Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Newark to Zurich. Left side wins both ends of the flight. At takeoff you get the full Manhattan and New York Harbor panorama, and on approach into Zurich you get Lake Zurich and the Alpine horizon. Over the Atlantic the views are similar on both sides, but the bookend scenery strongly favors the left.

During takeoff from Newark Liberty International (EWR), sit on the Left side for the best views. EWR typically departs northeast on runway 22L/04R or uses runway 29 heading west then turns north. On the standard northeast departure, the left side gets Manhattan's skyline, the Hudson River, and Upper New York Bay clearly in view during climb-out. The right side faces New Jersey industrial areas and the Meadowlands. Notable sights include: Manhattan skyline, Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

When landing at Zurich (ZRH), sit on the Left side for the best views. ZRH typically lands on runway 14/28 or 16/34. On the common runway 14 approach from the northwest, the left side faces south toward the Swiss Plateau and the Alps, with the Glarus Alps and Bernese Oberland visible on the horizon. The right side looks north toward Germany and the relatively flat Rhine plain. Notable sights include: Lake Zurich, Swiss Alps on the southern horizon, Rhine River valley, Zurich city center.

The flight from Newark Liberty International (EWR) to Zurich (ZRH) takes Approximately 8 to 8.5 hours.

The flight tracks northeast over New England and Nova Scotia, then crosses the North Atlantic along a great circle route passing south of Greenland and Iceland. Over the ocean there is little to see beyond occasional sea ice or cloud breaks. The European landfall is typically over Ireland or southern England, then across the English Channel or northern France, over the Rhine Valley in Germany, and finally descending into Switzerland. The Rhine River and the Black Forest are briefly visible on the German approach.