Lake Zurich - Northeast shore driving tour

Erlenbach (415 m/1,362ft), beautifully set at the foot of the "Zur Schips" estate (sumptuous banqueting hall in the house) with Mariahalde, an elegant country house in Neo-Classical style (1770). 5km/3mi beyond this is Meilen.

9km/6mi east of Stäfa is Rapperswill, where the Winterthur road comes in on the left. From here a causeway (930 m/1,017yd long) crosses between the main part of Lake Zurich and the Obersee on the left to the peninsula of Hurden. Here there is a fishing village popular with summer visitors (chapel of 1497), and Pfäffikon, from which it is possible to return to Zurich either by the lakeside road or by the highway.

The first place beyond Zurich on the northeast side of the lake is Küsnacht (427 m/1,401ft), a town of 12,000 inhabitants, with a church first mentioned in the records in 1158. The present building dates from the 15th C. and has wall-paintings in the choir. Also of interest are the "Höchhus", a 15th C. tower house, and a former commandery of the Knights of St John, now a teachers' training college. 3km/2mi southeast lies Erlenbach.

An exhibition with local flavor with a village reconstruction, 20th C costumes and hairstyles.

The chief town of the northast shore of Lake Zurich is Meilen (423 m/1,388ft; pop. 10,000). The Protestant church by the lake was given to Einsiedeln Abbey by the Emperor Otto the Great in 965; the choir in its present form dates from 1493-1495. From Meilen a steep road (5km/3mi) goes up to the Pfannenstiel (853 m/2,799ft), the highest peak on the north side of the lake, from which there are extensive views. There is a car ferry to Horgen on the south side of the lake. About 7km/4mi southeast is Stäfa.

This local museum features Meilen's history.

Stäfa (417 m/1,368ft; pop. 7,000) is the largest commune on the north side of Lake Zurich, taking in Uerikon, Oetikon and many small hamlets. The reformed church, restored in the 1980s, stands on a hill overlooking the village. The origins of the Classical parish church go back to the period before the end of the first millennium and show that the church, dedicated to St Verena, was owned by Einsiedeln Monastery. In Uerikon, on the lake, are two interesting old manor houses and a 16th C. chapel.