Switzerland

Zürich

Zurich is Switzerland's biggest city and a cultural center of German-speaking Switzerland. Despite it not being the administrative capital of any more than its Kanton, Zurich punches well above its weight in terms of major media and business headquarters and due to it being at the heart of Switzerland's excessively punctual and meticulously maintained train network and being home to Switzerland's most important airport, it is often the first part of Switzerland that visitors get to see. Zurich is close to some excellent skiing resorts and many people headed for the Swiss Alps don't spend much time in Zurich itself, but you'd be missing a lot if you don't stay in Zurich for a couple of days at least.

Geneva

Geneva (French: Genève, German: Genf ), Switzerland's second-most populous city and the largest French-speaking city in Switzerland, is one of the world's major centres of international diplomacy, having served as the site of the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross since its foundation in 1863. Although the United Nations is now headquartered in New York, the organization still retains a large presence in Geneva at the Palais des Nations and many of its sister/child organizations, such as the World Health and International Labour Organizations. The City of Geneva has only 200,000 inhabitants but 915,000 people live in the metropolitan region.

Lucerne

Lucerne ( Luzern in German, Lozärn in Swiss-German) is a beautiful small city in the heartland of Switzerland, across the lake from Altdorf, where legend has it William Tell shot an apple off of his son's head. Lucerne is a fine city to visit, and is a great base from which to explore famous Swiss sites such as the mountains Rigi, Pilatus, Titlis and the Rütli meadow.

Chapel Bridge and Old Town

Lake Lucerne

Lion Monument

Musegg Wall and Towers

Swiss Transport Museum

Bern

Although Berne ( German: Bern ) is the seat of most of the institutions of the Swiss confederation, this is only a small to medium sized city with a population of about 130,000 in the city proper and roughly 350,000 in the urban agglomeration. It sits on a peninsula formed by the meandering turns of the river Aare. The remarkable design coherence of Berne's old town has earned it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It has 6.4 km (4 miles) of arcaded walkways along streets decked out with fountains and clock-towers.

Basel

One of Switzerland's underrated tourist destinations, Basel has a beautiful medieval old town centre, a fascinating carnival, and several world class art museums built by architects like Renzo Piano, Mario Botta and Herzog & De Meuron. Basel is also rich in architecture old and new, with a Romanesque Münster (cathedral), a Renaissance Rathaus (town hall), and various examples of high quality contemporary architecture, including more buildings by Herzog & De Meuron, Richard Meier, Diener & Diener, and various others.

Interlaken

Interlaken is a small city in the Bernese Highlands region of central Switzerland. Located between two alpine lakes (Lake Brienz (Brienzersee) and Lake Thun (Thunersee) ), Interlaken is a popular base camp for outdoor sports and travel in the surrounding Bernese Oberland Alps. Interlaken itself is a superb holiday destination.

Lausanne

Lausanne, located in the heart of Switzerland and serving as the capital of the Vaud canton, is a charming and picturesque travel destination renowned for its stunning lakeside setting, historic architecture, and cultural richness. Nestled on the northern shore of Lake Geneva and surrounded by the Swiss Alps, Lausanne boasts breathtaking panoramic views of the lake and the majestic mountains beyond. The city's Old Town, with its cobblestone streets and medieval buildings, is a captivating area to explore, and the iconic Olympic Museum celebrates Lausanne's status as the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee. Lausanne is also a hub for art and culture, with numerous museums and galleries, including the Collection de l'Art Brut, showcasing outsider art, and the Fondation de l'Hermitage, known for its impressive collection of European paintings. Visitors can enjoy leisurely walks along the picturesque waterfront promenade, take boat trips on Lake Geneva, and savor Swiss cuisine in charming lakeside cafes. The city's vineyards, producing some of Switzerland's finest wines, are easily accessible and offer wine-tasting opportunities amidst scenic landscapes. With its combination of natural beauty, cultural treasures, and culinary delights, Lausanne is a delightful and enriching destination in Switzerland.

Lugano

Lugano is a lakeside city in Ticino, the Italian-speaking part of southern Switzerland, and is the largest Italian-speaking city in Switzerland, or for that matter, outside Italy. Part of a temperate micro-climate, Lugano offers palm trees, picturesque boulevards, stunning views of the lake and the Alps, and plenty of opportunity for outdoor and indoor activities. Lugano also makes a good base for visiting other cities and sites in the area. The city is a pleasant place to relax in the summertime and is only half an hour away from Lake Como.

Zermatt

Zermatt is one of the most famous mountain resorts in Switzerland. Located in the German-speaking part of Valais its most popular sight is the iconic Matterhorn peak, probably Switzerland's most famous mountain. It comes at no surprise then that the town of Zermatt caters mostly towards skiing, hiking and mountaineering. Though its fame has also a downside, the town is busier and much more expensive than other destinations in the region.

Grindelwald

Grindelwald is a mountain village in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland. It's in the valley from Interlaken up to the pass of Grosse Scheidegg, a traditional cattle trail, and in Old High German grintil walt meant "barrier forest". It became an Alpine tourist resort when it was reached by road in 1872 and by rail in 1890. The population in 2018 was 3801.

Montreux

Montreux is mostly known for its world-famous two-week-long Jazz Festival, but it is well worth a wander through, if only to get to the scenic Château de Chillon or to get to the hiker's paradise of Hauts de Montreux.

Lauterbrunnen

Lauterbrunnen is a village in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, with a population of 2290 in 2018. It lies in a dramatic sheer-sided U-shaped valley, with scores of waterfalls - its name means "clear springs" but is often rendered as "loud springs" for their roar in spate. At an elevation of 800 m it's accessible from the lowlands, linked from Interlaken by road in 1834 and by rail in 1890, boosting the tourist trade. Tolkien was 19 when he hiked through in 1911, later to render its landscape as Rivendell. But as the railways wound higher up the mountain, ski tourism followed, leaving Lauterbrunnen as just the place you change trains. It's still a hiking destination in summer, and a budget alternative to the higher resorts.

Saint Moritz

St. Moritz is located in the Upper Engadin in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It is one of the best-known vacation spots in Europe. It is chic and famous for its ambiance, and is situated next to Engadine's lakescape at 1,856 metres above sea level. The bubbly "champagne atmosphere" is as legendary as the St. Moritz sun, which shines on an average 322 days a year!

Thun

Thun is a small city in the Bernese Highlands of Bern Canton, Switzerland. Its surface area is 21.7 km², and it had about 44,000 inhabitants in 2017.

Locarno

Locarno is a city at the northern end of Lake Maggiore in Switzerland.

Schaffhausen

Schaffhausen is a city in north-eastern Switzerland on the river Rhine, next to the German border. Its prime tourist attraction are the Rhine Falls, Europe's largest waterfalls.

Chur

Chur is the capital of Graubünden in south-eastern Switzerland. : P70 : P8