Switzerland
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Switzerland - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Bärenpark
AltstadtBern almost certainly gets its name from the local contraction of the German word Bären because of the bear that Berchtold V supposedly first hunted in the area. The image of a bear is never far away, from the official coat of arms to chocolate morsels. The city has kept live bears since 1513, when victorious Bernese soldiers brought one back from the Battle of Novara and installed it in a hut on what is now Bärenplatz. Brown bears Björk, Finn, and their daughter, Ursina, seem to feel at home in this open-air enclosed area just off the Aare River, complete with quasi forest, shrubs, and cave, where they can play, swim, climb, and sleep all day. Photos and plaques in English describe the bears and their lifestyle. The park is open all hours, every day.
Grosser Muristalden 6, Bern, Bern, 3006, Switzerland031-3571515Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
2. Basler Münster
AltstadtBasel's cathedral evolved into its current form through a combination of the shifts of nature and the changing whims of architects. A 9th-century Carolingian church, it was consecrated as a cathedral by Henry II in 1019. Additions, alterations, and reconstructions in late Romanesque and early Gothic style continued through the 12th and 13th centuries. When Basel's devastating earthquake destroyed much of the building in 1356, subsequent reconstruction, which lasted about a century, adhered to the newly dominant Gothic style. The facade of the north transept, the Galluspforte (St. Gall's Door), is a surviving remnant of the original Romanesque structure. It's one of the oldest carved portals in German-speaking Europe—and one of the loveliest. Each of the evangelists is represented by his symbol: an angel for Matthew, an ox for Luke, a lion for Mark, and a bulbous-chested eagle for John. Above, around the window, a wheel of fortune flings little men off to their fates. Inside on the left, following a series of tombs of medieval noblemen whose effigies recline with their feet resting on lions or their loyal dogs, stands the strikingly simple tomb of Erasmus. North of the choir, you can see the delicately rendered death portraits on the double tomb of Queen Anna of Habsburg and her young son, Charles, from around 1285. The vaulted crypt was part of the original structure and still bears fragments of murals from 1202. Both towers can be climbed, offering stunning, but dizzying, views over the city.
Münsterpl., Basel, Basel-City, 4051, Switzerland061-2729157Sight Details
Rate Includes: Towers: SF6 -
3. Basler Papiermühle
St. AlbanIn a beautifully restored medieval mill with a still functioning waterwheel, this museum honoring paper, writing, and printing is wonderfully accessible. The museum is entirely hands-on, and visitors leave with paper they have made and wax seals they have pressed, as well as various writing and printing samples. In addition there is a wonderful permanent collection, from ancient scrolls to 20th-century newspaper-printing presses. Exhibits are in German, French, and English.
St. Alban-Tal 37, Basel, Basel-City, 4052, Switzerland061-2259090Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF15, Closed Mon. -
4. Berner Münster
AltstadtMaster builder Matthäus Ensinger already had Strasbourg's cathedral under his belt when he drew up plans for what became the largest and most artistically important church in Switzerland. The city broke ground in 1421 on the site of a smaller church that was dismantled once the cathedral's choir could accommodate Sunday worshippers, and work continued, with minor interruptions, for about 180 years. The finishing touch, the tip of the open, octagonal, 328-foot steeple, was added almost 200 years after that, in 1893. Today Switzerland's highest church tower houses a tower keeper (in an apartment below the spire) and presents wraparound views of Bern and the surrounding mountains. The Reformers dismantled much of the Catholic Münster's interior decoration and paintings (dumping them in the Münsterplattform, next door), but the exterior 15th-century representation of the Last Judgment above the main portal was deemed worthy and spared. The archangel Michael stands between ivory-skinned angels with gilt hair (heaven) on the left and green demons with gaping red maws (hell) on the right; painted images of the Annunciation and the Fall of Man flank the carved figures as you pass through the doors. Elaborately carved pews and choir stalls within are crowned by 15th-century stained-glass windows that show an easy mix of local heraldry and Christian iconography. The organ, above the main entrance, is often used for concerts.
