Zurich (Zurich canton)
The largest city in Switzerland is the perfect place to kick-start your vacation. Zurich is the contemporary financial façade of the country and one of the most expensive cities to visit in Europe. Its culturally diverse aspect embellishes the slight cosmopolitan edge that one gets to see in Switzerland. Zurich is the meeting point of Urban and rural experiences with modern edges around a rustic heart. Historical Old town connects every traveler with its story as one walk through its lanes. Zurich lake is sublime and charming, Lindenhof gives a glance into history, Zurich’s many museums have their own stories to tell for instance the museum of fine arts has a collection of paintings made by many famous artists including Monet, Charles Munch, and Marc Chagall. Zurich’s own shopping experience is now a thing in itself in Bahnhofstrasse, the most beautiful shopping street in the city.
Bern (Bern Canton)
The capital of Switzerland, Berne speaks in history. Its archaic appeal makes one wonder whether they are in the contemporary period or a part of a really old photograph. Most people think Zurich is the capital of Switzerland however Bern is a politically and historically important place. The old town in Bern is a UNESCO world heritage site due to its archaic importance.
Nydegg Church is also a famous spot to visit in the city. Bern is famous for its museums (Natural History Museum, The Einstein Museum and The Historical Museum of Bern, Kunstmuseum are some of the interesting museums to visit) and architecture. Also check out the Zytglogge clock tower, a unique and interesting structure architecturally and historically both. What comes as a surprise is that Bern also has a kick-a nightlife almost at par with Zurich.
Lake Geneva and surrounds
Lake Geneva is nothing short of spell bounding. In a utopic picture, Lake Genevaflows azure onto the white swiss alps. The fainted red cute houses built by the lake make for a picture-perfect art that hypnotizes people for a couple of minutes. The city of Geneva is set south of Lake Geneva is one of the important and beautiful cities in Switzerland.
Lake Geneva has augmented and is itself adorned with nearby spots like Lavaux vineyards one of Switzerland’s best vineyards. The Vineyard is established since the time of Romans and it is one of the UNESCO’S Heritage sites. Vevey is a small town and an excellent spot to check out. It is home to Charlie Chaplin’s final resting place. Also, Daniel Peter invented Milk Chocolate and established Nestle’ with Henri Nestle in Vevey. Les Diablerets is a village and ski resort located in the Vaud.
Montreux (Vaud Canton)
Montreux is another town established by the Lake Geneva where many tourists stop by for the Montreux Jazz festival in July or The Chillon Castle standing by the Lake Geneva. The musical city is the melody of Switzerland and attractions like the exhibition, Queen: The studio experience attracts tourists, especially the fans of the band, Queen. If you visit Montreux in winter, you should definitely follow the Lantern Trail Of Les Pléiades; an exploration of the snow-hugged town. You should also check out the statue of Freddy Mercury the legend from the band, Queen.
Rhine Falls (Border of Schaffhausen Canton and Zurich canton)
A trip to Switzerland is incomplete without visiting the largest waterfall in the Continent. A trip to the Rhine falls is often taken as a day trip from Zurich or Schaffhausen. The best time to visit the falls is during spring when the mountain snow melts. There are many boat trips to witness the miraculous spectacle and hear the roaring burble of the falls in close up. The Rhine falls are 150-meter-wide and have a drop of approx. 23 meters making the plummet a whopping spectacle. The Rhine falls, truly splendid in the day, is paralyzing in the night when the area is irradiated.
Stein Am Rhine (Schaffhausen Canton)
This extremely underrated little town is a wonder why it isn’t given much attention it deserves. The town looks like a Disney movie set and the only thing missing for you now is to pack your costumes. The colourful frescoed houses made even more fairy tale-like as pictured from the town square Rathausplatz and the stunning views from Fortress Burg Hohenklingen over the town and Rhine valley and many more attractions and explorations are bound to give you a local magical Switzerland experience.
