EuropeSwitzerlandSwitzerland
Most mountain countries make the view the reward for a hard climb. Switzerland runs a cogwheel train up to a glacier, keeps skiing open at Zermatt every day of the year, lands paragliders in Interlaken's town park and fills Basel with forty museums, all on one timetable. Most people give it a few nights inside a longer European trip.
SwitzerlandSwitzerland in a nutshell
Best places to visit in Switzerland
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Our travel routes through Switzerland
Switzerland is loved by culture seekers and backpackers alike. We recommend several routes through this country, here they are in full!
3 nights3 days, Jungfrau long weekend
Interlaken · Grindelwald · Wengen
Wengen's ski runs and Jungfraujoch accessibility peak during alpine snow season.
4 nights4 days, Lucerne and Engelberg
Lucerne · Engelberg
Engelberg's hiking trails and Lucerne's lakeside walks are best in warm, snow-free months.
4 nights4 days, the city triangle
Basel · Bern · Zurich
Basel and Lucerne Fasnacht (Feb) and Christmas markets (Dec) anchor this urban route.
5 nights5 days, Graubünden and the Engadin
Davos · Swiss National Park · St Moritz
Davos and St. Moritz offer excellent skiing in winter and high-altitude hiking trails in summer.
5 nights5 days: Lake Geneva, Lavaux and the Riviera
Geneva · Lausanne · Montreux
Geneva's mild seasons, Lavaux's spring blooms and autumn light, and Montreux's lake views shine year-round in warm months.
7 nights1 week, Lucerne and the Jungfrau at half speed
Lucerne · Interlaken · Lauterbrunnen
Leisurely pacing suits summer hiking season when Mürren and Lauterbrunnen valleys are fully accessible and clear.
7 nights1 week: Zurich, Ticino and the way back by rail
Zurich · Lugano · Winterthur
Ticino's warmth and sunshine are reliable May through October; Lugano's lakeside is best outside winter.
8 nights8 days, a Valais ski week
Verbier · Saas Fee · Zermatt
Verbier, Saas-Fee and Zermatt hit peak snow and trail conditions in the alpine ski season.
10 nights10 days by car, Grand Tour highlights
Zurich · Lucerne · Interlaken
Zermatt, Interlaken and Montreux are best explored when high trails clear and alpine views are unobstructed.
10 nights10 days, the classic first circuit by rail
Zurich · Bern · Geneva
Zermatt's Matterhorn views and all-route hiking trails open reliably in summer; rail runs year-round but conditions peak June–September.
12 nights2 weeks: the full rail circuit, east and south
Zurich · Lucerne · Interlaken
Two-week coverage of Zermatt, St. Moritz and Lugano requires stable summer conditions and open high-altitude rail routes.
Updated August 2026 · 14 min read · Written by the Stippl editorsThe numbers on this page come from 104,000+ stops that travellers have planned in Switzerland on Stippl.
Switzerland is worth visiting for the mountains, and most of the trip is the train ride to them. The big days are Jungfraujoch's glacier station, the Matterhorn from the Gornergrat railway, the Schilthorn above Mürren and a seat on the Glacier Express or the Bernina Express, with Lucerne, Zurich and Geneva as the cities in between. Most travellers give each Swiss stop 1 night on Stippl and then move on.
Few people fly in for Switzerland alone, and the plans show it. Only 10.9% of the Swiss trips planned on Stippl stay inside Switzerland, and Italy is the country most often planned alongside it, with France and Germany next. A typical trip that includes Switzerland runs 15 days on Stippl, and 52% of Swiss stops are a single night.
So pick one mountain base, buy the right rail card, and keep clear of the maintenance weeks. The Bernese Oberland around Interlaken and the Matterhorn at Zermatt are the two places worth two nights or more; the rest works as one-night stops on the train. A Half Fare Card suits a slow trip in one valley, the Swiss Travel Pass a trip that changes region most days. Avoid late October to early December, when the cable cars and cogwheel railways shut for their overhaul, and skip Switzerland altogether on a hard budget: there is no cheap tier to fall back on.
