Mind the Pigeons? Zurich HB vs. other European Train Stations

Welcome back to my blog series: "Is Zurich, Switzerland just like any other European city?"

Today, let's explore Zurich’s main station - Zürich Hauptbahnhof (HB), the largest railway hub in Switzerland and one of the busiest in Europe.

An average of 367,000 passengers use Zurich Main Station every working day (as of 2022). There are almost 3,000 train journeys at Zurich main station every day. This means that a train arrives or departs approximately every 25 seconds.

A Railway Built for Pastries?

In 1836, the Zurich Chamber of Commerce proposed a railway from Basel to Zurich, but political unrest stalled the project. It wasn’t until 1847 that Switzerland’s first railway, the Spanisch-Brötli-Bahn, was finally built, connecting Zurich and Baden.

Source

The railway’s name came from the Spanisch Brötli, a buttery, almond-hazelnut pastry popular among Zurich’s wealthy elite. Before the railway, servants had to make a 23 km (14.3 miles) overnight journey on foot or horseback to fetch fresh Spanisch Brötli from Baden for their employers’ breakfast. With the train, the trip was cut to 45 minutes, making these pastries more accessible.

Fun fact: Spanisch Brötli nearly disappeared but were revived in 2007 for a town festival. The Baden-based bakery Moser’s Backparadies continues the tradition and has branches as far away as Zurich, so there's no need to travel by train. 

Zürich HB: More Than Just a Train Station

Zürich HB isn’t just a transportation hub; it’s a multi-level, high-efficiency station with an impressive range of destinations and amenities.

• Efficiency & Punctuality: Swiss commuters grumble if a train is two minutes late, while expats marvel at the timeliness and cleanliness of the system.

• No Overwhelming Security Presence: Unlike Paris, London, or Madrid, there are no ticket barriers or excessive security checks—anyone can walk through, ticket or not.

• Shopping & Dining: With over 180 shops and restaurants, Zürich HB feels more like a shopping mall than just a train station. Thousands of people work here, from SBB railway staff to store employees, keeping the station running almost around the clock. Thanks to ShopVille’s unique status, stores are open 365 days a year, including Sundays. The Swiss Federal Railways even markets it with a touch of irony: ‘the only shopping center with its own main station.’

• Event Venue: The station hosts Switzerland’s largest indoor Christmas market, featuring a Swarovski-adorned Christmas tree. The Züri-Wiesn Oktoberfest also attracts 35,000 visitors annually.

How International is Zürich HB?

As part of a summer activity for my then 7-year-old son Colin, he researched the number of international destinations accessible from Zurich by train. The list was impressive:

• Germany: Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart, Cologne, Bonn...
• Czech Republic: Prague
• Austria: Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck…
• Hungary: Budapest
• Slovakia: Bratislava
• Croatia: Zagreb
• Italy: Milan, Venice, Bologna
• France: Paris, Dijon
• Netherlands: Amsterdam, Utrecht

He also checked the newsstand’s press selection—available in German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Arabic, Russian, and even Japanese on request!

Art at the Train Station

Zürich HB isn’t just a transport hub; it’s also a place of art. The most famous installation is L'Ange Protecteur (The Guardian Angel) by Niki de Saint Phalle, a vibrant sculpture suspended from the ceiling of the main hall since 1997. 

But there’s more: In 1992, the Italian artist Mario Merz installed “The Philosophical Egg” at a lofty height. Red spiral shapes made of neon tubes and sculpted, free-hanging animals form an effective, dynamic counterpoint to the classicist sobriety of the Zurich station concourse. The numbers are a tribute to the medieval Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci, who proved with his series of numbers that nature follows mathematical laws.

Yello (Swiss 1980s pop band) frontman Dieter Meier's centenary ball is embedded in the ground in the middle of Zurich main station and protected with bulletproof glass so that passers-by can view it from above. The sphere - installed in 2008 - will draw attention to the insignificant and meaningless for 100 years.

Only rarely will it be taken out of its display case to roll along a twelve-meter-long track, the “Bois du voyage d'or”. The dates are: 

May 9, 2008 (Successful - I missed it)
June 24, 2008 (Successful - I missed it)
September 18, 2016 (Successful - I missed it)

August 28, 2033
June 12, 2064
July 21, 2082
January 18, 2097
May 9, 2108

In 2018, Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto erected a (temporary) 20-meter-high textile sculpture called GaiaMotherTree. Whether intentional or not, Zürich HB feels like an open-air gallery, blending daily commutes with artistic encounters. Special shoutout to Jasmine who mentioned this just a few days ago!

My Summer Job at Zürich HB

During college, I worked a summer job at a butcher’s deli stand in the station. It was hard work—early mornings, long hours on my feet—but fascinating. The clientele varied throughout the day: businesspeople in a hurry, families, tourists asking for tram directions, and even visitors needing help with Swiss currency.

Zürich HB: "Pigeon-Owned"?

Itchy Feet’s map "Every European City" humorously claims that all train stations are pigeon-infested. But I’d argue that Zurich is relatively spared compared to places like Milan’s Piazza del Duomo or Paris’ Notre-Dame.

Zurich actively controls the pigeon population through designated lofts, where eggs are replaced with dummies. However, private feeding remains an issue—leading to measures like relocation or, unfortunately, culling. The city encourages people to stop feeding pigeons, as overfeeding leads to year-round breeding and population spikes.

What Happens at Night?

I've never experienced it firsthand, but closing Zürich HB is quite a process.

• It takes about an hour to lock all 93 gates, turnstiles, and shutters while asking homeless individuals and drug users to leave.

• From 1:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m., maintenance and cleaning crews take over.

• The first trains depart around 5 a.m., with select night trains operating on weekends.

Zurich HB is efficient, international, and surprisingly pigeon-free—a train station that’s more than just a place to catch a train. Whether you're grabbing a pastry, shopping, or catching a ride to the suburbs or another European city, it’s a unique part of Zurich’s identity.

If you could board a train from Zurich HB right now, where would you go?