10 Best Places to Visit in Switzerland

Switzerland​'s Top 10 Tourist Attractions

Visitors come for the breathtaking beauty, but they are also captivated by the numerous cultural attractions. Cities with a strong history, such as Zurich, Geneva, and Lausanne, have superb museums and galleries, old structures, and world-renowned music festivals. Bern, the capital, has a magnificent mediaeval old town that hugs the bend of a river. Switzerland is bordered by Germany, Italy, Austria, and France, and their languages and cultures imbue this nation with a cosmopolitan elegance.

From the palm-studded Ticino architecture to the languages of Swiss-German and Latin-derived Romansch, Switzerland may often feel like multiple nations in one—all with the clean packaging and timeliness for which it is famed.

Explore this magnificent nation with our selection of the greatest locations to visit in Switzerland.

Zurich

Zurich is the biggest city in Switzerland, a significant transit hub, and a popular starting place for travellers. The city is located on the Limmat River, near the northern extremity of Lake Zurich. Beyond its prim exterior, this prosperous financial centre has a diverse cultural scene.

The cobblestone lanes of Old Town, with their charming shops, cafés, and galleries, are an excellent site to start a walking tour. One mile of Bahnhofstrasse, one of Europe's most beautiful shopping streets, beckons with luxury businesses selling apparel, watches, and jewellery.

Away from the shops, there are more than 50 museums and 100 art galleries, as well as several other tourist attractions. The Kunsthaus Zürich, a museum of fine arts, is a top choice, with an exceptional collection of paintings from the Middle Ages to the present day. The Rietberg Museum, which focuses on non-European art and has numerous items from China, India, and Africa, is another favourite.

The Swiss National Museum, located a short distance from Zürich's main station, highlights Swiss cultural history. The Zurich Zoo, which features an elephant park, a penguin parade, and a Madagascar pavilion, is ideal for families. Take a train from the city to Uetliberg Mountain for panoramic views of the city and countryside.

Interlaken

Interlaken, located between Lake Thun to the west and Lake Brienz to the east, is one of Switzerland's most popular summer vacation destinations. Höhematte, located in the heart of town, is an architectural gem with 35 acres of open space. With beautiful mountain views, flower gardens, hotels, and cafés surround the Höheweg, the major boulevard through here.

The Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau peaks loom above the town, giving superb options for alpine excursions. Hiking, climbing, abseiling, and kayaking are all popular activities.

More than 45 mountain railroads, cable cars, chairlifts, and ski lifts take guests into the surrounding area and provide several opportunities for aerial observation.

In the winter, skiers and snowboarders may choose from a variety of nearby destinations and cross-country ski along the wide route network. Paragliders take off from Beatenberg-Niederhorn in the summer. Take a paddle steamer trip around the lakes to see the beauty from a lower perspective.

Lucerne

Imagine a dazzling blue lake encircled by mountains, a car-free mediaeval old town, covered bridges, waterfront promenades, frescoed ancient buildings, and sun-dappled plazas with bubbling fountains. It's no surprise that Lucerne (in German, Luzern) is a popular tourist destination.

This traditional Swiss village attracts renowned soloists, conductors, and orchestras to its yearly International Music Festival. One of the world's premier music venues may be found inside the Culture and Convention Center.

The Chapel Bridge, erected in the 14th century, is one of the city's most recognised attractions. The iconic Lion Monument, a sorrowful sculpture of a dying lion, is located in a small park and commemorates the gallant sacrifice of Swiss Guards during the French Revolutionary War invasion on the Tuileries. The Swiss Transport Museum, with vast displays on all modes of transportation, including air and space travel, train locomotives, and a planetarium, will appeal to history aficionados.

Ride the funicular to the Dietschiberg on the north side of Lake Lucerne for stunning views of Lucerne, the Alps, and the lake; take the cableway to Mt. Pilatus; or visit the Rigi, a popular vantage point.

Chateau de Chillon, Montreux

For ages, the Chateau de Chillon (Chillon Castle) on the banks of Lake Geneva near Montreux has inspired painters and poets. Among the geniuses who have written about this architectural gem are Lord Byron, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Victor Hugo.

The complex, which was formerly the bastion of the Counts and Dukes of Savoy since the 12th century, consists of roughly 25 structures centred around three courtyards. The Great Halls, with beautiful views of Lake Geneva; the Gothic subterranean rooms; the Chapel, with 14th-century paintings; and the Camera Domini, a bedroom frequented by the Duke of Savoy and painted with mediaeval murals, are among the highlights.