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Download the appWho Switzerland is for
Hikers and view-seekers
More than 65,000 km of waymarked trails, and a lift network that lets you start high and walk down instead of climbing all morning.
Rail travellers
Panorama trains, lake steamers and cogwheel railways are the sightseeing here rather than the transfer, and on almost every other train you simply board.
Families with children
Short downhill trails, playgrounds at the mountain stations and lake swimming with free public barbecues, and children under six usually ride the lifts for free.
Skiers and winter-sports fans
Most resorts run from late November to April, and the glacier above Zermatt keeps skiing open on every day of the year.
Adventure-sports travellers
Interlaken is built for it, with paragliders landing in the town park, a canyon swing, a 134 m bungy at Stockhorn, canyoning and via ferrata.
Europe-by-rail travellers
Only 10.9% of Swiss trips on Stippl stay in Switzerland, and it slots between Italy, France and Germany on a longer rail trip.
Museum-goers
Basel alone has around forty museums, most of Geneva's are free, and the Swiss Travel Pass covers entry to more than 500 of them.
Maybe not for you: party travellers, since the cities are small and quiet and what nightlife exists is expensive and upmarket; and hard-budget backpackers, because there is no cheap tier to fall back on the way there is elsewhere in Europe.
The best time to visit Switzerland
Summer hiking season
June to September
Trails clear from the valleys upward, and the highest routes around Zermatt are only reliable from July. July and August bring the best conditions and the fullest huts, trains and prices.
Autumn
September and October
The quiet window in the valleys and cities, when decorated cattle come down from the high pastures to village cheese festivals. The lifts start shutting in the second half of October.
Maintenance weeks
Late October to early December
Cable cars, funiculars and cogwheel railways close for their annual overhaul, no pass exempts you, and the ski season has not started. It is the one window to avoid.
Ski season
December to April
Most resorts open in late November or early December and close in mid or late April, and the spring closures follow straight after. The glacier above Zermatt skis all year.
- Summer is what most travellers plan Switzerland for on Stippl, about 83 days ahead. Only 13.7% of Swiss plans are made inside a fortnight, and that suits July and August, when the panorama trains, Jungfraujoch and the mountain huts book out first.
- Keep a spare day for the weather. Mountain excursions are expensive and depend on a clear sky, so a cloudy day at a top station means paying a lot to look at cloud. Plan one big mountain a day and leave a day free to swap it.
- Go early for the Matterhorn. Around Zermatt, cloud commonly builds from about ten in the morning through summer afternoons, so the best odds of a clear peak are between sunrise and ten. Take the first trains up.
- The spring gap runs from mid April to early June. The ski lifts have closed and many summer lifts do not reopen until mid June, so a May trip is a valleys, lakes and cities trip rather than a high-mountain one.
- Jungfraujoch runs every day of the year. The cogwheel line from Kleine Scheidegg keeps going through the late autumn closures, so it is the one reliable big excursion for a November trip.
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Festivals, and when to avoid them
Lauberhorn downhill
The World Cup downhill at Wengen fills the whole Jungfrau region for the race weekend. Come for it with a room booked months ahead, or ski elsewhere that week.
Basel Fasnacht
Basel's carnival runs for 72 hours from four on the Monday morning after Ash Wednesday, and the city's hotels sell out. Lucerne's carnival fills its hotels too, so book both cities early.
Gurtenfestival
Bern's summer music festival on the Gurten brings crowds and long queues for the funicular. Book a Bern room early that week or stay a train ride out.
Alpabzug
The cattle come down from the high pastures with alphorns, costumes and cheese festivals, in Wengen and Lauterbrunnen among others. Village rooms fill on the descent weekends, so book ahead.
Christmas markets
Bern's markets on Waisenhausplatz and Münsterplatz and Basel's large one bring the cities their winter crowds, with fireworks over Interlaken at New Year. City rooms are busy but rarely full.
