Travel black book: Going for the good Swiss life

Travel black book: Going for the good Swiss life

Who: Max Loong, 34, actor and host. The Swiss-Chinese Fly Entertainment artiste is a former MTV VJ who now divides his time between Singapore and Los Angeles.

Favourite city: Zurich, Switzerland

Why: I lived there from the age of three to 24 and I still visit every couple of months. I grew up there and know it inside-out. It's a quaint and picturesque city, and I love its old-world charm. It's also very small, which means it's quick to get from one place to another in the city, and I always bump into people I know when I'm out. None of my family lives there but I have many close friends there.

Best place to stay

One of my favourite hotels is the Widder Hotel (Rennweg 7, 8001 Zurich, tel: +41-44-224-25-26). It is in the Old Town of Zurich and is made up of nine connected old buildings that were built in the 1400s.

There are more than 50 rooms in the hotel and each room is one of a kind. They are like mini museums with columns, stone sculptures and old paintings in each one. Room rates start from 470 Swiss francs (S$670) a night.

Another nice hotel is the Dolder Grand (Kurhausstrasse 65, 8032 Zurich, tel: +41-44-456-60-00). It has the feel of an old castle.

It's where stars such as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince stayed when they visited. It's on Adlisberg hill and overlooks the city, so you get a really beautiful view. Rooms start from 540 Swiss francs a night.

Favourite restaurant

One of my favourite restaurants is the very old and legendary Kronenhalle (Ramistrasse 4, 8001 Zurich, tel: +41-44-262-99-00, open from noon to midnight). It's a slightly high-end restaurant and has a lot of history.

There are several original paintings by artists such as Picasso and Chagall hanging on the walls.

The story goes that the restaurant used to be a meeting place for artists back in the day, and sometimes when they were not able to afford their meal, they would pay in paintings.

So now there are world-famous works of art hanging in this restaurant. It's like entering an art gallery.

The restaurant serves good traditional Swiss cuisine. You must try Zurcher Geschnetzelte, which is sliced veal in gravy with rosti. It's a Zurich speciality and is really good. A main course here costs about $80.

If you want the full Swiss experience, you should go to a cheese fondue place called Le Dezaley (Romergasse 7, 8001 Zurich, tel: +41-44-251-61-29, open daily from 11.30am to 2.30pm and 6pm to midnight).

It's a quaint and charming little place that serves Swiss specialities - cheese fondue and raclette. A main here would cost about $40.

Event to bookmark

Something that's really fun is an event that happened recently. It's called Sechselauten and it is held once a year in spring. It's a big carnival that happens usually on the third Monday of April.

It starts with a parade of the historical guilds of Zurich, which are organisations formed in mediaeval times along occupational lines. Those were also the times when your surname reflected your job.

The guilds still exist today. Once a year on Sechselauten, the members come together, dress up in mediaeval costumes and walk the streets of Zurich. They end up at the main square, where there is the figure of a snowman made with explosives sitting on top of a wooden pyre.

They set the pyre on fire, and the time between the lighting of the pyre and the explosion of the snowman's head is thought to determine how good a summer Zurich will have that year. Watching that is a one-of-a-kind experience.

Another event you might want to catch is the Street Parade in August. It's the largest techno festival in Europe after the Love Parade in Berlin ended in 2010. More than a million people attend it and there are 30 different trucks, each with its own DJs and speakers.

Everyone dresses up and dances in the streets. It's a big, colourful parade, sort of like the carnival in Rio but with techno music. All the big DJs and people from all over the world go there.

Best way to get around

Zurich has one of the best public transport systems in the world. While you can probably walk around most of the city, the trains, buses and trams are also efficient and punctual to the minute. If a train says it leaves at 3.03, it leaves at 3.03 on the dot.

If you have trouble figuring out the public transport, you can always ask a local person. People there are very friendly and will explain it to you. Most people speak English.

Favourite club

Plaza (Badenerstrasse 109, 8004 Zurich, tel: +41-44-542-90-90, open Thursday to Saturday from 11pm to 5am) is the only club I go to when I'm in Zurich. It's not geared towards the young crowd like most clubbing spots, but you'll find lots of people in their late 20s and 30s here too.

The decor is beautiful, the walls have large paintings of beautiful birds that glow in the dark, and the club has a giant LED screen that adds to its cool look.

They often have live concerts featuring both indie groups and international musicians such as John Legend. It's worth checking the club's calendar before you visit the city and maybe you can catch a cool act.

Bottle service like we are used to in Singapore's clubs is not that common in Zurich, but you get it here at this club.

Favourite bar

Old Crow (Schwanengasse 4, 8001 Zurich, tel: +41-43-233-53-35, open Monday to Saturday from 4pm to 12.30am) is a new, cute little bar in the Old Town of Zurich and I love it. The decor is very much in line with being in the Old Town, with a lot of old-world flair, so you feel like you've gone back in time.

They have rare spirits from all over the world - rare gin, Scotch and a big whiskey selection that's not your usual Macallan and Johnnie Walker.

They also mix unique cocktails with these spirits. If you go there, tell the owner Markus that Max sent you. He'll probably whip you up a special cocktail.

Cocktails here probably cost about $20.

This article was published on May 11 in The Straits Times.

Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.