Things to Do in Switzerland: 17 Best Places and Attractions to Visit

The 17 Best Things to Do in Switzerland

This list moves roughly west to east and city to summit, so it doubles as a loose route: pick a base, add the nearby entries, and let the trains do the connecting.

1. Explore Zurich’s Old Town and Lake Zurich

Zurich is the natural starting point for most trips — its airport has direct flights from across Europe, and the city itself rewards a half-day before heading for the mountains. The Old Town’s narrow streets, Niederdorf’s cafés, and a walk or boat ride along Lake Zurich give a first taste of Swiss city life. It’s also the easiest day trip from Zurich hub for reaching the Rhine Falls or the Appenzell countryside.

2. See Europe’s largest waterfall at Rhine Falls

Near Schaffhausen, about 45 minutes from Zurich by train, Rhine Falls is the largest waterfall in Europe by water volume, dropping over a 150-meter-wide, 23-meter-high rock ledge. Boats run right up to the base of the falls in summer, and viewing platforms on both banks let you feel the spray without getting on the water. It’s an easy half-day trip that fits before or after Zurich.

3. Wander Lucerne’s Old Town and covered bridges

Lucerne’s Old Town sits on the Reuss river, its wooden Chapel Bridge (Kapellbrücke) one of the most photographed covered bridges in the country. Lake Lucerne itself opens onto views of Mount Pilatus and Rigi, and paddle-steamer cruises leave right from the city center. Central Switzerland’s mix of water and mountain access makes Lucerne one of the best places to visit for travelers who want scenery without long transfers.

4. Ride the cable car up Mount Pilatus

Mount Pilatus rises directly above Lucerne, reachable by the world’s steepest cogwheel railway on one side and a cable car on the other — many visitors go up one way and down the other. The summit gives sweeping views of the Swiss Alps and, on clear days, as far as the Black Forest. It’s a manageable day trip that doesn’t require a full Alpine base like Zermatt or Grindelwald.

5. Base yourself in Interlaken for the Bernese Oberland

Interlaken sits literally between two lakes, Thun and Brienz, and functions as the gateway to the Jungfrau region. It’s less a destination in itself than a well-connected base: trains and cable cars fan out from here toward Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen and the high Alps. Paragliding launches over the valley are a local fixture for travelers wanting an aerial view of the Bernese Oberland without a full mountain hike.

6. Cruise or walk the shores of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz

Lake Thun and Lake Brienz flank Interlaken on either side, each with its own character — Thun’s turquoise water and lakeside castle, Brienz’s wooden chalets and a historic steam paddleboat. Boat trips connect lakeside villages without a car, and short hikes along the shore give quiet views of the surrounding peaks. It’s a slower-paced counterpoint to the cable-car days nearby.

7. Stand below the Eiger’s north face in Grindelwald

Grindelwald sits at the foot of the Eiger, one of the most climbed and most filmed mountain faces in the Alps, and the village itself is a hub for hiking trails, ski runs in winter, and cable cars heading toward Jungfraujoch. Even without technical climbing, the valley views from the village are enough to explain why mountaineers have used it as a base for well over a century.

8. Cross the Charles Kuonen suspension bridge

Above Grindelwald, near Zermatt on the Europaweg trail linking Grindelwald to the Zermatt valley, the Charles Kuonen suspension bridge stretches about 494 meters, making it one of the longest pedestrian suspension bridges in the world. It sways gently underfoot, hangs high above the valley floor, and requires no technical gear — just sturdy shoes and a reasonable comfort with heights. Pair it with a day of hiking rather than a quick photo stop, since reaching it involves a real trail.

9. Ride the Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe

The Jungfraujoch, marketed as the “Top of Europe,” sits at 3,454 meters and is reached by Europe’s highest-altitude rack railway, tunneling through the Eiger and Mönch before emerging at the saddle between the Jungfrau and Mönch peaks. The station has an ice palace carved into the glacier, an observation deck, and views over the Aletsch Glacier, the longest ice stream in the Alps. It’s the single most popular day trip from Interlaken or Grindelwald, so an early departure helps avoid the midday crowds.

10. Hike the Lauterbrunnen valley

Lauterbrunnen’s valley floor is lined with sheer cliffs and waterfalls — reportedly the inspiration for Tolkien’s Rivendell — and cable cars from the valley floor reach car-free mountain villages like Mürren and Wengen. Hiking trails from here range from easy valley walks to full days toward the high Alps, making it one of the more flexible bases for hiking in the Swiss Alps regardless of fitness level.

11. Take the cable car to the Matterhorn view above Zermatt

Zermatt is car-free, reached by train, and built entirely around views of the Matterhorn — arguably the most photographed mountain in Europe. The Gornergrat rack railway and the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car both climb to viewpoints with unobstructed views of the peak, and the village’s old wooden barns and narrow lanes are worth a wander before or after. Zermatt also connects toward the Valais wineries, whose steep vineyard terraces sit just down the valley from the glaciers.

12. Ride the Glacier Express or Bernina Express

The Glacier Express links Zermatt to St. Moritz over roughly eight hours, crossing 291 bridges and 91 tunnels through some of the most dramatic scenery on the Swiss rail network — panoramic windows make it as much sightseeing as transport. The Bernina Express, running from Chur or St. Moritz into Italy, crosses the open-air Bernina Pass and is a UNESCO World Heritage rail route. Either scenic train turns a transfer day into one of the trip’s highlights.

13. Walk Bern’s Old Town

Bern’s Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is built on a peninsula formed by the Aare river, with arcaded sandstone streets, the medieval Zytglogge clock tower, and the Bundeshaus overlooking the water. It’s compact enough to see on foot in a few hours, and the riverside paths below the Old Town are where locals swim in summer.

14. Explore Basel’s museums and Rhine riverside

Basel sits where Switzerland, France and Germany meet, and its Rhine riverside is a summer gathering spot, with locals floating downstream in the current using waterproof bags for their belongings. The city also has one of Switzerland’s densest concentrations of art museums, led by the Kunstmuseum Basel. It’s a practical stop for travelers arriving from France or Germany before heading further into the country.

15. Walk the shores of Lake Geneva and Lausanne’s lakefront

Lake Geneva’s shores stretch from Geneva to Montreux, with Lausanne’s Olympic Museum and lakefront promenade midway along. The northern shore rises into the terraced vineyards of Lavaux, a UNESCO-listed landscape where footpaths run directly through the vines above the water. Vaud wineries line this stretch, and a short train ride connects several lakeside towns without needing a car.

16. Taste your way through Geneva’s vineyards and old town

Geneva combines an international, UN-city atmosphere — the Jet d’Eau fountain is its best-known landmark — with vineyards that begin almost at the edge of town. Geneva wineries make for an easy half-day out from the city center, and the surrounding countryside toward the Jura foothills adds a quieter contrast to the lakefront’s diplomatic bustle.

17. Discover the Three Lakes Region and German-speaking Switzerland’s wine country

West of Bern, the Three Lakes Region (Neuchâtel, Biel/Bienne, Murten) pairs medieval old towns with Pinot Noir vineyards along the lakeshores, a quieter alternative to the Geneva–Lausanne corridor. Further east and north, German-speaking Switzerland covers everything from Zurich’s countryside to Schaffhausen’s vineyards near the Rhine Falls, tying the country’s wine map back to the cities most travelers already pass through.

Buy a Swiss Travel Pass if the itinerary includes several scenic trains and cable cars — it covers most rail, bus and boat routes and gives discounts on mountain excursions like the Jungfraujoch.