Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Vancouver to Zurich. Left seats deliver the best views at both ends of the flight — Vancouver's mountains and harbor on departure, and the Swiss Alps and Lake Zurich on arrival. Over the Arctic and Greenland portions of the route, left seats also face slightly more southward, giving better daylight angles on Greenland's ice sheet if flying in summer.

During takeoff from Vancouver International (YVR), sit on the Left side for the best views. YVR's primary departure runway 26L sends aircraft westward over the Fraser River delta before turning north. A left (south-facing) seat captures the city of Vancouver, the North Shore mountains, and Burrard Inlet laid out clearly as the aircraft climbs and banks northeast. Right seats face the open Strait of Georgia and flat delta farmland. Notable sights include: North Shore mountains (Grouse, Seymour, Cypress), Burrard Inlet, downtown Vancouver skyline, Fraser River delta.

When landing at Zurich (ZRH), sit on the Left side for the best views. ZRH's primary arrival runway 14 brings aircraft in from the northwest on a southeast heading. A left (east-facing) seat looks directly toward the Swiss Alps as the aircraft descends over the Swiss Plateau, with Lake Zurich visible below and the Glarus Alps and Bernese Oberland on the horizon. Right seats face northwest toward the Jura hills and Germany. Notable sights include: Lake Zurich, Swiss Alps (Glarus Alps, Säntis), Zurich city center, Swiss Plateau farmland.

The flight from Vancouver International (YVR) to Zurich (ZRH) takes Approximately 9 to 10 hours.

The great circle route tracks northeast over the Canadian Rockies, then across the boreal forests of northern Canada, over Hudson Bay or Baffin Island depending on routing, across the southern tip of Greenland's ice sheet, over the North Atlantic, southern Iceland or Scotland, then across the North Sea and into central Europe over Germany before descending into Switzerland. Greenland's ice sheet and coastal fjords are the most dramatic midpoint feature in summer, while the Canadian Rockies are visible shortly after departure.