Switzerland is known for its Swiss Alps and ski resorts for the affluent and famous. But you don’t have to be a celebrity or a moneyed business tycoon just to enjoy the cities and towns of Switzerland. As long as you have a foolproof Switzerland travel guide and a list of things to do in Switzerland, your vacation will be sweet and well-planned. To give you an idea, here are 15 of the most visited places in the country. Good Luck!
1. Bern
The best places to see in Switzerland include the city of Bern. In fact, it is the most visited city in the country because it is the capital city. Being as such, it means Bern has more businesses and historical buildings within.
Here are the highlights of Bern – Federal Palace of Switzerland, The Cathedral of Bern, Zytglogge – Bern’s clock tower, Kindlifresserbrunnen – 16th century fountain with a monster eating children statue, Bärengraben or Bear Pit since brown bears live here, Zentrum Paul Klee – a museum by Paul Klee showcasing his paintings and drawings, and Einsteinhaus – where Albert Einstein used to live.
2. Zurich
The city is known as the banking and finance capital of the world. But for adventurous travelers, Zurich is a city blessed with historical buildings. You have to visit the Zürich Opera House for they showcase the best recitals and opera shows in the world. To feed your artsy side, the Kunsthaus is home to art works from the 15th up to the 21st century. Grossmünster, a twin-structured cathedral from the 1500’s, and Fraumünster Church, famous for its stained glass work created by Marc Chagall, are places of worship that must be visited. Lastly, the Uetliberg Aussichtsturm – one of Zurich’s towers – is perfect for picture taking.
3. Geneva
One of the places to see in Switzerland is Geneva. It is a very famous city to tourists because of the lake, the Alps, Red Cross Europe Main Office and the United Nations Europe HQ. Other than that, the city is home to charming structures. The Monument Brunswick is a mausoleum of Charles II, Duke of Brunswick. They also have a flower clock named L’horloge fleurie and speaking of which, it is located in the Anglais Garden. The Garden has a fountain which was established in 1862.
One of the most famous attractions in Geneva is The Geneva Water Fountain or the Jet d’Eau. Waters comes out of the fountain and blows up as high as 140 meters. Place du Bourg-de-Four Square is the city center with a mix of ancient monuments and modern shops. Reformation Wall is a park by the Protestant Reformation and Parc des Bastions by the city square – must see attractions in Geneva, too.
4. Lucerne
Lucerne is not that big but the structures here are as old as the middle ages. These are the most visited attractions in Lucerne: Gletschergarten Museum, Lion Monument, Bourbaki Panorama Museum, St. Leodegar Church, Museggmauer City Walls and Towers, Chapel Bridge, Sammlung Rosengart (art gallery featuring Picasso) and Historisches Museum (interactive museum).
Kids would love to check this place out the Swiss Museum of Transport, as reported by frequent travelers to Lucerne who bring their children with them. For more art museums in Lucerne, you have to see Hans Erni Museum and Kunstmuseum Luzern. O.T. Raum für aktuelle Kunst is also a favorite tourist spot.
5. Interlaken
One of the most visited mountain resorts in Switzerland is Interlaken. The day tour offers in this resort are the perfect ways to spend your vacation in the town. If you have your kids with you on holiday, you have to take this day trip – Ballenberg, Swiss Open-Air Museum, Jungfraupark Interlaken, Kinderparadies Mysty Land and St. Beatus Caves. This whole tour will take about 5-6 hours of your time.
For adults, it would be best to take this tour – Harder Kulm (mountain), Schlosskirche Interlaken (church), Touristik-Museum der Jungfrau-Region (museum), and Oberhofen Castle (historic castle).
6. Zermatt
Zermatt is another ski resort in Switzerland near Mt. Matterhorn. Like any ski resort, it has all the necessary amenities from lodging to restaurants and winter sports centers. But tourists also visit the natural attractions in Zermatt. The most visited spot near Zermatt is the peak of Mt. Matterhorn. The summit looks like a pyramid and from afar, it looks breathtaking. If you don’t want to climb up a high peak, then, you can try the Klein Matterhorn – use the cable cars. Don’t forget to drop by the Matterhorn Museum – Zermatlantis and Gornergrat Bahn, a rail center.
7. Lausanne
The city of Lausanne is one of the oldest cities in Switzerland. With that being said, it has a lot of historical attractions that people want to see and experience altogether.
