Walking the Türlersee-Rundweg Trail

This past weekend, despite the slush, cold and rain, we wanted to get out for a short hike. As we were looking for something different, but still close and not too difficult, we decided on the Türlersee-Rundweg. This very popular, pretty trail circumnavigates the Türlersee, a small lake in the district of Affoltern, in Canton Zürich. At only 4.5 kilometers and almost no elevation change, this trail was the perfect easy walk for a less than perfect day.

Detail Summary
Where:Türlersee Lake
District of Affoltern, Canton Zürich, Switzerland
Train/Bus:Zürich HB -> Hausen am Albis, Türlersee – ~45 mins
Car:Zürich -> Türlen – ~25 mins
What:Türlersee Circular Trail
Yellow trail markers – Türlerseerundweg
Skill:Easy – About 1.5 hrs
Length 4.5 km, Ascent 80 m, Descent 80 m

Getting There

Although easily reached by public transport, we drove. There is a public parking lot near the lake in Türlen right by the Türlersee bus stop. This trail is very popular, and on a nice day, you need to be lucky to find a parking spot. Even on a miserable day like this one, the lot was half full.

After parking, we crossed the street and joined the trail.

The Trail

At the beginning of the trail, there is a campground, swimming area, and restaurant (german only website). We joined the trail just past this section and took a right walking along the shore.

The lake is roughly oval shaped. When we reached the top curve of the oval, we crossed a bridge over a small stream. Shortly afterwards, we spotted a wild bee hotel. We see these bee hotels all over Switzerland, but rarely see any bees near them (and certainly not now in the dead of winter). From here, there were many very lovely views across the length of the frozen lake.

As we continued our hike around, the trail sometimes hugged the shore and sometimes took a slight turn into the woods. In a few places, the trail was slippery, but nothing too bad. As we walked, the mist and clouds settled in on the lake, creating a somewhat creepy effect.

When we returned to the campground area, we were just about done. In the summer, there is an entry fee for this section, so the trail detours around it, but in the winter, this section is open and free to walk though.

When we got back to where we started, we walked back to our car and headed home. A little cold and wet, but glad we had gotten out for the day.

Summer Photo

I had attempted to do this trail last summer, but after a series of misadventures (missed bus stops, lost glasses), we decided to just go home rather than walk the entire path around the lake. Here is the one summer photo I took.

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