a bed with a wood headboard and a lamp
SWISS First Class Lounge day room

Review: SWISS First Class Lounge Zurich

The SWISS First Class ground experience ranks among one of the top in the world.

Prior to my flight from Zurich to Hong Kong on the SWISS B777, I had the opportunity to visit both First Class lounges at Terminal A and E.

I popped by Terminal A's First Class lounge first, which had all the hallmarks of modern, beautiful Swiss interiors.a man and woman standing behind a computer a room with black chairs and a wood floor

The lounge has a dining area, shower suites, plenty of seating and even a cigar room, but its main feature is its centrepiece Grappa bar. It houses more than 100 bottles of Grappa, which diners can taste at their leisure. The dining menu features specialities dishes from Switzerland.

a room with tables and chairs
SWISS First Class Lounge a la carte dining
a couple of chefs in a kitchen
a bathroom with a shower and a sink
SWISS First Class Lounge shower suites
a round table with chairs around it
SWISS First Class Lounge business room
a room with black leather chairs and a wood floor a room with a tv and leather couches
a bar with a shelf of liquor and a person standing behind it
SWISS First Class Lounge Terminal A main centrepiecea bar with shelves of liquor and stools a shelf with bottles of alcohol
a group of bottles and glasses on a table
Which Grappa do you fancy?
The lounge also has day rooms to relax in but, as you'll see later in this post, they can't compare to the ones in Terminal E.a chair in a room a chair in a room

After some time, I left for the lounge at Terminal E. Passengers flying in First Class will get to enjoy SWISS' ground experience. A Mercedes-Benz S-class luxury limousine will be waiting to personally bring you over to Terminal E.

SWISS also recently added this service for passengers arriving into Zurich.

a black car parked in a parking lot
The SWISS First Class ground experience - Mercedes-Benz S-class
a man standing in front of a large airplane
The SWISS First Class ground experience
a man standing in front of a car
The SWISS First Class ground experience - Mercedes-Benz S-class

Large and spacious with modern wood finishes, the lounge is accessible to First Class passengers flying on SWISS and Lufthansa, as well as their HON Circle members.

The lounge has a five-star restaurant with a la carte dining. There is also a huge wine humidor at the entrance that holds more than 1,000 bottles of wine from all over the world.

a bar with bottles on the counter a bar with many bottles of alcohol a room with black furniture and wood slats  
a restaurant with tables and chairs
SWISS First Class Lounge five-star a la carte dining
a booth seating with a wooden table and black leather seats
a plate of food on a table
Food prepared a la minute at the SWISS First Class Lounge's restaurant
a plate of dessert and drinks on a table
Sweet, sweet ending to the meal
a group of wine glasses on a table
a wine bottles on shelves
Wine humidor that holds over 1,000 wine bottles

There is an outdoor terrace, which is perfect for aviation geeks like myself to do some plane-spotting. You can also order food and drink to enjoy it outside.

airplanes at an airport
SWISS First Class Lounge terrace - possibly the best part of the lounge for aviation geeks
an airport with a roof over a building
a man sitting on a couch with a glass of wine
A planespotter's paradise at the SWISS First Class Lounge
an airplane at an airport

Amenities like shower suites and a business conference room are available, but the one special feature of SWISS' lounge is its two incredible day rooms.

It is unlike any airline lounge’s day room in the world – designed like a five-star hotel room. It comes with spectacular views of the apron!

a bathroom with a sink and toilet
SWISS First Class Lounge shower suites
a black bag with toothbrushes and a black pouch on a counter a stack of towels on a shelf
a room with a table and chairs
SWISS First Class Lounge business conference room
a bed with a wood headboard and a lamp
SWISS First Class Lounge day room
SWISS First Class Lounge day room
SWISS First Class Lounge day room

Conclusion

SWISS operates two very high quality lounges, but the outdoor terrace in Terminal E is what wins it for me. As an avid aviation enthusiast, the opportunity to plane-spot in the comfort of a luxurious lounge makes for an unforgettable experience.

Overall, SWISS provides one of the best ground experiences in the world that you can enjoy today. Unfortunately, the airline doesn’t release first class award space to its Star Alliance partners. The next best alternative is to fly first class in Lufthansa routing through Zurich as Lufthansa First Class ticket holder can also access to the SWISS first class lounge. This may sound rather inconvenient, but the experience here will be one that will surely make it all worth it.

What do you think of the SWISS First Class Lounge? We'd love to hear your thoughts below.  

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