The twenty things worth seeing
A ranked list for someone with a week, arranged so you can cut it at any point and still have a good trip.
Ranked, so that a short trip can take the top of the list and stop. Each entry says roughly how long it needs.
1. The Matterhorn from Gornergrat
Half a day from Zermatt. The mountain head-on, the glacier below, and 29 peaks over 4,000 m around you. If you see one thing in Switzerland, this.
2. The Bernina line
Four hours, Chur or St. Moritz to Tirano. Glaciers to palm trees in one afternoon, over the highest rack-free railway crossing in the Alps. See the Bernina Express — and take the ordinary regional train.
3. Lucerne and its lake
A day. The covered bridge, the Lion Monument, and a paddle steamer down a lake that bends between cliffs. See Lucerne.
4. Jungfraujoch
A full day, and only in clear weather. The highest railway station in Europe with the Aletsch below. See the Jungfraujoch.
5. Lavaux
Half a day. Eight centuries of terraced vineyard above Lake Geneva, walked between two railway stations with wine cellars in between. See Lavaux.
6. Château de Chillon
Two hours. A castle on a rock in the lake, with dungeons at water level and Byron’s signature on a pillar. See Montreux.
7. Bern old town
A day. Six kilometres of arcades, painted fountains, an astronomical clock, and a river the locals swim down. See Bern.
8. The Lauterbrunnen valley
Half a day. Vertical walls, seventy-two waterfalls, and the valley Tolkien turned into Rivendell. See Lauterbrunnen.
9. The Rhine Falls
Half a day from Zurich. Europe’s largest waterfall by volume, with a boat to a rock in the middle of it. See the Rhine Falls.
10. Bellinzona
Half a day. Three castles and a wall closing a valley, UNESCO-listed, and skipped by nearly everyone heading to Italy. See castles.
11. Zurich old town and the lake
A day. The one-day route covers it, ending on Uetliberg at sunset.
12. Stein am Rhein
Two hours. The most painted small town in the country. See Stein am Rhein.
13. Aletsch glacier from Bettmerhorn
Half a day. The other side of the Jungfraujoch view, from a cable car rather than a train, at a fraction of the cost.
14. Gruyères
Half a day. Castle at the top of the street, cheese dairy at the bottom, Giger museum in between.
15. Basel’s museums
A day. The oldest public art collection in the world and the Fondation Beyeler. See Basel.
16. Lugano and the Ticino lakes
A day. Palm trees, piazzas and Italian, on the far side of the Alps. See Lugano.
17. Geneva old town and the Jet d’Eau
Half a day. The cathedral tower, the Reformation Wall and 140 metres of water. See Geneva.
18. The Creux du Van
A day’s walk. A rock amphitheatre 160 m high and 1,400 m across in the Jura above Neuchâtel, with ibex on the rim and almost no visitors from abroad.
19. A thermal bath in the mountains
An afternoon. Vals for the architecture, Leukerbad for the cliff above the water. See thermal baths.
20. Appenzell
A day. Painted house fronts, a canton that still votes by show of hands in the square, and the least international corner of the country. See the ten most beautiful towns.
Fitting them together
Three days from Zurich: Lucerne, the Rhine Falls with Stein am Rhein, and one mountain.
A week: add Bern and the Lauterbrunnen valley, then Zermatt for the Matterhorn.
Two weeks: add the Bernina line, Lugano, and the Lake Geneva end — Lavaux, Chillon, Geneva.
All of it is reachable by train; see getting around and tickets and passes.
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