Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Toronto to Zurich. The Alpine arrival on the right side at Zurich is the visual highlight of this route — Lake Zurich combined with the snow-capped Alps on descent is genuinely spectacular. The Toronto departure on the left is good but the Zurich arrival tips the balance to the right side overall.

During takeoff from Lester B Pearson International (YYZ), sit on the Left side for the best views. YYZ departures on runway 23 (the most common westerly departure) swing left and northward, putting Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline on the left side. You get a clear view of the CN Tower, the downtown core, and the lake stretching east toward Hamilton Bay. Notable sights include: CN Tower and downtown Toronto skyline, Lake Ontario shoreline, Toronto Islands, Hamilton Bay to the southwest.

When landing at Zurich (ZRH), sit on the Right side for the best views. Zurich typically uses runway 14 or 28 for arrivals from the west/northwest. Approaches from the northwest on runway 14 bring the aircraft over the Swiss Mittelland with the Alps visible to the south on the right side. You get a sweeping view of Lake Zurich and the pre-Alps as you descend. Notable sights include: Lake Zurich (Zürichsee), the Swiss Alps on the southern horizon, the Glarus Alps and Säntis massif, Zurich city center along the lake.

The flight from Lester B Pearson International (YYZ) to Zurich (ZRH) takes Approximately 8 to 8.5 hours.

The flight tracks northeast over Quebec and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, then crosses the North Atlantic via southern Greenland or Iceland depending on the jetstream routing. Over Europe it crosses Ireland or Scotland, then England, the English Channel, and northern France before entering Swiss airspace. Mid-Atlantic passengers may glimpse southern Greenland's ice sheet and coastal fjords in daylight hours. Over the UK, the English Channel is visible as a narrow grey strip separating the English and French coastlines.