Sights in Switzerland (2024)

For a dose of nature blended with history, check out the St. Beatus caves. Their legend goes back to the 6th century, when the missionary St. Beatus arrived on the Thunersee to find the local population terrorized by a dragon that lived in the lake and surrounding grottoes. Exorcised by Beatus, the fleeing dragon fell to his death on the rocks. Today you can see the stalagmites, stalactites, and pools inside, as well as a colorful rendering of Ponzo, the dragon. The on-site cave museum offers scientific and historical information about caves around the world. Though you can explore the caves on your own, 75-minute guided tours leave every 45 minutes throughout the day. Take a jacket, because it's cold inside the caves. You can reach them by taking Bus 21 from either Interlaken train station or by crossing by boat from the Interlaken West station to Sundlaunen, then hiking 20 minutes to the caves.

In Klosters Platz the church of St. Jacob, dating from 1492, is the only remnant of the medieval monastery from which the village took its name. Its windows were painted by Augusto Giacometti.

St. Martin's was rebuilt in 1491 after a fire destroyed the 8th-century original. Since 1526 it has been Protestant. On your right as you enter are three stained-glass windows created in 1919 by Augusto Giacometti, the father of the Graubünden sculptor Alberto Giacometti. The steeple dates from 1917; with permission from the sacristan, you can climb to the top to see the bells. Of note, too, is the 1716 fountain beside the church, whose basin features the signs of the zodiac (the figure on top is a replica of the original).

Climb the winding pathway behind Pizzeria Molino to the white church on the hill, St. Peter's. Anglican services are still held in the tiny sanctuary established by the British, who ignited a climbing fervor to conquer the Matterhorn and other towering peaks in the region. Take time to pause in the cemetery that holds the graves of those not fortunate enough to return safely and others who remained in this beloved community to live out their lives.

Native-born artist Pipilotti Rist's Stadt Lounge, created with artist Carlos Martinez, is a public artwork project that has bathed an entire chunk of the city center under a coat of red paint, creating what they call a "red-carpet effect." It has transformed the neighborhood into a sultry "public living room" and has been so successful, it has been enlarged.

A two-part journey on a nostalgic 1893 funicular and an ultramodern, open-top cable car takes you to the Stanserhorn (6,200 feet), and from its peak you can see the Titlis, the highest point in central Switzerland. A "convertible" version of the cable car lets you feel the wind in your hair.

Magnificent waterfalls adorn the length of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, the most famous being the 974-foot Staubbachfälle, which are illuminated at night and visible from town. These falls draw you like a magnet through the village of Lauterbrunnen itself, past a bevy of roadside cafés and the town center (marked by a church and the small Valley and Legend Museum). Just opposite the falls is a centuries-old graveyard.

Fourteen kilometers (9 miles) east of Stein-am-Rhein, the town of Steckborn has some fine old houses, including the Baronenhaus and the Gerichtshaus. It's also home to Turmhof Steckborn, a half-timber waterfront castle built in 1320 that currently houses a small local museum containing artifacts from prehistoric times through the Roman and Alemannic settlements.

The fantastical Stockalperschloss, a massive baroque castle, was built between 1658 and 1678 by Prince Kaspar Jodok von Stockalper und Thurm (1609–91), a Swiss tycoon who made his fortune in Italian trade over the Simplon Pass. Soaring spectacularly with three towers topped with gilt onion domes and containing a courtyard lined by elegant Italianate arcades, it was once Switzerland's largest private home and is now restored. Inside are libraries, archives, and some baroque period rooms. Though you can visit the gardens, public tours are offered in German only, but group tours in English, French, and Italian can be booked through Brig Simplon Tourism.

The world’s steepest funicular railway, Stoosbahn, connects Schwyz/Morschach with Stoos, a pretty, car-free village amid mountains that look like sleeping dinosaurs. The funicular, which resembles a line of barrels, can climb to a record-breaking gradient of 110%. A 20-minute bus ride connects Schwyz with the valley station. In Stoos, transfer to the Klingenstock chair lift. From the top, there are spectacular panoramas of the fjord-like fingers of Lake Luzern, and it’s the starting point of the popular Stoos-Fronalpstock ridge hike.

If you wish to see all of Switzerland's monuments in a few hours, then stop in the town of Melide, 8 km (5 miles) south of Lugano. The Swissminiatur has all the sights and sites you could wish for, including pint-sized versions of the Château de Chillon, Basel's Münster, and Locarno's Madonna del Sasso. More than 3 km (2 miles) of miniature tracks have been laid out and are busily used by tiny passenger and freight trains.

