Rieterpark: Magnolias, Views, and Zurich’s Quiet Escape

Itchy Feet’s people were so focused on the Drug Dealer Park that they forgot to include the harmless ones. 

The kind of parks where people walk their dogs, read a book in the shade, have a picnic on the lawn or simply breathe out for a minute.

So let me take you to Rieterpark, and just next door, Belvoirpark.

To be honest, until not too long ago, whenever I spent time in the city, it was always for a purpose: shopping, meeting a friend, grabbing a bite to eat. But just sitting in a park, duck watching? Not something I had on the radar.

That changed—(no) thanks to the 2020 lockdown.

When schools closed with pretty much zero notice and no assignments to speak of, Colin and I decided to make our own plan. Each day, we’d explore a different country - from home. We listened to music, looked at photos, learned about local wildlife, cooked a traditional dish...

I was especially looking forward to Japan Day. And you'll see why in a moment!

Restaurants were shut, so I had to do some proper sushi delivery service research. Mission accomplished. This was our lunch:

Back from my airline days, I still keep in touch with a Japanese friend. I asked her if there were any spots in Zurich where cherry blossoms bloom. She pointed me toward Rieterpark, tucked away in a quiet neighborhood.

By the way, these days you'd just have to turn to Instagram. I'm getting flooded with pink petals and maps directing me to the according locations.

And just like that, we were off. A sunny spring afternoon, the world in lockdown, but there we were, soaking in the delicate pink blossoms. Technically, we were meant to stay home, but this felt like therapy. Even my then-11-year-old admitted he liked it.

Five years ago feels like a different lifetime. Colin still had his braces. I had just missed my hair appointment by a day. The lockdown came too early, and my dark roots were about to have a moment. (And yes, it got worse from there. We all know how that story went.)

But silver linings emerged. One of them: an unexpected stretch of quality time with my son. And a newfound love for these peaceful city parks.

Ever since, every spring I find myself back at Rieterpark, checking in on the magnolia and cherry blossoms like old friends.

At 70,000 square meters (about 17 acres), Rieterpark is Zurich's largest and most impressive landscaped garden and is located in the Zurich Enge district. The park and the associated villa (now the Rietberg Museum) were created as early as 1855, were taken over by the Rieter family of industrialists from Winterthur at the end of the 19th century and became the property of the city in 1945. Some of the beech trees in the park are still from the original stand and are therefore over 150 years old.

And if the skies are kind, you can even catch the snowy Alps glistening at the far end of Lake Zurich. What a treat!

Sometimes it takes a global standstill to notice what’s been right under our noses all along. Parks aren’t just green patches on a map, they’re places where memories form, where kids grow up, and where we reconnect with something quieter and more essential. 

Did the pandemic change the way you spend time in your hometown? Any new places you discovered - and kept coming back to since?