Dog Parks & Walks in Zurich

The Uetliberg is Zurich's home mountain: a 871-metre forested hill right at the city's edge, reached by the S10 train from the Hauptbahnhof in 20 minutes. For dogs, it is the finest outing in the city: kilometres of forest trails through beech and spruce woodland, a panoramic platform at the summit with views over the entire Alps range, and the Planetenweg (Planet Walk) trail descending through the forest to Felsenegg. Dogs can go off-leash on most of the forest trails.

The Zürichsee (Lake Zurich) promenade stretches for kilometres along both shores, with several large lakeside parks (Zürichhorn Park, Arboretum, Mythenquai) that are excellent for dog walking. Dogs must be on-leash on the main promenade path but can go off-leash in designated areas within the parks. The lake water is exceptionally clean and there are dog-accessible swimming points away from the main bathing beaches.

The Sihlwald is a protected primeval forest in the Sihl river valley, about 30 minutes from central Zurich by S-Bahn (S4). It is one of the finest examples of protected lowland forest in Switzerland and a spectacular dog outing. The river banks of the Sihl are accessible throughout the valley, and dogs can run freely on most of the forest trails. The Wildnispark Zürich visitor centre provides good information about dog access policies in the reserve.