Zürich public transportation is clean, efficient and relatively inexpensive.
A 24 hours Zürich city public transport ticket costs only 7,80 CHF and enables the holder to take unlimited number of bus, tram and boat trips (yes, you can cruise the river and the lake with this ticket! But do check before you board a boat, if it's public or private run).
If you would like to travel beyond Zürich city but within the Canton of Zürich, you should know that all public transport companies in the Canton of Zürich are linked together in the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV). It provides a dense route network, frequent services at regular intervals and short waiting times for connections making sure that you reach your destination quickly, safely and relaxed - typically Swiss indeed.
Zürich public transport tips
Make sure to validate your ticket before starting your first journey by pushing the ticket into the validation slot of the ticket machine. Check if your ticket bears an imprint showing stop, date and time. If you forget to validate your ticket at the ticket machine you can do so on the orange-coloured validators on railway platforms as well.
Zürich public transportation runs on 'honor code' meaning that you are able to board trams and trains without your ticket being checked. As honest as Swiss people are, this system works perfectly well. If you are tempted to dodge the fare, think twice as spot checks are carried out and fines for being caught without a valid ticket and other misdemeanor on public transport vehicles are very high.