We rented a self-contained apartment at Birchwil which is about 10km from Zurich airport.

The owner, Werner, met us at the airport and gave us a lift back to the apartment, it took two trips because of the large bike bags.

The apartment was excellent, large, modern and well equipped. There was a large garage where we could assemble the bikes.

It was a short bus ride to Bassersdorf railway station and then about half an hour by train to Zurich central station. The railway station inside the airport was on the way and it was convenient to stop there to buy groceries on the way back to the apartment.

Shopping hours in Switzerland are closely regulated by law. They close at 6.30pm on weekdays and all day Sunday. The airport has an exemption and there is a reasonably large shopping centre with good supermarket, bakery, wine merchants and so on with extended hours. The prices are no higher than at other shops elsewhere.

The buses and trains in Switzerland are punctual to the minute and most have display boards showing the next few stops.

Margaret also had an iPhone ‘app’ that showed where each bus or train was at any given moment. The red dot travels down the line and there is even a notification in the rare event that a train is running more than five minutes late.

Zurich has retained its historic character and is a pleasant town to wander around. The trams pass every couple of minutes and go in every direction. If you buy a day pass you can jump on and off as you wish. The day pass also covers the ferries and trains in the applicable zones.

If you enjoy window shopping there are some eye-wateringly expensive shops.