398 Best Sights in Switzerland

Changing exhibitions of contemporary, often experimental, art by Zürich-based artists are hosted at this museum, the open court of which once served as a linen market. In spring the museum hosts an exhibition of works from the city's annual competition for young artists.

What would the woman pictured on most Swiss coins do if freed from the confines of currency? With spear and shield set aside (and with a packed suitcase in hand), this humanistic interpretation shows her seemingly contemplating the possibilities from a perch not far from the border of her homeland and the wide world beyond.

Aigle, in the Chablais region, is home to wine museums and the Badoux winery, renowned for Chasselas. Try: Aigle Les Murailles Chasselas, whose lizard label is a Swiss icon.

Housed within the 13th-century Barfüsserkirche (Church of the Shoeless Friars), this museum has an extensive collection of Basel's cathedral treasury, wooden sculptures, coins, armor, and other vestiges of the city's past. An underground gallery displays fully reconstructed medieval and Renaissance guild rooms, complete with stained glass, ceramic stoves, and richly carved wood. Upstairs, next to the choir, the Münster Treasury contains priceless reliquaries in gold. Despite its status as one of the finest examples of Franciscan architecture north of the Alps, the church was deconsecrated in the 19th century and turned into a warehouse until it was rescued in 1894 and converted to its present-day use as a museum. General descriptions are in German, French, and English. See the website for information in English about special exhibits.

Housed in the late-Gothic armory dating from 1567, this stylish institution exhibits numerous city icons, including the original Gothic fountain that stood in the Weinmarkt. In the permanent exhibit, guests can use a handheld scanner to learn about the thousands of barcoded items on display.

Opposite the Rätisches Museum, a stone archway under this tower leads into the court of the strong bishop-princes of Chur, once hosts to Holy Roman emperors—sometimes with whole armies in tow—passing through on their way to Italy or Germany. The bishops were repaid for their hospitality by imperial donations to the people. The thick fortifications of the residence aren't for show: they reflect the tendency of inhabitants to dispute the bishops' powers. By the 15th century those who rebelled could be punished with excommunication.

This sanctuary of St. Leodegar was first part of a monastery founded in 750. Its Gothic structure was mostly destroyed by fire in 1633 and rebuilt in late-Renaissance style, so only the towers of its predecessor were preserved. The carved pulpit and choir stalls date from the 17th century, and the 80-rank organ (1650) is one of Switzerland's finest. Outside, Italianate loggias shelter a cemetery for patrician families of Old Luzern.

The tree- and flower-lined walkways on the city's main promenade cut through the edge of the broad green parklands, which are called the Höhematte. This 35-acre park once provided pasture ground for herds of the Augustinian monastery that dominated medieval Interlaken. Cows still graze in fenced-off areas.

The city first planted this gigantic, and accurate, floral timepiece in 1955 to highlight Geneva's seminal role in the Swiss watchmaking industry. Some 6,500 plants are required four times a year to cover its 16-foot-wide surface.

The Hôtel de Ville (Rathaus in German) is the seat of the cantonal parliament, built on the foundations of the château of Berthold IV of Zähringen, who founded the town of Fribourg in 1157. The symmetrical stairways were added in the 17th century, as were the clockworks in the 16th-century clock tower. A vibrant produce market sets up on the square in front of the Town Hall on Saturday morning.

In front of Yverdon's Hôtel de Ville—an 18th-century building notable for its French-inspired neoclassical facade—stands a bronze statue of Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, grouped with two children.

The town hall is the seat of politics in the canton and has a rich history. Representatives from 14 of 16 countries present signed the first Geneva Convention in the ground-floor Alabama Hall on August 22, 1864, enforcing the action of the International Red Cross, which had been created in Geneva the year before. The League of Nations also convened its first assembly here on November 15, 1920. The canton's executive and legislative bodies meet here; until 1958 government functionaries lived here. But the history of this elegant vaulted compound begins in 1455, when the city built a large fortified tower, the Tour Baudet, to house the State Council Chamber. Its ramp, an architectural anomaly added during the Reformation, was used by the councilors to reach the third-floor meeting hall without dismounting from their donkeys, a practice that gave name to the tower: baudet means donkey in French.

Constructed between the 15th and 17th century, this is the seat of municipal and communal councils. A painted, medieval Fontaine de la Justice (Justice Fountain) draws strollers to lounge on its heavy rim. Across the street you can watch the modern animated clock, donated to the city by local merchants; moving figures appear every hour on the hour. A street market is held in and around the square every Wednesday and Saturday morning.