Münsterpl. 1, Bern, Bern, 3011, Switzerland031-3120462Sight Details
Rate Includes: Steeple SF5 -
5. Brienzer-Rothorn Bahn
Switzerland's last steam-driven cogwheel train runs from the waterfront of Brienz up to the summit of Brienzer-Rothorn, 7,700 feet above the town. The ride takes an hour and rolls under huge craggy peaks and through verdant meadows to afford stunning views of the lake. (The town will be so far below, you'll need pictures to remember the whole excursion wasn't fake.) A restaurant up top serves decent soups and sandwiches on a terrace that makes the most of the views. Trains depart about once an hour, but to avoid long waits at peak times, purchase your timed ticket online in advance.
Hauptstr., Brienz, Bern, 3855, Switzerland033-9522222Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF94 round-trip (plus SF8 surcharge for advance online booking); SF75 round-trip for 1st train of the day, Closed late Oct.–mid-June -
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6. Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur
Graubünden's art museum has a striking, ultramodern extension where newer works and rotating exhibitions are shown; the majestic neoclassical Villa Planta building, erected in 1875 as a private residence, houses the core of the museum's collection. It includes works by well-known artists who lived or worked in the canton, including Angelika Kauffmann; Ferdinand Hodler; Giovanni Segantini; Ernst Kirchner; H. R. Giger; and Giovanni, Augusto, and Alberto Giacometti.
Bahnhofstr. 35, Chur, Graubünden, 7000, Switzerland081-2572870Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF15, Closed Mon. -
7. Cathédrale de Notre-Dame
Old TownA Burgundian Gothic architectural treasure, this cathedral is Switzerland's largest church—and probably its finest. Begun in the 12th century by Italian, Flemish, and French architects, it was completed in 1275. Pope Gregory X came expressly to perform the historic consecration ceremony—of double importance, because it also served as a coronation service for Rudolf of Habsburg as the new Holy Roman emperor. Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, a renowned restorer who worked on the cathedrals of Chartres and Notre-Dame-de-Paris, brought portions of the building to Victorian Gothic perfection in the 19th century. His repairs are visible as paler stone contrasting with the weathered local sandstone. Streamlined to the extreme, without radiating chapels or the excesses of later Gothic trim, the cathedral wasn't always so spare; in fact, there was brilliant painting. Zealous Reformers plastered over the florid colors, but in so doing they unwittingly preserved them, and now you can see portions of these splendid shades restored in the right transept. The dark and delicate choir contains the 14th-century tomb of the crusader Otto I of Grandson and exceptionally fine 13th-century choir stalls, unusual for their age alone, not to mention their beauty. The church's masterpiece, the 13th-century painted portal, is considered one of Europe's most magnificent. A tribute to 21st-century technology, the 7,000-pipe organ fills the sanctuary with swells of sacred music. Holding fast to tradition, the cathedral has maintained a guet, or "lookout," since 1405. The guet sleeps in the belfry and is charged with crying out every hour on the hour between 10 pm and 2 am. Visitors are not allowed during the Protestant services (the cathedral was reformed in the 16th century) on Sunday before 11 am and after 6 pm. You may want to come instead for the evening concerts held almost weekly in spring and autumn. Guided tours are given July through September.
Pl. de la Cathédrale, Lausanne, Vaud, 1004, Switzerland021-3167161 -
8. Cathédrale St-Nicolas
Fribourg's grand cathedral rears up from the surrounding gray, 18th-century buildings. Its massive tower was completed in the 15th century, two centuries after construction began in 1283. Above the main portal, a beautifully restored tympanum of the Last Judgment shows the blessed few headed toward Peter, who holds the key to the heavenly gates; those not so fortunate are led by pig-faced demons into the cauldrons of hell. Inside you can see the famous 18th-century organ, as well as the restored 1657 organ. The exceptional stained-glass windows, installed between 1873 and 1983, are executed in a number of styles, including Pre-Raphaelite and art nouveau. In the Chapelle du St-Sépulcre (Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre), a group of 13 figures dating from 1433 portrays the entombment of Christ. If you can handle the 368 steps, climb to the tower for a panoramic view. During services, entry is not allowed.
