Switzerland Sightseeing

Basel features a picturesque old town with an ancient university. Straddling the Rhine River between France’ Jura Mountains and Germany's Black Forest, Basel is a centre of art and research. The collection in the Art Museum ranges from Rembrandt and Monet to Picasso and Max Ernst. The Baslermünster is an impressive medieval cathedral with a tower bestowing the best views of Basel and the surrounding Black Forest. Other sights include the 14th century Spalentor and the 15th century Church of Saint Peter. Away from the town, mountain paths zigzag up the Jura Mountains.

Switzerland’s ancient capital is a small but beautifully preserved medieval city earning it the honour of being a UNESCO World Heritage site. Travellers can find such attractions as Einstein’s house where he developed his theory of relativity, the Kunstmuseam which is a museum of fine art and the Swiss Alpine museum. Bern is also an excellent place to shop with over 6km of covered arcades literally full of shops. Across the Nyddegg Bridge are ancient medieval bear pits (Bärengraben), a reminder of the city’s emblem seen throughout the town in the form of flags, statues, stained-glass windows and souvenirs.

The majestic region of Berner Oberland is a major tourist area due to its spectacular scenery of famous peaks, mountain lakes, alpine streams and wild flowers, as well as Europe's highest railway. The popular year-round resorts of Grindelwald, Mürren and Wengen thrive during the winter ski and snowboard season (mid-December to late-March). Grindelwald is quite old-fashioned and quiet in the evenings but with excellent skiing, ideal for intermediates and beginners, and off-piste activities including tobogganing and winter walking trails. Finsteraarhorn (4275m), the highest peak of the Berner Alps, is dominated by glaciers which stretch from the upper Aare and the Rhône valley to Lake Geneva. Also in the region, there are excursions up the Schilthorn Mountain by funicular (made famous by James Bond in the movie Her Majesty's Secret Service); to the waterfalls at Giessbach and Lauterbrunnen; to the Reichenbach falls (where Sherlock Holmes fell to his fictional death); and to the Swiss Open-Air Museum at Ballenberg, with its charmingly preserved houses from all regions of the country. The castle at Thun, with its historical museum located at the top of the Altstadt (old town), should not be missed.

Geneva is Switzerland’s most cosmopolitan city, situated on Lake Geneva at the southern foot of the Jura Mountains. Elegant shops, nightclubs, restaurants, fine museums and art galleries and an extensive calendar of cultural activities make it a favourite with many visitors. The old city centre is best explored on foot. One of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture is the Cathedral de St Pierre. The flower clock, with over 6,500 blooms, near the lake in the Jardin Anglais pays homage to Geneva’s watch industry. A boat trip on the lake is a wonderful experience. Dominated by the Jet d’Eau, a 145m-high fountain, the lake is usually alive with sailing boats. Around the lake are facilities for all kinds of water sports, as well as golf and riding nearby. Geneva is also a traditional European centre for health and recuperation, and maintains state-of-the-art sanatoria such as the 100-year-old Clinique Générale Beaulieu. It is also home to many international organisations such as the United Nations, the World Health Organisation and the Red Cross.

The capital of the canton of Vaud, Lausanne is situated on the northern shore of Lake Geneva. The symbol of the city is the Cathedral Notre-Dame in the Cité, the old centre, and the Château St Maire (1397-1431). A walk along the promenade of the old Port d’Ouchy reveals a slower pace of life. A funicular can be taken from Ouchy to the inner city of Lausanne. Several streams and rolling hills dominate the canton Vaud, famous for its wine, cheese and wood sculpting. Vaud also boasts one of the country’s most important historic buildings: the 11th century Benedictine Monastery Church of Saint Pierre in the small town of Romainmotier.

The Lucerne region, with its mountains, lakes, pine forests and meadows, is a very popular tourist area. Ferries on the Vierwaldstättersee service the tiny villages surrounding the lakes and connect with various mountain railways and cableways. Cablecars, passenger lifts and cogwheel railways provide transport to the Gütsch, the Pilatus and the Sonnenberg and other mountains. South of Lucerne, near the small town of Engelberg, the world’s first revolving cable car ascends Mount Titlis, the highest lookout-point in central Switzerland. Historians should visit Schwyz, one of the three original cantons, the country’s namesake and home to the Museum of the Swiss Federal Charter and the Forum of Swiss History. Lucerne has a charming medieval old town (Altstadt). Important buildings include the Hofkirche, the old Town Hall (1602-1606) and the famous Löwendenkmal, a memorial to the city mascot the 'dying Lion of Lucerne', carved out of a cliff. Check out the 170 metre long, covered wooden Chapel Bridge spanning the River Reuss. It was the oldest in Switzerland (1333) until it was destroyed by a fire in 1993. It has since been reconstructed and is still worth seeing. Lucerne hosts an international music festival every year.

Montreux, also in the canton of Vaud, is renowned for its mild climate and the International Jazz Festival in July. At Villars there is an 18-hole golf course, while nearby Château d’Oex, Les Diablerets and Leysin are major sporting centres for climbing, mountain-biking, skiing, paragliding and hiking. Each summer there is a rock festival at Leysin and there is summer skiing on the glacier at Les Diablerets (noteworthy for its panoramic views of Mont Blanc and the icy peaks and green valleys of the Alps).

