s, blue collar jobs started to be outsourced to countries with lower wages and unemployment rose in Winterthur. Factories were standing still and entire neighborhoods turned into "ghost towns".
However, the IT and Telco boom, and smart decisions by the local authorities have helped to redevelop those areas into new economy and urban lifestyle areas with many offices, restaurants, schools and a go-kart racing track.
There are direct trains to Winterthur train station 📍 - from Zurich, Zurich Airport, Berne, Geneva, St. Gallen, Schaffhausen, Basel and Munich. Winterthur is only 20 minutes away from Zurich or 15 minutes from the Zurich Airport.
Use the highway from Zurich, St.Gallen, Kreuzlingen or Schaffhausen.
Public Transport in the canton of Zurich has useful information on getting around and what to do in the canton of Zurich. Use the Swiss Federal Railway Site for Public transport and its fares in Switzerland.
There are 17 museums in Winterthur. Here (dead link: December 2020) you can find more.
The most famous school of Winterthur is the ZHAW - Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, which offers mostly technical courses. They also offer some limited language courses. Contact them on their website, if you're interested in studying in Winterthur.
Try the Migros Restaurant (nice Wintergarden) at the Neuwiesencenter or the Coop Restaurant in the Manor Shopping Center on the 2nd floor. Both are self-service and close to the railway station.
For Take-Away food, you can also go for Migros (same place as Restaurant) and have some salad or noodles, usually around Fr. 6. They have a small coffee there, in which you're welcome to enjoy the food. They also offer Pizza, Sandwiches and other Food, like the famous Swiss "Wähe" (pie) with all kinds of taste, from sweet over salty to spicy. Give it a try, if you like some Swiss food, and not international fast-food.
McDonald's, on the other side of the bus station right at the train station, offers you the usual food you're used to everywhere. Keep in mind that a menu costs you somewhere between Fr. 11 to 14, so a visit in Migros Restaurant is usually cheaper.
Different kebab take-away places, giving you a large variety of mostly Turkish specialities. For a regular "Döner Kebap", you will pay somewhere between Fr. 7 and 8. If you like hot sandwiches, consider Papaya and Sandwiches Kandil, where you get a big, hand crafted one with your chosen ingredients for Fr. 10.
In the ancient part of the city, there are several good restaurants: Trübli, Rössli, Akazie, National, Strauss (all with international kitchen). Swiss specialities are available in Walliser Kanne (Fondue, Raclette) and Sonne (Roesti).
Schloss Wülflingen, Taggenberg
As of June 2022, Winterthur has 5G from all Swiss carriers. Wifi is widely available in public places.
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division