Rue St-Nicolas, Fribourg, Fribourg, 1700, SwitzerlandSight Details
Rate Includes: Free, tower SF4, Tower closed Nov.–Mar. -
9. Château de Chillon
One of Switzerland's must-sees is the Château de Chillon, the awe-inspiringly picturesque 12th-century castle that rears out of the water at Veytaux, down the road from and within sight of Montreux. Chillon was built on Roman foundations under the direction of Duke Peter of Savoy with the help of military architects from Plantagenet England. For a long period it served as a state prison, and one of its shackled guests was François Bonivard, who supported the Reformation and enraged the Savoyards. He spent six years in this prison, chained most of the time to a pillar in the dungeon before being released by the Bernese in 1536. While living near Montreux, Lord Byron visited Chillon and was so transported by its atmosphere and by Bonivard's grim sojourn that he was inspired to write his famous poem "The Prisoner of Chillon." Like a true tourist, Byron carved his name on a pillar in Bonivard's still-damp and chilly dungeon; his sgraffito is now protected under a plaque. In high season, you must file placidly from restored chamber to restored turret, often waiting at doorways for entire busloads of fellow visitors to pass. Yet the 19th-century Romantic-era restoration is so evocative and so convincing, with its tapestries, carved fireplaces, period ceramics and pewter, and elaborate wooden ceilings, that even the jaded castle hound may become as carried away as Byron was. While you're waiting your turn, gaze out the narrow windows over the sparkling, lapping water and remember Mark Twain, who thought Bonivard didn't have it half bad. Proceeds from the purchase of a bottle of Clos de Chillon, the white wine from estate vineyards, goes to restoration activities.
21 av. de Chillon, Veytaux, Vaud, 1820, Switzerland021-9668910Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF14 -
10. Château de Gruyères
Crowning the storybook village of Gruyères is the town's famed château. Between 1080 and 1554, 19 counts held political power over this region, and they built and expanded this medieval castle. Little is known about them except for the last one, Michel. A lover of luxury and big spending, he expanded the estates and then fled his creditors in 1555. In 1849, a wealthy Geneva family bought the castle and encouraged painter friends to decorate a room now known as Corot's Room, because it features four of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot's landscapes. Also worth seeing is the Knights' Room with its impressive 19th-century fresco cycle depicting local legends, and the aptly named Fantastic Art Room, hung with contemporary work. An 18-minute multimedia show called Gruyères, which brings to life the history of the castle in animated form (available in eight languages), shown daily in the old caretaker's lodge, is worth your time.
Gruyères, Fribourg, Switzerland026-9212102Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF12 -
11. Col du Grand St-Bernard
Breasting the formidable barrier of the Alps at 8,101 feet, this pass is the oldest and most famous of the great Alpine crossings, and the first to join Rome and Byzantium to the wilds of the north. Used for centuries before the birth of Christ, it has witnessed an endless stream of emperors, knights, and simple travelers. Napoléon took an army of 40,000 across it en route to Marengo, where he defeated the Austrians in 1800.
Valais, Switzerland -
12. Ebenalp
The northernmost peak of the Appenzeller Alps, the 5,380-foot Ebenalp is accessible via cable car from Wasserrauen, 7 km (4 miles) south of Appenzell. At the top is an easy hike that connects to other trails that lead to a mountain lake or loop back to the cable car. Also here is the Wildkirchli, a cave that was home to humans in the Paleolithic era and today houses a large bear skeleton that dates back 90,000 years. Five minutes farther along the trail is the Berggastaus Aescher-Wildkirchli, a mountainside restaurant with eye-popping views of the valley below.
