Which side of the plane to sit on: Zurich to San Francisco?
Flying from Zurich to San Francisco? Here's where the sunrise, sunset, mountains, coastline and best views land, and which window to pick.
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Taateraat Qaqqaat (mountain range)
Best overall window for this flight.
Confidence: highTakeoff views
9:07 AMClimbing out of Zurich toward the northwest, the left window looks out over the Albis and the Schwyzer Voralpen (mountain ridges and peaks), with prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps and the Bodanrück on the right.
- leftView of Albis (mountain range)
- leftView of Schwyzer Voralpen (mountain range)
- rightView of prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- rightView of Bodanrück (peninsula coastline)
Flight path features
3:03 PMAcross the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Taateraat Qaqqaat and the Grave Creek Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with Cutting National Cemetery and Roman Wall on the left.
- rightView of Taateraat Qaqqaat (mountain range)
- rightView of Grave Creek Range (mountain range)
- leftView of Cutting National Cemetery (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- leftView of Roman Wall (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Landing views
11:59 AMDescending into San Francisco from the northeast, the right window looks out over the Sand Hills, the Vaca Mountains and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Niles Canyon on the left.
- rightView of Sand Hills (mountain range)
- rightView of Vaca Mountains (mountain range)
- rightView of Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (the red bridge and the bay)
- leftView of Niles Canyon (deep canyon)
Good to know
- Based on the geometric great-circle route; real flight paths can differ with air-traffic routing and winds.
- "Left/right" means facing the direction of travel. Left is the seat A side, right is the F/K side (varies by aircraft).
- Glare advice assumes you want clear ground views; flip it if you'd rather watch the sunrise/sunset directly.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of the plane should you sit on from Zurich to San Francisco?
Sit on the RIGHT: View of Taateraat Qaqqaat (mountain range). Across the middle of the route, the right window looks out over the Taateraat Qaqqaat and the Grave Creek Range (mountain ridges and peaks), with Cutting National Cemetery and Roman Wall on the left.
What views will you get at takeoff from Zurich?
Climbing out of Zurich toward the northwest, the left window looks out over the Albis and the Schwyzer Voralpen (mountain ridges and peaks), with prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps and the Bodanrück on the right.
What about on the descent into San Francisco?
Descending into San Francisco from the northeast, the right window looks out over the Sand Hills, the Vaca Mountains and Golden Gate & San Francisco Bay (mountain ridges and peaks), with the Niles Canyon on the left.