Christmas in Zurich and Zug

Winter night in Zurich

While it does feel a bit early to be writing about Christmas, we are now half -way through November, most of the ski resorts have opened and we can see snow on the mountains and I can definitely feel the Christmas spirit coming alive, so perhaps it’s time to divulge a few Zurich and Zug Christmas secrets.

Zurich and Zug are beautiful during the Christmas period with Christmas markets, concerts, sunday sales and night shopping as well as events like santa swimming and advent concerts so I thought I would give you a little run down.

ZURICH

Christmas Markets

Christmas market in the Niederdorf : The oldest Christmas market in Zurich is held every year in the “lower village” in old town. The market stalls are located next to central Niederdorfstrasse. The Christmas market during advent season is a must in this picture perfect location of cobbled streets, even if it’s just a stroll to see all the market stands and to taste the mulled wine.

Opening times: 24^thNovember – 23^rd December.

Monday to Saturday: 11.00 to 21.00

Sunday: 11.00 to 19.00

Address: Niederdorfstrasse, 8001 Zurich

Christkindlimarkt in Central Station: This is one of the largest indoor Christmas markets in Europe. Over 150 stalls, mulled wine and a 15-meter-high Christmas tree decorated in Swarovski crystals transform Zurich main station to a winter wonderland.

Opening times: 23^rd November – 24^th December

Sunday to Wednesday: 10.30 to 21.00

Thursday to Saturday: 10.30 to 22.00

Address: Hauptbahnhof Zurich, 8001 Zurich

Christmas Carols Tree and Market: The market at Werdmuhleplatz is the youngest market in the city. On a beautifully decorated stage in the form of a Christmas tree daily evening concerts from choirs from the region make it feel like Christmas every day. Again this is a market not to be missed.

Opening times: 24^th November – 23^rd December

Christmas market

Monday to Thursday 4.00pm – 9.00pm

Friday 4.00pm – 10.00pm

Saturday 1.00pm – 10.00pm

Sunday 1.00pm – 9.00pm

Choir performances

Monday to Friday 5.30pm / 6.30pm

Saturday and Sunday 2.30pm / 3.30pm / 5.30pm / 6.30pm

Address: Werdmuhleplatz, 8001 Zurich

Zurich Christmas Market Bellevue –This fabulous Christmas market has over 100 stalls and is located right in front of the Opera House in Bellevue. What makes this market so special is the ice skating rink in front of the Opera house and the fondue Stübli in the Chalet by the Christmas tree.

Opening times: 24th November – 23rd December 2015

Monday to Saturday 11am – 10pm

Sunday 11am – 8pm

Address: Sechselaeutenplatz in front of the Opera House

Christmas Shopping

Christmas lights and Night Shopping: On the 24^th November the pre-Christmas shopping starts with the switching on of the Christmas lights at Bahnhofstrasse at 18.00 and then night shopping till 22.00. Night shopping should not be missed on the 24th as many shops have festive events either inside or outside which include free mulled wine, concerts and other festive events.

Sunday sales in Advent: On 3 Sundays many shops in the centre of Zurich are open. The dates for these are:

Sunday, 27 November, 2016: 11.00am – 6.00pm

Sunday, 4 December, 2016: 11.00am – 6.00pm

Sunday, 18 December, 2016: 11.00am – 6.00pm.

New Year Shopping: Even though the 2^nd of January is a holiday in Zurich many of the shops are open in the city. The shops will close at 20.00 on the 2^nd.

Events

Unique events make Christmas magical in Zurich. There are Christmas events on almost every day from the 17^th November till the New Year.

Christmas Circus Conelli: 17^th November – 31^st December

Top acrobatics, poetry, comedy and musical delights make this a must visit event with the family, friends and loved ones.

Christmas Procession: 27^th November at 17.00

The procession travels from Werdmuhleplatz to Buerkliplatz. The parade celebrates the arrival of “Santa Claus”. The parade is led by a bishop with many children dressed up as Santa’s helpers.

