Paradeplatz is the compact square at the centre of Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse, the city's main shopping street and one of the most expensive commercial strips in the world. The square itself is small and tram-busy, but it carries outsized symbolic weight: the headquarters of UBS and Credit Suisse face each other across it, making it the symbolic heart of Swiss banking.
The most useful reason to stop here is Confiserie Sprüngli, the chocolate and pastry shop that has occupied a corner of the square since 1859. Their Luxemburgerli — small macarons, lighter than the French version — are worth getting a box of. The attached café is a good spot to watch the trams and the office workers.
The square replaced a cattle market in the 19th century. The name (Parade Square) refers to military parades held here when the area was at the edge of the city.