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Things to do in Switzerland
Jungfraujoch
Ride the cogwheel railway from Kleine Scheidegg to Europe's highest railway station at 3,454 m, for the Ice Palace and the Aletsch Glacier. The Swiss Travel Pass takes only a quarter off the fare.
The Gornergrat and the walk down
Take the cogwheel railway up from Zermatt with the Matterhorn in view the whole way, then walk down to Riffelberg. Catch one of the first trains, before the cloud builds around ten.
Schilthorn and the Thrill Walk
Ride up from Mürren to the revolving Piz Gloria restaurant, then walk the cliff-edge Thrill Walk at Birg on the way down. It faces Jungfraujoch across the valley, so the view is a different picture.
The Glacier Express
Zermatt to St. Moritz across 91 tunnels and 291 bridges, with fondue served on board. The rail pass covers the journey but not the compulsory seat reservation, about €57 (CHF 54) each way.
The Bernina Express
Chur to Tirano in about four hours, from glaciers to palm trees over the Landwasser Viaduct, on a UNESCO-listed line. The hourly regional train uses the same tracks, with windows that open.
The Lavaux vineyard walk
Eleven kilometres through the UNESCO-listed terraces above Lake Geneva, an hour from Geneva, with the lake and the Alps alongside. Every village has its own station, so you can stop whenever you like.
Swiss food: what to eat
a communal pot of melted cheese with bread and pickles to dip; also served on board the Glacier Express
cheese melted at an open fire and scraped over potatoes
grated potato fried into a crisp cake
the hole-studded hard cheese the valley gave its name to
soft cheese baked in its box
dense caramelised walnut tart
hard spiced honey biscuit
breaded veal or pork stuffed with ham and cheese
dried, pressed smoked sausage carried as trail food
the national export
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Swiss customs and what not to do
Culture follows language
German in the north, east and centre, French in the west, Italian in Ticino and Romansh in parts of Graubünden, and English works everywhere in tourism.
Swiss German is not German
Signs and print are in standard German, but people speak Schwiizerdütsch, which most German learners cannot follow; anyone in tourism will switch to standard German or English.
Reserve is not rudeness
The Swiss are reserved and slow to warm, so a short, formal exchange with a shopkeeper or a neighbour is normal rather than a sign that something is wrong.
Spas run on house rules
Jumping into thermal pools is forbidden, adults-only sessions are normal and nudity in a spa setting is unremarkable, so read the rules at the door.
Book the mountain dinner
Small hotel dining rooms, sunset tables and mountain restaurants need a reservation, and several restaurants on Zermatt's gourmet trail close one day a week.
Do
- Say Grüezi rather than Guten Tag in German-speaking Switzerland
- Round up the bill and tell the server the total as they take the card
- Ask which guest card comes with your stay, every time
- Check the operator's status page for your date before any mountain day
- Plan the day backwards from the last lift down
Don't
- Pack a generic European adapter; a German plug does not fit a Swiss socket
- Tip American percentages; service is already in the price
- Stack two big mountains into one day
- Wild camp; it is restricted, and banned at Riffelsee despite the photos
- Count on free tap water in a restaurant; carry a bottle instead
What a Switzerland trip costs
Budget
€127–212
Hostel dorm, self-catered breakfast, a Coop or Migros picnic, one cheap hot meal, Half Fare Card travel, free hiking.
Mid-range
€212–319
Three-star hotel or an apartment with a kitchenette, one restaurant meal a day, a mountain excursion every second day.
High-end
from about €425
City hotels above €212 (CHF 200), restaurant dinners, a lift ticket every day, guided glacier or via ferrata days.
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Visas, SIM cards and getting around
Entry & visa
Schengen, but not the EU
EU and EFTA citizens travel on an ID card. UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports get 90 days in any 180, shared with the rest of Schengen.
Money
Swiss francs, not euros
Cards work almost everywhere, but carry coins for the cash-only car parks. Some tourist businesses take euros at a poor rate and give change in francs.
Connectivity
No EU roaming here
Switzerland is outside the EU, so roam-like-at-home does not apply and a European plan can bill heavily. An eSIM is the usual fix, and café wifi usually needs a purchase.