Musical Advent Calendar: December 1^st – December 23^rd

At the Zurich Opera house, there is a free concert every day at 17.30 for 15 minutes. Its free to watch and they sing both well and lesser known music to get everyone in the Christmas spirit.

Santa Claus swim: 4^th December –Zurich Schiffslande

This is the 2^nd largest winter swim in Switzerland and is limited to 350 entries so book early to get your place. hallo@limmatschwimmen.ch

Zurich Silvesterlauf: 11^th December at 12.00

For those who like to keep fit (and stave off the effects of the mince pies) before the festive season really starts this is the perfect event. A traditional fun run though the old town of Zurich. Various distances ranging from 1.4 to 8.6 km are available.

Lichterschwimmen: 22^nd December at 18.00

Floating candles are sent from Stadthausquai on a Christmas journey. At Weinplatz, Zurich tourism offers guests warm punch and something sweet between 17.00 and 19.00.

Christmas Nativity: 25^th November to 8^th January.

Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday – 10.00 to 17.00

Thursday – 10.00 to 19.00

The national museum in Zurich presents a selection of nativity scenes. This is very popular with parents as its great entertainment for the kids. The event happens at the Swiss National Museum, Museum Street 2, 8001 Zurich.

I hope that gives you a good insight into the goings on in Zurich during the Christmas break, particularly if you have friends and family to entertain.

Zug

Christmas Market

Klausmarkt mit Kinderattraktion: With over 70 stands and entertainment for the kids this is a great market to visit in Zug. Its on for 1 day on the 27^th of November from 09.00 to 18.00 at Landsgemeindeplatz, Zug.

Einsiedein Market: Even though it’s not in Zug, this market is the biggest in central Switzerland. Its located right by the monastery and with amazing decorations, Christmas carols, market stands and so much more, this is best authentic market in Switzerland and is set in such a stunning location.

Opening times: 26^th November – 4^th December

Sunday to Thursday: 11.00 to 19.30

Friday and Saturday: 11.00 to 21.00

Events

Fairy Tale Sunday in Zug: 4^th December 14.00 – 18.00

This is an enchanting Christmas event for all ages in Zug. Zug’s old town is turned into a wonderland for a day with fairies, storytellers, magicians, witches and Gnomes.

There are pony rides, refreshments, delightful food treats, fair ground rides, live music and much much more.

The event comes to a climax at 17.30pm when the St. Nicholases convene with the cowbell ringers, whip crackers, jesters, magicians and fairy tale figures at the Landesgemeindeplatz to bring Fairy tale Sunday to a close with a spectacular fireworks display.

Whether you are excited or stressed out about Christmas approaching – why not consider asking Allow Me Lifestyle Management Services to make your life easier? Planning your Christmas/New Year’s Eve party, present or food shopping, gift wrapping, catering, picking up relatives from the airport, planning ski trips and anything else – all at a very reasonable price and without the drama. More time for you to relax and enjoy the festive season!?! What’s not to love…

Events and Summer time in Switzerland

It finally seems that summer is here! At least with the sun shining we can all start to enjoy the outdoors and get the BBQ going. It has been a great start to the summer for Allow Me with a few wine tours and organizing parties for clients.

The birthday party in full swing at Badi Enge

Last week we organized a successful 30^th birthday party for a client at Badi Enge. We only had 4 weeks to find a venue and plan the party but what counted was the end result and the client was very happy! The whole party was also delivered under budget and with no stress to our client so she could enjoy her birthday party. Allow Me sorted the DJ, venue, drink, food, hotels for guests coming from out of town and the after party at Aura in Zurich on the VIP guest list – we also planned their recovery brunch on the Sunday at Terrasse! This is what she had to say about the service Allow Me delivered: “Chris organized my 30th birthday party here in Zurich. He took care of each and every single detail, was very professional and very responsive at any time. I would not have been able to organize such a big party in addition to my daily work and I am thankful to now have amazing memories of my birthday thanks to Chris.”

