Switzerland
Top sights and places to visit in Switzerland showcase alpine peaks, pristine lakes, and charming cities. Visitors come for the Swiss Alps around the Matterhorn and Jungfrau, scenic train journeys, lakeside cities such as Lucerne, Zurich and Geneva, and picturesque villages set amid mountains and vineyards.
General information
Switzerland is a small, spectacular Alpine country in the heart of Europe — not a member of the EU, famously neutral, and one of the wealthiest and cleanest nations in the world. It has four national languages (German, French, Italian and Romansh), and English is widely understood. Compact yet astonishingly varied, it packs snow-capped peaks, turquoise lakes, storybook villages and polished cities into a country you can cross in a few hours. Renowned for precision, chocolate, cheese and watchmaking, Switzerland offers a very high quality of life and some of the most beautiful mountain scenery on the continent.
Transport and how to get there
The main airport is Zurich (ZRH), with further international gateways at Geneva (GVA) and Basel (the tri-national EuroAirport, BSL). Switzerland's real pride, however, is its railway: the SBB network is punctual to the minute and reaches almost every valley, including world-famous scenic routes such as the Glacier Express and the Bernina line. A Swiss Travel Pass covers trains, buses and lake boats and includes many mountain railways. Because the country is so central and compact, most cities and resorts are only one to three hours apart.
Prices
Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the world, so budget accordingly. Expect roughly 130-250 CHF per night for a mid-range hotel (more in Zurich, Geneva or alpine resorts), with hostels from about 40 CHF. A casual restaurant meal is often 25-35 CHF, a coffee 4-5 CHF and a beer 6-8 CHF. Public transport and mountain excursions add up quickly — a scenic cable car can cost 50-90 CHF — so a travel pass often pays off. The currency is the Swiss franc (CHF); prices are approximate and change with the season.
Main attractions
The scenery is the star: the iconic Matterhorn above car-free Zermatt, the glacier-capped Jungfrau region around Interlaken, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, and the mirror-still lakes of Lucerne and Geneva. Lucerne itself, with its wooden Chapel Bridge and mountain backdrop, is a favourite, as is the UNESCO-listed old town of Bern. Cosmopolitan Zurich and lakeside Geneva anchor the cities, while the thundering Rhine Falls, the terraced vineyards of Lavaux and unforgettable panoramic train rides round out a country that feels like one continuous postcard.