There’s a reason Switzerland is my favorite country (so far!) Chocolate, stunning scenery, adorable houses, clean, great chocolate, it’s a safe country, things run on time… and did I mention chocolate?
Pontresiga Valley
St Moritz
Zermatt
It’s not just for skiing. If you’re going to visit a quintessential Swiss ski chalet town, Zermatt is it. Take the cable cars up the mountain and if the weather permits, visit the Glacier Paradise (there was a snow storm when I visited early May – unusual weather for that time of year but still something to keep in mind when planning what time of year to go if you really want to see it)
Read more: Guide to visiting Zermatt, Switzerland
Bern
The capital may be small but it’s UNESCO listed i.e. it has lots of pretty old buildings and cute houses!
Don’t miss the main street Kramgasse
Glacier Express
Read more Riding first class on Switzerland’s Glacier Express train to Zermatt
Don’t fall asleep on any Swiss trains – there’s something different each time the train pops out the end of a tunnel!
Zurich
How to spend a stopover or weekend in Zurich
Read more How to spend a stopover or weekend in Zurich
Rhine Falls
Europe’s biggest waterfall is close to Zurich and worth a visit (can go there and back on a half day tour).
Lucerne
Read more: Guide to visiting Lucerne (things to see and do plus the best viewpoint)
Mount Pilatus
Still worth a visit even if it’s cloudy
Trummelbach Waterfall
This is not the waterfall (it was too hard to get photos and I didn’t want to get my camera wet) but the valley around Trummelbach has tons of waterfalls too:
Interlaken
Cute little town to stretch your legs between Bern and Lucerne (make sure you venture a little further to Interlaken and Grindelwald too!)
The water is much more blue in person!
Chateau de Chillon
Even the scenery driving along the highway is pretty!
Such a contrast from snow everywhere:
To lush green
And plenty of tunnels!
Don’t miss the chocolate aisle in the supermarket
My favorite brands were Swiss Alps, Ambrose and Frey
And the food stalls at the local markets
How long do you need to visit Switzerland?
I did an organized tour (combined with Austria). All up it was about 2 weeks with a week in Switzerland. Normally I wouldn’t do organized tours as they can be rather restrictive however I really liked this one. Saw almost all of Switzerland by road and rail. Definitely recommend an organized tour if you’re worried about driving (although everything seemed to be well sign posted and there’s really only a few main road routes). Plus Switzerland is very expensive so group tours can save you money.
I did the best of Austria and Switzerland tour with Globus. Not sponsored by them, I’m just telling you if you’re curious. I get frustrated reading travel blogs and they rarely tell you what company they used for what unless they’re getting paid to do so.
Anyway, Switzerland is my favorite country I’ve been to so far – definitely put it on your bucket list if you haven’t already been!
More Switzerland
- My all time favorite trip planning tool: Visit a City
- Travel Planning: 50 Things to consider when planning an itinerary
- How I use Excel to organize all my travel plans (research, itinerary, hotel, tours, bookings, packing list etc.)