Swiss National Day on the 1^st of August is a huge event in Switzerland. If you thinking of having a summer party then why not ask Allow Me to help with all the preparation, invitations and even cooking or hosting so that you can relax and enjoy the party

Some of the cars parked outside the hotel

Allow Me was lucky enough to be invited by a member last week on The Club GT Super Car Tour across Europe. We could only join for 1 day of driving but what an amazing day we had! We drove out of Germany and across into Austria to Sölden and over the Stelvio Pass in Italy driving on a road many regard as one of the best in Europe. Then we crossed out of Italy into Switzerland and stayed in the 5* Grand Hotel Kronefhof just outside St. Moritz. If you would like to do an event like this, then please get in touch with Allow Me and we will make it happen for you!

Driving up the Stelvio Pass

WEEKEND BREAKS

The downhill mountain bike course in Klosters

The Swiss alps

The Swiss Alps are stunning in the summer. There is so much to do in the mountains for all the family from golf, tennis, hiking, biking, BBQ, swimming in mountain lakes or the wonderful swimming pools and time relaxing in the Swiss alps. Why not take full advantage of the mountains and book a weekend break. For more ideas on places to go, activities to do with the family then please get in touch and Allow Me will be able to organize an unforgettable break for you.

I hope you are all enjoying the sunny weather. We very much look forward to hearing from you and helping you make the most of your summer.

Mountain biking in the Swiss Alps

What is a Concierge Service?

Running a concierge company in Zurich and Zug I am often asked, what is a concierge service? What services do you provide? Is it just for the wealthy? Do I need to be a member to use your services? Today’s concierge companies offer a wide range of services to suit the client’s needs, ranging from personal concierge right the way though to corporate concierge for business – but each company, like it’s clients, is individual.

For Allow Me Lifestyle Management Services, our services range from finding a garage for your car to be serviced and helping with household errands, to booking private jets and 5* holidays. We also help companies to look after their employees and clients’ needs, helping with their events and any other services that they require. In a nutshell, there is no real limit to the services we provide, or type of person that we provide them for.

The overall goal of a personal concierge is often to take care of all the little odds and ends that can get overlooked in the frenetic pace of daily life. A concierge can do tasks that might be time consuming (or simply boring) so that you have more time to focus on the things you want to do. We can also offer our expert view, based on years of experience, to save you time searching the internet or checking reviews.

So to answer the questions, Allow Me offers a dedicated lifestyle management and personal assistant service in Zurich, Zug, Thalwil and surrounding areas. We offer trustworthy, professional and efficient lifestyle management services so that you have more free personal time and peace of mind.

Our services are for everyone, are prices start at 40CHF an hour for members and the fee for non-members is worked out individual as each service is personal to the individual and varies depending on duration, complexity and timing.

SOME EXAMPLES OF PERSONAL CONCIERGE SERVICES

We have helped many personal clients save money and time already – for example, we recently saved a client 5400 CHF on a garage repair bill. We also love to organize summer and winter dinner parties – we have a number of preferred private chefs, cookery schools, and wine specialists to call upon to help – and can even offer a spare pair of hands to help out during the event (serving, hosting or even helping with the washing up). We have a number of excellent cleaners and baby-sitters on standby for any last minute requests.

One of our many partners

Taking a client wine tasting in Klosters

Because of our background in winter sports we specialize in weekend breaks in the mountains, but we can make any travel arrangements you need, and look after your plants or pets while you are away.

Allow Me will take care of whatever needs to get done. The only limit to what we will do is the customer’s imagination (and the legality of the request!). We’ve even helped out with wedding planning!

Juggling daily responsibilities as an individual or as a family can be stressful and time consuming. We can help. Allow Me will give you back your most valued commodity — time. We work with all our clients individually and will do whatever is necessary to customize a solution for their needs. Allow Me provides one-call problem solving, time saving, organizational and personal assistant services.

SOME EXAMPLES OF CORPORATE CONCIERGE SERVICES

Taking some corporate clients to Mont Stanserhorn on their visit to Zug

Allow Me recently looked after a delegation of foreign government representatives visiting a private company in Zug – in this case we helped with transport and accommodation as well as developing a full itinerary for meetings, entertainment and sightseeing. We went above and beyond by offering them a 24/7 dedicated personal concierge service, ensuring that the trip went without a hitch.