St. Moritz

St. Moritz is one of the world's top mountain destinations, with mirror-like lakes, glaciers, craggy peaks, alpine forests, and plenty of sunlight. It's a must-see on any list of things to do in Switzerland. This stylish resort town, which has hosted two winter Olympics, is known for its opulent hotels and costly restaurants.

The town is divided into two parts and is located in an alpine valley 1,800 metres above sea level: St. Moritz Dorf situated on a sunny terrace overlooking the Lake of St. Moritz. The second half of town, on the valley bottom near Lake St. Moritz, is a health resort with less costly hotels. Skiing, snowboarding, skating, and bobsledding are all popular winter activities, as is tobogganing on the famed 1.2-kilometer-long Cresta Run.

Hiking, riding, and water activities are popular in the summer. In the summer, glacier skiing is also possible.

St. Moritz is also a cultural crossroads, which adds to the stunning alpine environment. In the neighbouring neighbourhoods, Romansch, German, Italian, French, and English are all spoken, not to mention the many languages of the numerous well-heeled foreign tourists and expats.

Bern

The Swiss capital of Bern oozes old-world elegance, nestled on a peninsula of the River Aare, and its mediaeval old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors may tour the highest church in Switzerland, with panoramic views from its tower, 16th-century fountains, the Zytglogge mediaeval clock tower with moving puppets, and six kilometres of retail arcades, known locally as "Lauben." The Rose Garden (Rosengarten) provides stunning views of the historic centre.

Bern has several tourist attractions to offer, including outstanding museums. The outstanding galleries, notably the Zentrum Paul Klee, which houses the world's greatest collection of paintings by this famous artist, and the Bern Museum of Art, will appeal to art aficionados (Kunstmuseum).

Don't miss the markets, which take place in the Bundesplatz (parliament plaza) and provide views of the exquisite Renaissance-style parliament architecture (Bundeshaus). The Bear Park is very popular with families.

The Rhine Falls

The biggest waterfall in Central Europe is the Rhine Falls (Rheinfall) near Schaffhausen. When the mountain snow melts in June and July, the falls rise in volume and tumble over a 21-meter-high ledge of Jurassic limestone. This is the finest time to come.

The observation platforms on both banks of the river, as well as boat tours up the Rhine, provide fantastic views of the falls.

Swiss National Park

The Swiss National Park in the Engadine Valley is the oldest protected area in the Alps, having been established in 1914. The park, which spans more than 170 square kilometres of limestone crags, fast-flowing rivers, and hollows covered with flowers, is located close on the Italian border. When the wooded mountains are blanketed in a layer of snow in the winter, the scenery is exceptionally dramatic, and the views from the cross-country ski paths are breathtaking.

Although it is prohibited to deviate from these pathways in order to protect the natural ecosystems, nature enthusiasts can explore the area on the extensive network of trails. The park is home to more than 5,000 different kinds of animals, including marmots, red deer, chamois, ibex, foxes, and more than 100 different types of birds.

The Ruinaulta (Swiss Grand Canyon)

The Ruinaulta, commonly referred to as the "Swiss Grand Canyon," is a deep valley encircled by vast meadows and cliffs covered with forest. It was built more than 10,000 years ago when the Ice Age Rhine Glacier receded, setting off a series of events that ended in a significant rockslide in the Rhine Valley. It is situated in Eastern Switzerland. The canyon was full with water as the Rhine river crept through the limestone walls.

The Swiss Grand Canyon is now not just one of Switzerland's most stunning locations, but also a popular hiking, bird-watching, and nature-loving spot. Between May and October, you may raft the area's rapids, or you can rent a canoe or kayak for a more leisurely trip that offers breathtaking views of the sloping terrain.

Gruyeres

Even if you are unfamiliar with this tiny town from the Middle Ages, you have definitely heard of the hard yellow cheese that gave it its name. That is currently one of the town's key draws. Visitors may take a tour of a cheese factory, enjoy some regional cuisine, and give the cows that live in the nearby rolling hills a wave. If cheese isn't enough, the town is also home to the Maison Cailler Chocolate Factory.

Gruyères, which has a population of 2,000 and a land area of just 28.4 square kilometres, may be small, but it more than makes up for it with a variety of attractions, such as the Saint-Germain Castle, which was purchased by Swiss surrealist artist H. R. Giger and now houses a museum devoted to his work, as well as the 13th-century Castle of Gruyères and its two small art and regional museums. A worthwhile stop in the city is the Tibet Museum, which is situated in a former church.

There are beautiful scenery everywhere around Gruyères, such as the Gorges de la Jogne, which are popular with hikers, and the adjacent Mont Moléson, which attracts climbers in the summer and has ski and snowshoe routes in the winter.