Lake Geneva, a crescent-like shaped lake, is touching Lausanne and it is one of the most beautiful places to see in Switzerland. Other magnificent attractions to visit include The Olympic Museum, Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne Cathedral, Palais de Rumine, Sauvabelin Tower and Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts.
8. Basel
Basel is lying on the border of Switzerland, France and Germany. It is one of the most populated cities in the country and it has villages located in the lands of Germany and France.
The main attraction in Basel is a 14th century structure called Basel Minster. It is made of red sandstone and the roof is composed of colored tiles. Another tourist spot is the Beyeler Foundation – a museum featuring the art collection of Hildy and Ernst Beyeler. Prediger Kirche is one of the oldest churches in Basel and a landmark too.
9. Lugano
The city of Lugano is enveloped by the great Lugano Lake in Ticino, Switzerland. It is a border city which separates Switzerland from Italy. They call the city “Monte Carlo of Switzerland” because during summer, it is a famous vacation place for celebrities.
Lugano has seventeen attractions which are in the Swiss Heritage Site of National Significance list. The heritage sites included libraries called Biblioteca Cantonale and the Biblioteca Salita dei Frati. There were churches in the list as well and those were the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, Church of Santa Maria degli Angioli and the Church of San Rocco. Most of the people in Lugano speak fluent Italian.
10. Canton of Valais
There are 26 cantons in Switzerland and Valais is one of them. The Canton of Valais was once a natural attraction until hoteliers decided to fill the area with their lavish accommodations. Since then, Canton of Valais has become a tourist spot. In fact, it has at least 120 destinations including those within close proximity to the area.
The Goms District is one of the top places to see in Switzerland, specifically in Valais. The Great Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the Bernese and Swiss Alps. It is partly located in Valais and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Brig-Glis is a small town in Valais which was recognized as Alpine Town of the Year in 2008.
11. Grindelwald
There are at least three mountains within the boundary of Grindelwald and these three are Mt. Eiger, Mt. Mönch and Schwarzhorn. The summits are all part of the Bernese Alps. Grindelwald shares these mountains with other municipalities in Switzerland. Tourists visit these mountains all year long.
The summit “First” is in Schwarzhorn and is famous for its hiking trail. Bachalpsee Lake is near First and a famous image in Gmail’s mountain background. You also have to see the Lower Grindelwald Glacier.
12. Lauterbrunnen
Lauterbrunnen is one of the places to see in Switzerland that climbers and trekkers love to visit. It is situated in the Lauterbrunnen Valley and it has a lot of peaks and summits for your winter adventure. Kleine Scheidegg in Lauterbrunnen is host to an annual event called Jungfrau Marathon every September. The mountain pass is also a great hiking spot during the summer time. Stabbauch Falls is a famous sight in Lauterbrunnen. The village has restaurants and hotels if you feel the need to stay there for more than a day.
13. St. Moritz
For a luxurious holiday, St. Moritz Village is the place to be. Two winter Olympics were hosted there; which means that it has the Cresta Run and an open air Olympic-sized ice rink. The top three boutique hotels to stay at in St. Moritz are the Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, Hotel Suvretta House and Kulm Hotel.
Where will you go when in St. Moritz? Lake St. Moritz is a tourist destination. St. Moritz Olympic Ice Rink is also frequented by visitors. The Leaning Tower, Chesa Futura and Kirche San Karl are great attractions as well.
14. Montreux
Montreux is by Lake Geneva and visitors from around the world always stay there for the attractions and the activities. Rochers de Naye and Dent de Jaman are the two summits in Montreux. You can mountain climb, follow the trail, drive up to the last vehicle road before reaching the top. Rochers de Naye is in the Swiss Alps. You can ski there or find a winter sport to do.
Now, the municipality has Chillon Castle – it is by the lake and with underground rooms. GoldenPass Line is the transportation facility used by tourists to reach Lucerne from Montreux.
15. Davos
Davos is a municipality in the Swiss Alps and one of the places to see in Switzerland. For one, it has Parsenn, the most popular ski area in Davos. There is also a natural lake which you can visit called Lake Davos. They use it as a hydropower reservoir and during winter time, the lake is pure ice.
If you are into hiking and mountain trekking, the perfect place to go is Weissfluhjoch, a mountain shared by Davos with Graubünden. Another mountain to overcome in Davos is Pischahorn. Do you want an elevated lake location? Go to Schwarzsee. These attractions are tourist flocked most of the time.
