We’d lived a half-hour drive away from Uetliberg for years, but only when a friend came to visit, we finally set out to explore this pretty little mountain. It’s not that we weren’t keen on coming here, but living in Switzerland, you’re so overwhelmed by stunning scenery that the prospect of a sunny weekend ahead gives you headaches from way too much choice for places to visit.

Uetliberg in Zurich is the equivalent of Zugerberg in Zug – a local mountain that is exaggeratedly called Berg (mountain) at an elevation of only 871m. The backyard of Zurich, southwest of the city centre, is however far more commercialised than the summit of Zugerberg and conveniently accessible by the Uetliberg railway line (S10) that runs from Zurich central station to just below Uetliberg summit.

Various trails for hiking and mountain biking, and sledging in winter, meander across the wooded hillsides and in summer an open leaf canopy shades the well-maintained gravel path for most of the way to the top. The starting point of the route, Triemli train station, has frequent S-Bahn service to Zurich main station and was already busy at 10 am on a Sunday in August.

There are parking spaces near the station (the endpoint of the route) but they tend to fill up quickly on weekends we were told. On Sundays, you can also park along Kellerweg (the starting point of the route), as we did. Blue and white parking zones are generally free of charge on Sundays and not reserved for residents if not stated otherwise.

We set out at a leisurely pace on Hohensteinweg climbing the gentle slope and were pleasantly surprised by the diverse crowd that had come here to walk, run, and push prams up the hill. It’s a place for people of all ages to enjoy the outdoors. We passed several groups of elderly ladies who had slowed to a crawl for shortness of breath from constant chattering, and at an adventure playground further uphill, families had gathered for picnics and were grilling Cervelat sausages over an open fire.

We passed Uetliberg train station, where the path became a little more crowded with visitors. Seconds later, we came upon some peculiar statues that I mistook for moose portrayed as ancient Egyptian pharaohs balancing on their head a chandelier with giant bulbs in place of antlers. 

To me, they seemed slightly out of place in Central Switzerland, but someone more artistically minded would probably have recognized Leuchtende Hirsche (glowing deer) as a fine piece of art by artist Bruno Weber. And deer (if not necessarily glowing ones) are common in these parts, so these statues aren’t actually out of place at all, I guess.

As I mentioned before, Uetliberg caters well for tourists and at the summit, you’ll find a panorama deck, observation tower, hotel, and restaurants. But even if you’re not interested in any of these amenities, Uetliberg is well worth the visit for the panoramic views alone.

The flat Limmat valley extends to your left, the rooftops of Zurich sprawl at your feet and almost seem to strangle Lake Zurich as they’ve taken possession of the whole lakeshore, and to your right mighty alpine peaks rise in the far distance. We returned to the trailhead on foot, walking back the same way, but there’s always the option of taking the Uetliberg railway for a 12 min ride back to Triemli station.