Schwendetalstr. 82, Wasserauen, Appenzell Innerrhoden, 9057, Switzerland071-7991212Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF34 round-trip -
13. Église-Forteresse de Valère
On Valère, Sion's lower hill, the Église-Forteresse de Valère is a striking example of sacred and secular power combined—reflective of the church's heyday, when it often subjugated rather than served its parishioners. Built on Roman foundations, the massive stone walls enclose both the château and the 11th-century Église Notre-Dame de Valère (Church of Our Lady of Valère). This structure stands in a relatively raw form, rare in Switzerland, where monuments are often restored to perfection. Over the engaging Romanesque carvings, 16th-century fresco fragments, and 17th-century stalls painted with scenes of the Passion, is a rare organ, with a cabinet painted with two fine medieval Christian scenes. Dating from the 15th century, it's the oldest playable organ in the world (though it doesn't appear old, as it was restored in 2005), and an annual organ festival celebrates its musical virtues. The château complex also houses the Musée d'Histoire (History Museum), which displays a wide array of medieval sacristy chests and religious artifacts. Expanded exhibits trace daily life and advances in the canton from these early centuries to the present day. Explanations are in three languages, including English. To reach the museum and church, you have to trek up uneven stone walkways and steep staircases, but you won't regret it.
24 rue des Châteaux, Sion, Valais, 1950, Switzerland027-6064715Sight Details
Rate Includes: Church free, guided tour SF4; museum SF12 (free 1st Sun. of month), Church and museum closed Mon. Oct.–May. No guided tours Mon.–Sat. Oct.–May -
14. Eiger Express
This state-of-the-art cable car whisks you up from Grindelwald Terminal to the Eigergletscher station (at 7,367 feet) in just 15 minutes, and from there, you can catch the Jungfraubahn train up to the summit in about half an hour. The Eiger Express shaves nearly 50 minutes off the time it used to take to reach the Jungfraujoch terminus. Catch a train from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald Terminal (one stop before the regular Grindelwald station stop) to begin your journey.
Grundstr. 54, Grindelwald, Bern, 3818, Switzerland033-8287112Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF64 round-trip -
15. Fondation Beyeler
For decades, the world's most prestigious art collectors would journey to Basel to worship at the feet of one of modern art's greatest gallery owners, Ernst Beyeler, the founder of Art Basel, who died in 2010. At the end of his phenomenal career, he left his incomparable collection to the public and commissioned the noted architect Renzo Piano to build a museum in the town of Riehen, on the outskirts of Basel. The Fondation Beyeler presents an astonishingly well-rounded collection of modern art, and Piano's simple lines direct attention to more than 200 great works. The collection's catalog reads like a who's who of modern artists—Cézanne, Matisse, Lichtenstein, and Rauschenberg. In this bright and open setting, Giacometti's wiry sculptures stretch toward the ceiling and Monet's water lilies seem to spill from the canvas into an outdoor reflecting pool. Indigenous carved figures from New Guinea and Nigeria stare into the faces on canvases by Klee and Dubuffet. A stellar selection of Picassos is juxtaposed with views of blue skies. Besides the permanent collection, several prestigious art exhibits every year attract art lovers from around the globe. To accommodate even more space for art, as well as for events, an extension designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor began construction in late 2021. The tram trip from Schifflände takes about 20 minutes.
Baselstr. 101, Riehen, Basel-City, 4125, Switzerland061-6459700Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF30 -
16. Fondation de l'Hermitage
SauvabelinA 15-minute bus ride from Old Town takes you to this beautifully set 19th-century country home. The estate is now an impressive art gallery with a fine permanent collection of Vaudois artists and headline-grabbing, yet seriously presented, blockbuster shows. Exhibits have included the works of Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, and the American impressionists. Details of the elegant villa have been preserved, including intricate moldings, carved fireplaces, and multipatterned parquet floors. Allow time for a walk on the grounds and coffee at L'esquisse, the café surrounded by the outlying orangery. To get here, take Bus No. 3 from Gare Centrale to the Motte stop or Bus No. 16 from Place St-François to Hermitage.