The Town Hall has extraordinary historic roots: though it was built in the 1650s, it has transplanted stones in the entrance bearing Roman inscriptions, including a Christian symbol from the year AD 377. The 17th-century doors are richly carved wood, and the tower displays an astronomical clock. The interior is accessible only on walking tours run by the tourism office.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, born in Geneva and the son of a Genevois watchmaker, is known to history as a liberal philosopher in part because the conservative governments in Geneva and Paris so thoroughly rejected his views. His statue on this former city bastion, erected reluctantly in 1835 (57 years after his death), was surrounded by trees and his face deliberately hidden from view until the 1862 construction of the Pont du Mont-Blanc gave Rousseau the last laugh. In 2012, for Rousseau's 300th birthday, the statue was turned so visitors can once again see his face.

High up in the bluffs and valleys to the south of Sion are scores of isolated eagle's-nest towns, including Isérables. Set on a precarious slope that drops 3,280 feet into the lowlands, the town has narrow streets that weave between crooked old stone-shingle mazots. Since the arrival of the cable car, Isérables has prospered and modernized itself. Yet the inhabitants of this village still carry the curious nickname Bedjuis. Some say it's derived from "Bedouins" and that the people are descended from the Saracen hordes who, after the battle of Poitiers in 732 AD, overran some of the high Alpine valleys. Excursions to the sights and villages of this haute vallée (high valley) can be accomplished in a day, with a little time to hike and explore before returning to Sion.

The inimitable Irish author not only lived and wrote in Zürich, but died here as well. The city's most famous literary resident is buried in the Friedhof Fluntern (Fluntern Cemetery). Atop his grave sits a contemplative statue of the writer, complete with cigar. A few steps away is the grave of another renowned author, Nobel Prize–winner Elias Canetti. The cemetery is adjacent to the Tram 6 terminus.

This tower, completed in 1643, served as the city's prison until 1897. Reconfigured as the Confederation's Political Forum in 1999, it now hosts political events and exhibitions.

The Cathedral of the Assumption was built between 1151 and 1272, drawing on stylistic influences from all across Europe. On this same site have stood a Roman castle, a bishop's house in the 5th century, and a Carolingian cathedral in the 8th century. Inside, the capitals of the columns are carved with fantastical beasts; clustered at their bases are less threatening animals, such as sheep and marmots. In the choir is a magnificent late-15th-century altar of gilded wood with nearly 150 carved figures created by Jakob Russ from Ravensburg, Germany.

Just outside Leukerbad is this cozy winery with a tasting room where you can sample wonderful Humagne Rouges, Fendants, Walliser rosés, and Cornalins, among other unique Valais varietals. The town makes for a great half-day bike ride from Leukerbad, and it is downhill all the way. For those who don't want to climb up again, you can easily throw your bike on the bus as you head back uphill.

Among the town's few architectural highlights, the late-Gothic Kirche St. Johann stands out by virtue of its windows by Augusto Giacometti. Nearby is the 17th-century Rathaus (Town Hall).

Dating from the early 13th century, Zürich's oldest parish church was built on a site that has been occupied by a church since the 9th century. The existing building has been considerably expanded over the years, in styles ranging from a Romanesque choir to a baroque nave. The tower, for example, was extended in 1534, when the clock—which has the largest clockface in Europe—was added. Keep an eye out for inexpensive or even free classical concerts.

Antiques, art, and book enthusiasts will delight in the shops on this street, and those interested in history or religion should note that No. 13 was Zwingli's last home before he was killed in battle (1531) while defending the Reformation.

If you walk through the Swiss National Park over the Ofen Pass to the Münster Valley and Italy, you can visit the Benedictine Convent of St. John at Müstair, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Italian border. The convent is still active and has fasting weeks in spring and fall. Take time to wonder at the Romanesque frescoes AD 800–1170; more paintings are being uncovered using laser technology, including at the adjacent 8th-century Chapel of the Holy Cross, accessible only by guided tour. The appealingly simple convent complex also houses a small museum with baroque statues and Carolingian works.

Wine stocked the cellar and grain filled the top three floors of this granary for 100 years during Bern's golden age. Then the 1814 Vienna Congress separated the city from its territories, and this monumental baroque storage depot lost its function overnight. The cellar was renovated in 1893 and painted four years later; today it houses a restaurant and bar. The Kornhausforum (Media and Design Center) upstairs organizes contemporary design, architecture, video, photography, and applied art exhibits.

This beach has some sand at the water's edge, though you'll be spreading your towel on the grass. If you don't want to swim in the lake, you can also swim in the lakeside 50-meter swimming pool. Amenities: food and drink; parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: sunsets; swimming.

Set in West Zürich, this is one of two major modern art venues on the top floors of a former brewery. The gallery hosts exhibitions presenting new local and international artists, and works are always cutting-edge: you can say you saw it here first.