A first weekend in Zürich: old-town views, church art and a lake-side pause
Getting around Zürich: ZVV tickets, airport zones and a useful first walk
Zürich’s Grossmünster and Fraumünster: art, scaffolding and real tower accessAn example packing list for Zürich in January
Use this as a starting point and choose what suits your plans. Packtricia tailors your list and quantities to your trip length, weather and preferences.
Clothing
- Underwear
- Bras (if worn)
- Socks
- Sleepwear
- Long-sleeved base layer
- Warm trousers
- Sweater or fleece
- Warm weather-resistant coat
- Warm hat
- Gloves
- Scarf
- Comfortable walking shoes with grip
- Clothing covering shoulders and knees (for church visits)
- Smart casual outfit (for a planned restaurant meal)
Toiletries
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Body wash or soap
- Deodorant
- Skincare products
- Sunscreen
- Hairbrush or comb
- Shaving supplies (if used)
- Menstrual products (if needed)
- Contact lens solution (if used)
Essentials
- Passport or accepted travel ID
- Travel tickets and booking confirmations
- Wallet and payment cards
- Phone
- Charging cable and charger
- Swiss-compatible travel adapter (if needed)
- Medication (if needed)
- Glasses or contact lenses (if used)
- Refillable water bottle
- Small day bag
Monthly weather and packing notes
January calls for a warm coat, insulating layers and shoes with grip for chilly mornings. Keep a river walk short when paving is icy; summer Limmat boat schedules do not establish a winter departure.
- Daytime
- 3–7°C
- Evenings
- -2–2°C
- Rain
- Rain or wintry showers possible
- Daylight
- Keep unfamiliar paths within daylight; check actual sunset.
- Packing style
- Winter warmth, rain protection and footwear with grip
Packtricia calculated January Zürich-area ERA5 reanalysis averages via Open-Meteo for 1991–2020: mean daily high 4.9°C, mean daily low -0.3°C and mean monthly precipitation 77.7mm. Thirty complete year-months contribute equally using daily high/low means and precipitation sums. Requested coordinates 47.3769,8.5417 returned grid 47.5,8.5 at 409m model elevation. These gridded lowland estimates are not Zürich station normals or forecasts. Display bands extend rounded means by 2°C each way and do not bound extremes. Rain totals are not wet-day probabilities. Alpine outings, frost, storms and boat conditions need separate actual-date checks.
Outfit ideas for your outings
Lindenhof and old-town streets
- Long-sleeved base layer
- Warm trousers
- Sweater or fleece
- Warm weather-resistant coat
- Warm hat
- Gloves
- Scarf
- Comfortable walking shoes
A confirmed church or tower visit
- Long-sleeved base layer
- Warm trousers
- Sweater or fleece
- Warm weather-resistant coat
- Warm hat
- Gloves
- Scarf
- Respectful church clothing
- Comfortable closed shoes
A lake-side pause or actual boat trip
- Long-sleeved base layer
- Warm trousers
- Sweater or fleece
- Warm weather-resistant coat
- Warm hat
- Gloves
- Scarf
- Extra removable layer (for cooler exposed pauses)
- Comfortable shoes with grip
What to leave behind
- Smooth-soled shoes for wet stone, garden steps or frosty paving.
- Specialist mountain equipment without a confirmed separate mountain outing.
- Only light clothing for cooler mornings or a boat journey.
Reviewed 2026-10-16
Open-Meteo historical reanalysis methodology · Reproducible Zürich-area ERA5 query · MeteoSwiss actual forecasts and warnings · Grossmünster operator: current church/tower exceptions and tickets · ZSG operator: actual timetable and seasonal notices