Boat rental on Lake Zurich

Bootsvermietung Enge✔ Verified

Right beside the Seebad Enge and its Badi bar on Mythenquai, this hire stand has one of the most central jetties on the lake. The fleet is a mix of 1970s pedal boats, rowing boats for anyone who wants a workout, and motorboats with petrol or electric engines that need no licence. The unusual extra is a sauna boat for up to six people, with the lake as your plunge pool. Out on the lower basin you get a wide view back over the city. Families, couples and groups of friends all fit, and the site is listed as accessible for prams and many wheelchair users.

Good to know: Pedalos cannot be reserved, so arrive early on summer weekends; some motorboats can be booked online in advance. Bring cash for the deposit and an ID card or passport.

Address

Mythenquai 25, 8002 Zürich

Opening

Mar,Apr,Oct Mon-Fri 13:00-18:00; Mar,Apr,Oct Sat,Sun 11:30-18:30; May,Sep Mon-Fri 13:00-19:00; May,Sep Sat,Sun 11:00-19:00; Jun-Aug Mon-Fri 13:00-20:00; Jun-Aug Sat,Sun 10:00-20:00

Season

March to October

Phone

+41 44 211 22 62

E-mail

mail@bootsvermietungenge.ch

Getting there

ZVV stop Rentenanstalt

Requirements

Cash deposit and an official ID (ID card or passport) at check-in. Pedalos from age 12 without parental supervision; licence-free motorboats from 18; licence boats, Shortbreak 5.8 e-boats and Otter e-pedalos from 22. Licence boats need a licence valid for inland waters (international certificate only with a valid national licence). Life jackets on board (emergency use; children should bring their own). Billed per quarter hour at the hourly rate after return.

Source: Zürich Tourism · prices: operator website · checked 2026-10-10

Zürichsee Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (ZSG) – lake cruises✔ Verified

From the piers at Bürkliplatz, at the lake end of Bahnhofstrasse, the Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft runs the lake's scheduled boats, including paddle steamers such as the Stadt Zürich. Three round trips are pitched at visitors: a one-hour mini cruise down to Wollishofen, a 90-minute loop to Thalwil and Erlenbach, and a long day out to Rapperswil and back. You see the city and both shores from the water rather than the road. Themed evening boats add fondue, brunch, barbecue or dance nights. The shorter cruises make an easy first look at the lake for visitors and families alike.

Good to know: The mini and short cruises are free with the Zürich Card. In dry spells low water can restrict sailings, so check the ZSG timetable page on the day.

Address

Bürkliplatz, 8001 Zürich

Season

Daily in summer; reduced timetable in spring, autumn and winter

Phone

+41 44 487 13 33

E-mail

ahoi@zsg.ch

Getting there

ZVV stop Bürkliplatz

Source: Zürich Tourism · prices: operator website · checked 2026-10-10

Segel- und Motorbootschule SMS Zürisee✔ Verified

Based on the Rote Fabrik site in Wollishofen, SMS Zürisee has its own jetty on the city's southern shore and teaches both sailing and motorboat driving, from first lessons up to the offshore licence. Alongside licence training it offers wakeboarding and wakesurfing behind its boats, and boats can also be rented. The mix of licence school and towed sports makes it unusual: you might come for your boat licence and come back for a wake session. Booking runs through its online portal, with lessons and rentals scheduled individually.

Good to know: The meeting point is given as Seestrasse 395, at the Rote Fabrik. Cancel at least 48 hours ahead for driving lessons and rentals, 24 hours for watersports.

Address

Seestrasse 395 (Rote Fabrik), 8038 Zürich

Phone

+41 44 480 08 77

Prices are not published by the operator — ask when booking.

Source: local.ch · checked 2026-10-10

Motorboot-Fahrschule Beni Winiger✔ Verified

Beni Winiger is a federally recognised motorboat and sailing instructor who prepares learners for the Swiss boat licence, categories A and D, and says he has taken more than 3,500 candidates to the exam. The meeting point in Zurich is the Restaurant Seerose in Wollishofen, with a second base in Horgen on the left shore. Lessons are held only inside the official exam area, so every hour on the water rehearses the real test, and the boats have cabins and heating, which matters on a cold spring evening. Teaching is in German or English. It suits anyone who wants a straightforward, exam-focused route to driving a boat on Lake Zurich.

Good to know: The listing notes the lessons take place only in the exam area and the boats are heated, so early- and late-season lessons are realistic. Ask which meeting point applies (Wollishofen, Tiefenbrunnen, Horgen, Thalwil or Herrliberg are named).