Lugano, Ticino Canton
Ticino is the little Italy of Switzerland due to the influence of Italy bordering from the west. The region has a mild Mediterranean climate and bejewelled with stunning lakes and valleys. From the castles of Bellinzona to the Franciscan sanctuaryMadonna del Sasso in Locarno, Ticino is a marvel of historical sights, architectural gems, Beautiful Piazzas and natural wonders.
Some of the amazing places to visit here are Ascona; an old town with a serene lakefront, Cevio; another beautiful little town, Bellizona; the capital of Ticino region, Gambarogno, Verzasca Valley; Natural wonder and old stone villages and the Adventurous Intragna Lugano is a breath-taking city in the Ticino region. The city is said to date all the way back to the ninth century. Ipso facto, those stories have traveled down to contemporary time via its libraries, churches and museums.
The city lies by Lake Lugano, resulting in spectacular scenery all around. Lake Lugano is simply bewitching even for a tourist having done a lake tour all around Switzerland. The villages on the shore like Gandria and Morcote are a local and natural delight. This gets speechless when you overlook the city and the lake from the summit of Monte San Salvatore, Monte Brè or Mount Pilatus. Cattedrale San Lorenzo, among many offers a glimpse into the rich history and the blend of Switzerland and Italy in Lugano’s cuisine sums up the perfect trip to the Little Italy region
Jungfrau Region (Bern canton)
The Jungfrau region is a Richie rich opportunity for adventure enthusiasts and nature photographers. The region consists of four towns Murren, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Grindelwald (Nope not Harry potter but equally interesting) skirted by three mountains Eiger (Ogre), Mönch (Monk) and Jungfrau (Virgin). The Swiss Alps have been photographed for calendars and home décor’but these photographs do no justice to the panorama at close-up in the Bernese Oberland. The mighty Glaciers and grand mountain peaks as one look up from the fatigue of hikes is the most rejuvenating experience, physically, mentally and emotionally.
The Staubbach and Trümmelbach fall in the Lauterbrunnen valley, that already has around 70 waterfalls, are mystically appealing. This little hilly village is a perfect escape one may seek from the world.
The highest railroad station in Europe, Jungfraujosh, offers vistas that are too sublime to describe. Here from the summit of Sphinx, you can see the Aletsch glacier in the south.
Exploring the region via Jungfraubahn, the scenic train in the Jungfrau region is a truly cinematic experience. Piz Gloria a restaurant on Schiltorn peak is famous exclusively for the 007 film Ian Fleming being shot here and the Schynige Platte alpine garden offers beautiful views of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. The region is a hub of winter extreme sports like skiing, snowboarding, curling, mountain-climbing and many more
Interlaken (Bern Canton)
Lausanne (Vaud Canton)
Lausanne is located on the shore of Lake Geneva. It is famous for its Gothic architectural sites and best quality wine. The International Olympic Committee is established in the town making it one of the many attractions. Some of the sights to see in Lausanne are, The Olympic Museum, Cathedral of Notre Dame, Place de la Palud, Musee des Beaux-Arts, Château d’Ouchy and Promenade.
Matternhorn, Zermatt (Valais Canton)
Matternhorn is the most photographed mountain in the world and nothing more is required to be said about that. Most tourists visit Zermatt just to get a glimpse of this cone-shaped rugged structure that paralyzes the eyes and leave the mouth open. Zermatt is spell-bound in winter with snow-covered houses and the Matternhorn standing grand and glorious. This monolith is one of a kind majestic structure that many mountaineers seek to climb.
The next peak after Matterhorn is Klein Matterhorn, the highest mountain in Europe whose peak is accessible via ariel tramway. Skiing here is one of the most popular experiences in Zermatt. The glacier express, a truly panoramic ride runs through the region offering stunning views of the massif peaks. Apart from the snowy marvels, Zermatt has many amazing restaurants and activities to do. The car-free town opens up wonders when explored on foot. You can go have a spa treatment or hike around hills like Breithorn for amazing views. You can also visit the very interesting Zermatlantis Matterhorn Museum or pay your respects in the Mountaineers Cemetery. You should definitely check out the Gorner’s Gorge, an arresting sight in Zermatt.
