Culture

Winterthur is renowned for its cultural life. Oskar Reinhart’s world-famous collection of paintings in the Museum Oskar Reinhart and the Am Römerholz collection,  the Museum of Photography, the Fotostiftung Schweiz (Swiss photographic foundation), the Swiss Science Center Technorama, the Casinotheater Winterthur, the Musikkollegium orchestra and music clubs featuring international artists, as well as events and festivals such as the international Musikfestwochen, the Afropfingsten festival and the International Short Film Festival are just a few examples of Winterthur’s rich offerings.
The cultural agenda features up to 250 events a month, not counting movies at the numerous cinemas. 

Sports

Sports fans, too, are spoilt for choice throughout the year. Winterthur boasts over 400 sports clubs and associations, fitness centers and public sports facilities. Besides globally popular sports such as soccer and tennis, sports as diverse as badminton and tai chi, skating and handball, Nordic walking, golf and American football can all be practiced in Winterthur and its surroundings. As far as spectator sports are concerned, there are tournaments and championships to be enjoyed in an almost equally wide range.

The variety of in-sports offered at Trendsporthalle Block is one of a kind, with a street park for skateboarders, climbing wall and an electric go-kart track attracting practitioners and spectators from near and far. Almost every district has its own swimming pool. Those who prefer swimming in a less enclosed environment can choose from numerous lakes in the surroundings, equipped with attractive points of access and sunbathing zones.
A well-developed network of hiking trails leads you from the city’s outskirts to the surrounding countryside. Winterthur and its immediate vicinity can also be explored by bicycle or on rollerblades. 
 
They put Winterthur in the headlines
Be it in soccer (FC Winterthur), ice-hockey (EHC Winterthur), handball (Pfadi Winterthur and Yellow Winterthur), floorball (Red Ants and HC Rychenberg), the world champions in the bicycle ball, Winterthur’s team sport clubs have made headlines time and again over the years. The many-time world tap dance champion comes from Winterthur, and national titles have been gained by Winterthur sportsmen and sportswomen in squash and BMX cycling. Click here (öffnet neues Fenster) for a list of sports clubs and associations.

Shopping

Winterthur’s old town, with its narrow streets dotted with restaurants, street cafés and bars, is a great place for strolling and for meeting up with friends and acquaintances. Thanks to the city's blend of small specialist shops and large department stores, plus the regular outdoor markets, shopping turns into a real pleasure. Little that the heart desires cannot be found here. 
Almost all items of daily need are available in one’s immediate vicinity. 
Most stores open Monday to Friday, 8 or 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m.  Late-night shopping on Thursdays means that stores stay open till 9 p.m. Stores at the main railway station and various filling stations cater for people wanting to shop in the evenings, on Sundays and on public holidays.
Further information on shopping in the city center is available at City-Vereinigung Junge Altstadt (öffnet neues Fenster).

The districts outside the city center, too, offer a variety of shopping centers, groceries and other stores. With more extended opening hours.

Culinary and other delights

Winterthur boasts over 400 restaurants serving anything from Thai green curry to typically Swiss “Rösti”. You can dine high above the city skyline, or surrounded by green fields and forests, or even in a greenhouse-style setting. Cafés invite you to relax and offer tempting selections of pastries and cakes. In summer, the old town can exude an almost Mediterranean charm with fountains and alfresco bars.

In the evenings, you may enjoy a cool bear or a glass of fine wine in one of the city’s cozy drinking places. Dancing the night away and enjoying a hearty breakfast at sunrise is not for everyone, but great fun for those with boundless energy. There are plenty of clubs for every taste. Former industrial buildings, warehouses and basements, remnants of Winterthur’s past as an industrial city, are being converted into venues for concerts and parties on a large scale.
Winterthur’s inhabitants love celebrations of all kinds. The Albani festival taking up the entire old town for one summer weekend each year, the Dorfete in the individual districts – reminders of their past as independent villages – and other festivals attract thousands of visitors each year. 

A list of Winterthur’s restaurants, bars and events can be found at Winterthur Tourism (öffnet neues Fenster) and Gastro Winterthur (öffnet neues Fenster).

Further information on Winterthur as a tourist region is available here (öffnet neues Fenster).