Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Zurich to Addis Ababa. Left side wins both ends of the flight. Departing Zurich it captures Lake Zurich and the Swiss Alps; arriving Addis it faces the Entoto Hills and city center. Along the route, the left side also tracks closer to the Nile Valley and Red Sea highlands as the flight curves southeast over Sudan and Ethiopia.

During takeoff from Zurich (ZRH), sit on the Left side for the best views. Zurich typically departs on runway 16 heading south or runway 28 heading west. On a southbound departure, the left side gives you the city of Zurich and Lake Zurich stretching southeast, then the Swiss Alps rising dramatically ahead. The right side gets suburban sprawl toward Winterthur. Notable sights include: Lake Zurich (long narrow lake curving southeast), Zurich city center and the Limmat river, the Glarus Alps rising to the south, Lake Greifen in the middle distance.

When landing at Bole International (ADD), sit on the Left side for the best views. Bole International typically lands on runway 07 heading northeast or runway 25 heading southwest. On approach from the north, the left side faces south toward the Entoto Hills directly above Addis Ababa and the city's dense urban core. The right side looks toward flatter terrain east of the city. Notable sights include: Entoto Hills rising immediately north of Addis Ababa, the dense urban grid of central Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian Highlands plateau stretching west, Lake Bishoftu visible to the southeast on clear days.

The flight from Zurich (ZRH) to Bole International (ADD) takes Approximately 6 hours 30 minutes to 7 hours.

The route crosses the central Mediterranean near Sicily, then tracks over Egypt and the Nile Delta, follows the Nile Valley south through Sudan with the river visible as a green ribbon through desert, crosses the Sahel transition zone, then climbs onto the Ethiopian Highlands — a dramatic rise in terrain visible as the flat Sudanese plains give way to deeply dissected highland plateaus and gorges approaching Addis Ababa.