Graubünden Canton
All the definitions and synonyms of beauty aren’t enough to describe the canton. Exploring this part of Switzerland will make you realize that there are many underrated places of Switzerland that you haven’t heard of or if you did, you probably heard about it very less.
The hidden and reserved Crestasee lake, The rail-trip via the Bernina Express route, The paralyzing Engadine Valley, the winter charm of St Moritz, the UNESCO world heritage site Tectonic Arena Sardona, where you can trace back to the collision that formed the Alps, the photogenic Palü Glacier, as seen from the Alp Grüm and the little mountain town like Tschiertschen, Flims, Guarda, Soglio and Sassal Masone where you experience local culture, delicious and authentic swiss cuisine, quaint rustic experience and the serenity of a hill-station.
Also visit Chur, the capital of the canton and an extremely beautiful swiss city.
The Canton is filled with eye-catching natural sights and Switzerland’s only national park, the Swiss national park, has all the natural wonders the country offers from peaks and glaciers to waterfalls and lakes. Go hiking to explore the National park
Lucerne (Lucerne Canton)
Set by the Lake Lucerne, the city offers some of the best views of the lake and mountains. The place is also musically delightful and historically quaint. The music festivals attract many people who come to check out the performances. The vista from Pilatus-Kulm the highest peak in the Pilatus massif is breathtaking. You can reach the peak via cable cars and cogwheels and hiking to the top.
Boating on Lake Lucerne is another activity, a must- done tourist attraction. Some of the things to do in Lucerne are: Explore the historic old town, Take one of the many panorama express trains that start from Lucerne, ride the cogwheel from the lake Lucerne shores to Mt Rigi, check out the ancient bridges of the city the Spreuerbrücke and the Kapellbrücke, take a day trip to Engelberg for a day of adventure sports and fun. You can also check out Weggis, a charming municipality with panoramic views of the lake and the alps
Gstaad and the Bern Canton
Bern Canton is best when visited in winter, where winter sports are extremely popular among tourists and glistening snow towns embedded in white layers surrounded by the alps give the panoramic click that people aim to frame as memories. While Bern, Interlaken and the Jungfrau region had to be placed separately, there are some of the beautiful places in the Bern canton apart from the listed above
Thun, a town situated by the lake Thun is a typical medieval town with awesome scenery around. The town is historic and there are some amazing cafes to relax at and enjoy. The Thun castle dates back to 12th century and shows light on the Swiss Heritage, Thun townhall square is worth visiting while taking a stroll through the town, Thun Panorama gives a stunning view of the mountains and lake and you should definitely take a stroll by the Thun lake that is known to be refreshing.
Drive along the Susten pass for the best of Switzerland experience with breezy weather and grasslands and hills giving a panoramic view.
Gstaad, an alpine town in Bern Canton is known for many winter sports activities like Skiing and the frequenting of many celebrities who choose Gstaad for their holiday season. Gstaad is distinctively famous among Indian tourists for many films shot here and Interlaken. The ski village has glamour embedded in its roots and houses some of the chic brands of the century Dolce&Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, UGG Australia, Louis Vuitton, Prada attracting shopaholics all around.
Gstaad is charmingly rural with urban elegance and dynamically fashionable essence. It is not just fur-coated big-shots with sunglasses gazing at the Alps, but it is a very beautiful destination and worth a visit in Switzerland. Engage is a variety of winter sports ranging from skiing and snowboarding to hiking, cycling and ice-climbing. Shop for souvenirs and local produce and go dog Sledding surrounded by the exquisite swiss panorama and explore the many villages of the town.