We work with a number of partners offering business accommodation, car rentals and meet and greet services. We know that your clients and employees are important to you, and want to make sure that your business objectives are met. We want to understand your brand and the services you offer so that we can inspire loyalty with your clients and help maintain your business relationships, while freeing up your valuable employees’ time. We’d love to help organize your corporate retreats, and have many creative ideas for team building and wellness activities in Switzerland and beyond.

Allow Me has a passion for corporate concierge services. We listen, take time to understand your requirements and offer support from planning and organizing to executing your requirements to ensure complete satisfaction. We customize each package exclusively for our clients. We have experience in assisting both large organizations and small private wealth funds. Discretion, efficiency and reliability are of the utmost importance.

In summary, Allow Me is for available for everyone, we can help with any situation and we have local as well as global partners to suit all your needs. So please just call or email us and let’s talk about how we can help make your life easier. Have a great week.

Zimmerberg Garage

Are you looking for a local garage you can trust for an annual car service or even a car repair following a bump? If so, you might have had the same problem as Allow Me, as Swiss garages seem to be incredibly expensive even for the simplest of problems. A few weeks ago we were asked by a client to find a garage as his car needed to pass the dreaded MFK test and he had a taken it to a garage close to the German border and was quoted almost CHF 10,000. After getting over his initial shock (!) our client called to ask if we could help find a garage that would not (to be blunt) rip him off.

After a few calls we found Zimmerberg Garage in Thalwil, just outside of Zurich, and spoke to one of the owners, Philipp. He was so helpful on the phone and quickly arranged for a consultation – and after checking the car he came back with a quote between CHF 5,000 – CHF 6,000. My client was very happy to go ahead with the work and the garage even changed his MFK test date so they could finish the repairs – which was passed, much to his delight. The best news for my client was when he got the bill, after still being a little annoyed with having to spend so much on the initial quote the final bill came to CHF 4,201.45. In total he had saved CHF 5605.10 and Allow Me’s services cost him CHF 150. He commented on the serviced he received: “I was absolutely delighted with the service received. Philipp was very friendly and helpful. The work they carried out was of an exceptional standard and great value for money. I could not recommend Zimmerberg Garage more and thank you Allow Me for your help in organizing everything and for saving me a small fortune.”

Zimmerberg Garage offer a complete range of car services, including winter checks, tire changes and storage, accident management, vehicle cleaning and maintenance, air conditioning service and much much more. I personally took my car there for a service last week and again they did a very thorough job. If we had taken our car to the Land Rover garage it would have cost me around CHF 1,200 and my final bill came to CHF 398

If Allow Me can help you with your winter tire change, car service plan or anything else then please get in touch to see how we can save you money as well as making your life easier.

Ski with Chemmy Alcottfrom with Allow Me

Ski with Chemmy Alcott – Britain’s No.1 Alpine Female Skier

SKI WITH CHEMMY ALCOTT –BRITAIN’S No.1 ALPINE FEMALE SKIER

Allow Me is excited to offer you a once in a lifetime skiing experience in Verbier, Switzerland, in partnership with ALS Private Ski Specialists (“ALS”).

ALS are running a one-off and exclusive weekend ski coaching on piste with Chemmy Alcott, Britain’s four time Olympian, and off piste with Bella Seel, British Freerider and founder of ALS. This adventure will include two action packed ski days skiing the entire mountain, in one of the most challenging and exhilarating resorts in the world, on all types of terrain, alongside the cream of Britain’s female skiers. An unparalleled opportunity to push yourself and pick up tips from the pro’s.

Date: Friday, 30th January – Sunday, 1st February 2015

Where: Verbier, Switzerland

Cost for 2 days skiing: £600 per person (excluding accommodation).

Accommodation option at W Verbier Hotel: From CHF 700 a night for a double room for 2 people including breakfast.

Many other accommodation options are available in this amazing resort.

For more information please contact Chris at Allow Me: chris@allowme.ch or by phone 0765005647.