2 rte. du Signal, Lausanne, Vaud, 1018, Switzerland021-3125013Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF19, Closed Mon. -
17. Fondation Martin Bodmer
The museum that sources this humbling exhibition of original texts—from cuneiform tablets, papyrus scrolls, and parchment to a dizzying array of first editions—maps the history of human thought. Dramatic displays of bas-reliefs and dimly lighted Egyptian books of the dead give way to Homer's Iliad; handwritten Gospels according to Matthew and John; exquisite copies of the Koran; a perfectly preserved Gutenberg Bible; Shakespeare (the complete works, published in 1623); an autographed score by Mozart; Oliver Twist; the Communist Manifesto; and Alice in Wonderland. A comprehensive printed guide is available in English. Energetic sightseers can get here on foot; otherwise, take the A bus from Rond-point de Rive and get off at Cologny-Temple. The ride takes 12 minutes.
19–21 Martin Bodmer, Cologny, Geneva, 1223, Switzerland022-7074436Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF15, Closed Mon. -
18. Fondation Pierre Gianadda
The Fondation Pierre Gianadda rises in bold geometric shapes around the Roman ruins on which it is built. Recent retrospectives have spotlighted works by Renoir and Monet. The Musée Gallo-Romain displays Celtic and Gallo-Roman relics excavated from a 1st-century temple—striking bronzes, statuary, pottery, and coins unearthed from a time when Celtic tribes ruled Switzerland. Descriptions are only in French and German. A marked path leads through the antique village, baths, drainage systems, and foundations to the fully restored 5,000-seat amphitheater, which dates from the 2nd century. In the gracefully landscaped garden surrounding the foundation, a wonderful Parc de Sculpture displays works by Rodin, Brancusi, Miró, Arman, Moore, Dubuffet, and Max Ernst. There's also a sizable Musée de l'Automobile, which contains some 50 antique cars, all in working order. They include an 1897 Benz, the Delaunay-Belleville of Czar Nicholas II of Russia, and a handful of Swiss-made models. You may also spot posters for concerts by international classical stars such as Cecilia Bartoli or Itzhak Perlman—the space doubles as a concert hall.
59 rue du Forum, Martigny, Valais, 1920, Switzerland027-7223978Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF20 -
19. Fraumünster
Kreis 1Of the church spires that are Zürich's signature, the Fraumünster's is the most delicate, a graceful sweep to a narrow point. It was added to the Gothic structure in 1732; the remains of Louis the German's original 9th-century abbey are below. Its Romanesque choir is a perfect spot for meditation beneath the ocher, sapphire, and ruby glow of the 1970 stained-glass windows by the Russian-born Marc Chagall, who loved Zürich. The Graubünden sculptor Alberto Giacometti's cousin, Augusto Giacometti, executed the fine painted window, made in 1930, in the north transept.
View Tours and ActivitiesStadthausquai, Zürich, Zurich, 8001, SwitzerlandSight Details
Rate Includes: SF5 -
20. Freilichtmuseum der Schweiz Ballenberg
More than 100 typical houses from virtually every part of Switzerland (along with 200 native livestock species) are on display in this magnificent outdoor exhibit down a small road just east of Brienz. Dotting the meadows are 19th-century barns, pastel-shuttered houses, antique lace-making shops, traditional haberdasheries, and plenty of carefully reconstructed chalets. Even the gardens and farm animals are true to type. Spinning, forging, and lace-making are demonstrated using original tools. The settlement, between the villages of Hofstetten and Brienzwiler, ranges over many acres, and you can easily spend at least a half day here. Via public transport, take the train to Brienz or Brünig and then a short bus ride to Ballenberg.
Museumsstr. 100, Hoffstetten bei Brienz, Bern, 3858, Switzerland033-9521030Sight Details
Rate Includes: SF28, Closed Nov.–mid-Apr.
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