Cheap hotels near Polybahn in Zurich, Switzerland

Sure, a 19th-century funicular might not seem like your idea of fun, but if you want to see Zurich from a totally different angle, we suggest you hop on.

The poly only has two stops (and just two cars) and runs from Zurich Central-Hochschulen (near the banks of the Limmat River at Limmatquai) to the main campus of ETH Zurich (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology). This is the school where Albert Einstein was a graduate and then later a professor and the school has sometimes been referred to as a polytechnic college (hence the “poly”).

The little red cable cars are considered Zurich icons. They depart every two and a half minutes and the entire ride only takes a little over a minute and a half to complete. So, keep your eyes peeled and take it in. Or, plan to repeat the journey a few times.

The “poly” has been in existence since the late 1800s, but got a full makeover in 1990 when it was purchased by UBS bank. For more information, visit Zurich’s main transporation site.

Cheap hotels near the Polybahn: We list a good bunch of hotels near the Poly’s home stop in Aldstadt. Nearby Seefeld offers even more reasonably priced sleep options.

Below you'll see several hotels that were visited and inspected by our editors, including some two-star sleepers and even a hostel. Choosing a hotel in this area will put you within walking distance of most of the city's main sights.