Getting around
Trains, and the right card
Trains, buses, boats and lifts cover the country, and Zermatt, Wengen and Mürren are car-free. Choose between the Half Fare Card and the Swiss Travel Pass before booking anything.
Health
Insurance is essential
EU travellers carry the EHIC and UK travellers the GHIC. Everyone else pays full private rates in one of the most expensive health systems in the world.
Water
Drink from the fountains
Tap water and most public fountains are drinkable unless marked kein Trinkwasser or eau non potable. Restaurants need not serve it free, so carry a bottle.
Tipping
Round up, never a percentage
Service is included in the price by law, so a tip is never owed. Rounding the bill up to the next few francs is the custom, and hotels expect nothing.
Power & plugs
Type J, Schuko will not fit
Swiss sockets are recessed, so a standard German or French plug will not go in, while the flat two-pin plug on a phone charger does. The voltage is 230 V.
Language
Four languages, English everywhere
German in the north and centre, French around Geneva and Lausanne, Italian in Ticino, Romansh in parts of Graubünden, and English wherever there is tourism.
Useful phrases
Nobody expects you to speak the language, which is exactly why a handful of words goes so far.
GROO-tsee
Hello (German-speaking Switzerland, use this over Guten Tag) · Grüezi
GROO-tsee MIT-uh-nand
Hello, to a group (German-speaking) · Grüezi mitenand
bon-ZHOOR
Hello (Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux, the Jura) · Bonjour
bwon-JOR-no
Hello (Lugano, Locarno, Bellinzona) · Buongiorno
oof VEE-der-loo-guh
Goodbye (German-speaking Switzerland) · Uf Wiederluege
MER-see FEEL-mal
Thank you very much (German-speaking Switzerland) · Merci vilmal
seel voo PLEH
Please (French-speaking) · S'il vous plaît
per fa-VOH-reh
Please (Italian-speaking) · Per favore
TSAH-len BIT-uh
The bill, please (German-speaking) · Zahlen, bitte
la-dee-SYON seel voo PLEH
The bill, please (French-speaking) · L'addition, s'il vous plaît
SHPREH-khen zee ENG-lish
Do you speak English? · Sprechen Sie Englisch?
Switzerland questions, answered
Start a Switzerland route with the mountains, then fit the trains between them. Pick one or two mountain bases, then lay the stops out in Stippl and check what the days allow: a typical trip that includes Switzerland runs 15 days on Stippl, with two or three Swiss stops. Then show it to people who have been, in subreddits like r/Switzerland, and say how you travel when you ask.
Almost all of them do. Only 10.9% of the Switzerland trips planned on Stippl stay inside Switzerland, and Italy is the country most often added, followed by France and Germany. So decide early which way you cross the Alps, because it settles where you fly in and where you fly home from.
Yes, most stops in Switzerland get a single night. 52% of the stops planned in Switzerland on Stippl are one night, and only the mountain bases such as Interlaken and Zermatt hold people for longer. Short hops work because the trains are fast and frequent, but a big mountain day needs a night either side of it.
About three months out. Travellers planning Switzerland on Stippl start 83 days before they leave, and only 13.7% plan inside a fortnight. That lead suits July and August, when the panorama trains, Jungfraujoch and the mountain huts go first, while a city trip in the quieter months can be booked much later.
The right rail card for Switzerland depends on the shape of the trip, not its length. The Swiss Travel Pass wins when you change region most days and want the free museums and ticketless boarding. A Half Fare Card with point-to-point tickets wins for a slow trip in one valley, because most mountain lifts are half price on either card.
Three mountains in Switzerland are free with the pass: Rigi, Stanserhorn and Stoos. Pilatus, the Gornergrat, the Schilthorn and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise are half price, and Jungfraujoch is only a quarter off, so the pass pays for the trains and the museums rather than the peaks. Stanserhorn is shut all winter.
Every guide is written by the Stippl editors and checked against the trips our travellers actually plan. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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