Over the San Bernardino Pass sits the lovely, Italian-speaking, southernmost tip of Switzerland. Here the climate is subtropical and the atmosphere Mediterranean. Follow the road from the Alpine valleys through Bellinzona with its three medieval castles and continue to the lake resorts of Southern Ticino. Locarno, on the shores of Lago di Maggiore, with its narrow streets, pavement cafes and lakeside lido is one of the most popular destinations, with a world-famous film festival in August. Further south, the health and holiday resort of Lugano lies on the Lago di Lugano between the peaks of Monte Bré and San Salvatore. The largest city in Ticino, it is a favourite holiday destination for the Swiss. Piazzas, palazzos, palms, the Cathedral of San Lorenzo and the promenade along the lakeshore give the city a special flair.

To get close to the highest mountains in Switzerland, take a trip to Valais ('The valley'), which stretches all the way from the Rhône Glacier past Brig, Martigny and Sion down to Lake Geneva. Glaciers can be found on all peaks of the Valais Alps, which include the famous Matterhorn (4478m). Valais contains some of Switzerland’s most celebrated ski resorts including the picturesque car-free village of Zermatt, which offers excellent skiing for all abilities, lively nightlife and plenty of non-skiing activities. Any visit to the area should also include the Rhône Glacier and grotto at Gletsch.

Switzerland's largest city is pleasantly set on its own lake, Zürichsee, a very lush and scenic region scattered with small historic towns, villages and vineyards. The old part of the town (the Altstadt) is especially picturesque. Do not miss the Gothic Basilica Fraumünster with its three naves and stained-glass windows by Marc Chagall. The medieval castle at Rapperswil, on the bank of the lake, is also well worth a visit. Probably one of the most enjoyable attractions is the Lindt & Sprüngli chocolate factory which features an interesting museum and of course some free samples of the world famous Lindt chocolate. Other sights include the impressive 17th century Town Hall, the Swiss National Museum and the modern art collections at the Kunsthaus Zürich. Another fairly unique site is the Museum Rietberg which is home to an extensive collection of African and Asian artefacts. Local trains and buses provide easy access to the hills, woods and parks that surround Zürich; during the summer, steamer cruises on Zürich’s lake are popular.

Cycling is not necessarily as strenuous as the mountainous terrain might indicate. There are 3300km of well-marked interlinked trails, and most of them offer easy cycling. Hire a bicycle at a railway station and return it at any other station at the end of the tour. This is possible at most train stations. There are also inline skating routes throughout the country, varying in difficulty from easy to demanding.

Enjoy a theatre production at the Zürcher Schauspielhaus, which is considered one of the most prestigious German-speaking theatres in the country. Contact them on +41 44 258 7070 or E-Mail: theaterkasse@schauspielhaus.ch

Enjoy the mountain sports. There are plenty of opportunities to go climbing, ice climbing, ski touring, snow boarding, deep-snow skiing, heli-skiing and glacier walking. The Swiss Association of Mountain Guides publishes a list of approved mountaineering centres as well as a list of approved guides. Further information can be obtained from Schweizerischer Bergführerverband, Hadlaubstrasse 49, 8006 Zurich (http://www.4000plus.ch/index.php?id=1&L=2) or from Switzerland Tourism. 

Go on a cruise or just take a ferry trip on one of Switzerland's many lakes. During the summer, steamer cruises on Zürich's lake are popular. The medieval castle at Rapperswil, on the bank of the lake is well worth a visit. In the Lucerne area, ferries on the Vierwaldstättersee service the tiny villages surrounding the lake and connect with various mountain railways and cableways. Local ferries link Lugano with the scenic lakeside towns of Gandria and Morcote. During spring, the area is in full bloom with fig and olive trees, pomegranates and myrtle. On Lake Constance, boat trips to Konstanz and Lindau in Germany or to Bregenz in Austria are available. A boat trip on Lake Geneva is highly recommended. Dominated by the Jet d'Eau, a 145m-high fountain, the lake is generally alive with sailing boats. 

Go to Basel for the three days of the Basler Fasnacht (a pre-Lenten carnival), during which time no serious sightseeing should or can be done, as visitors are required to take part in grand masked parties and street parades with fancy costumes. There is even a Fasnacht Fountain in front of the City Theatre.

Go hiking. Approximately 50,000km of trails lead through all kinds of terrain in this spectacularly beautiful country. Hiking times are given on the signposts, and trails are graded according to degree of difficulty. The organisation responsible for maintaining the trails and for co-ordinating local hiking associations is the Swiss Hiking Federation; www.swisshiking.ch.

Take the highest aerial cable car in Europe at Zermatt, ascending the Little Matterhorn. The ski run from here back to Zermatt is the longest in Europe. The village is internationally known for not allowing cars. Transport is either on foot, by electric car or by horse-drawn carriage.

Visit one of Switzerland's many health spas. The Graubünden resorts of Arosa, Davos, Klosters and St Moritz are renowned the world over. Interlaken, situated between the lakes of Brienz and Thun, is another renowned climatic health resort and the gateway to the Berner Oberland. Geneva is a traditional European centre for health and recuperation, and maintains state-of-the-art sanatoria such as the 100-year-old Clinique Générale Beaulieu, well worth a visit.