Address

Restaurant Seerose, Seestrasse 493, 8038 Zürich-Wollishofen

Phone

+41 79 403 41 41

E-mail

info@wini.ch

Getting there

Meeting point Restaurant Seerose, Wollishofen · parking available (local.ch)

Prices are not published by the operator — ask when booking.

Source: local.ch · checked 2026-10-10

Segel- und Motorbootsschule Beat Lang✔ Verified

With more than 40 years of teaching behind it, Beat Lang's school trains sailors and motorboat drivers on the right shore of the lake, with courses held mainly in Uetikon am See and Stäfa. The modular system lets you book up to 16 weekly appointments, so you can fit lessons around work rather than taking a block week. Beyond the licence itself there is further training and preparation for offshore sailing. Lessons last between one and a half and two and a half hours depending on group size. Learning away from the city end of the lake means fewer crowds on the water.

Good to know: Students, apprentices and pupils get a 15 percent discount; book online or by phone.

Address

Seestrasse 31, 8712 Stäfa · also Uetikon am See

Phone

+41 44 928 18 18

Prices are not published by the operator — ask when booking.

Source: local.ch · checked 2026-10-10

Ceccotorenas – wakeboard school, SUP & pedalos Stäfa✔ Verified

At Stäfa harbour on the right shore, next to the village pedalo rental it also runs, Ceccotorenas is a wakeboard school with a boat and a driver for hire by the hour. Riders of all ages come for wakeboard, wakeskate and wakesurf coaching, and more experienced riders can try wakefoiling, which lifts you above the water even at low speed once you have the technique. Kit for all four disciplines can be hired. If towed sports are not your thing, there are SUP boards and pedalos, some with a slide, for a slower afternoon. It is one of the few places on the lake where a mixed group can split between action and lazing about.

Good to know: Opening times depend on season and weather, so check the website before travelling; Stäfa station is the nearest stop.

Address

Hafen Stäfa (Ötiker Haab), Seestrasse 24c, 8712 Stäfa

Opening

Wakeboard, wakesurf, wakefoil: daily 09:00–21:00 by phone reservation · Office: daily 10:00–18:00 · SUP and pedalos daily in good weather

Season

May to September

Phone

+41 76 383 66 58

E-mail

mail@ceccotorenas.ch

Getting there

Stäfa railway station (ZVV stop Stäfa, Bahnhof)

Source: freizeit.ch · Zürich Tourism · checked 2026-10-10

Schifffahrtsbetrieb Hensa – pedalos & boats Rapperswil✔ Verified

Down at Rapperswil harbour, below the old town and castle, Hensa hires out pedalos, a small electric boat called the E-Tuckerli, a lounge boat and motorboats, none of which need a licence. The obvious outing is across to Lützelau, the little wooded island off the shore, which takes a steady pedal and gives you somewhere to aim for. You can just as well drift in the bay with the Seedamm and the Upper Lake behind you. Families like the pedalos, and couples or friends tend to take the lounge boat. The harbour is a short walk from Rapperswil station, so it is easy to combine with a day in the town.

Good to know: Life jackets are mandatory once you leave the 300 m shore zone, and you leave an ID as deposit. The rental season ends on 30 September.

Address

Hafen Rapperswil, Seequai, 8640 Rapperswil

Opening

Apr 01-Jul 03 10:00-18:00; Jul 04-Aug 09 10:00-20:00; Aug 10-Sep 30 10:00-18:00

Phone

+41 55 220 67 22

E-mail

info@hensa-schifffahrt.ch

Getting there

Rapperswil station

Requirements

ID must be deposited in advance. Life jackets mandatory outside the shore zone (300 m).

Source: Zürich Tourism · prices: operator website · checked 2026-10-10

Boat rental Greifensee (Verschönerungsverein Maur)✔ Verified

Run by volunteers, the Verschönerungsverein (village improvement society) of Maur maintains a few boats on the eastern shore of the Greifensee and hires them out by the hour. It is a low-key, volunteer arrangement rather than a commercial hire stand: you contact the association to book. Motorboats are banned on the Greifensee apart from the passenger ferry, so the water stays quiet, with the Pfannenstiel hills rising behind the village. It suits anyone after a calm hour on the water rather than a busy harbour scene.

Good to know: Since 1 April 2025 the canton of Zurich has had a boat registration and cleaning rule, so ask the association what applies when you book.

Address

Contact: Gütschstrasse 20, 8122 Binz · boats at Maur on the Greifensee

Phone

076 378 27 53

E-mail

info@vvmaur.ch

Prices are not published by the operator — ask when booking.

Source: Gemeinde Maur · checked 2026-10-10