Documents and art related to the legendary man are displayed in this museum.

St. Gallen's history as a textile capital dates from the Middle Ages, when convent workers wove linen toile of such exceptional quality that it was exported throughout Europe. The industry expanded into cotton and embroidery before collapsing in 1918. Today St. Gallen dominates the small luxury market for fine handmade textiles, and magnificently historic finery is on view at the Textilmuseum.

The municipal Thermal Center is completely up-to-date, with indoor and outdoor pools, whirlpools, and massage jets, as well as numerous massage, beauty, and relaxation treatments. Swim caps are mandatory, and children under three must wear swim diapers.

This family-friendly thermal bath has a complex of pools, grottos, lazy rivers, and saunas set in a green meadow, with views of the alps. It's an ideal spot for the après-ski set or for those who just need a day of wellness.

Housed in an artfully converted chapel, this museum run by the Alain Bordier Foundation boasts an important collection of some 300 Buddhist sculptures, paintings, and ritual objects, mainly Tibetan or otherwise Himalayan, and also some from northern India and Myanmar.

Created by the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely, known for his work in mechanized media, this delightful, animated construction was inaugurated by the city in 1977. Its whimsically styled metal figures busily churn, lash, and spray with unending energy. It is especially impressive in winter when the jets of water freeze, creating unique airborne sculptures.

On the border of the Rive Gauche's Plainpalais and Centre Ville neighborhoods is the lone surviving fragment of a 13th-century castle built by Bishop Aymon de Grandson to protect Geneva from attack via the bridge. The castle was demolished in 1677; this carefully preserved lookout tower is not open to the public.

Just across from the cathedral, this tower is the last remnant of the walls that once ringed the town.

This museum traces the history of alpine tourism in the area over the last 500 years. Exhibits include souvenir production, models of early transportation, and primitive mountain climbing and skiing equipment.

On the north side of the River Aare is this tiny town, founded in 1279 on land rented from the Augustinians. Unterseen retains some of the region's oldest buildings, including the 17th-century Stadthaus (city hall) and the 14th-century church, its steeple dating from 1471. The Schloss Unterseen (Unterseen Castle), built in 1656, stands at the opposite end of the square from these structures, near a medieval arched gateway. You can get here via a 10-minute bus ride from the center of Interlaken, or by walking from the Interlaken West train station.

A charming labyrinth of lanes behind Piazza Motta leads uphill past art galleries (not all showing very good works) to Via Borgo, lined with contemporary shops and galleries.

Inside the castle, the Vitromusée shimmers with crisscrossing shafts of colored light from its glass panels, both ancient and contemporary. A slide presentation traces the development of the craft, and a workshop area demonstrates current techniques. The museum now includes a donated collection of reverse painting on glass.

This village, 2 km (1 mile) northwest of Morges, is known for its namesake château, a 15th-century Savoyard palace with a massive donjon and four lesser towers, all trimmed in fine Piedmont-style brickwork. It's privately owned, but the grounds are open to the public.

At the western end of the Walensee, Weesen is a quiet, shady resort noted for its mild climate and lovely lakeside walkway.

What is now the loveliest of Luzern's several fountain squares was famous across Europe for the passion plays staged here in the 15th to 17th centuries. Its Gothic central fountain depicts St. Mauritius (patron saint of soldiers), and its surrounding buildings are flamboyantly frescoed in 16th-century style.

You can be inspired—and thrilled—by taking the famous Wengen-Männlichen Aerial Cableway, whose 75-passenger cabins soar up the top of the Männlichen ridge, a nearly five-minute ride; they come complete with an open-air rooftop balcony for those who like to feel the wind in their hair (only open during the summer season). In Männlichen, hike the Royal Trail about 25 minutes up to the viewing station for a spectacular outlook onto the Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen valleys framed by the Eiger and Jungfrau peaks. You'll also find the Berghaus Männlichen (Mountain Guest House), with several restaurants and guest accommodations. Kids will love the Alpine Herdsman’s Playground, which features an 8.5-m (28-ft)-high cow made of wood and steel with a walk-in interior, viewing platform, and slide. After your visit, either return down to Wengen or take another scenic cable car down to the town of Grindelwald.

This often-reproduced monument in the village center shows a proud father with crossbow on one shoulder, the other hand grasping his son's hand. It was sculpted by Richard Kissling in 1895.

Showcasing the history of winter sports, from their relatively primitive infancy to the modern day, this museum has a large collection of well-preserved equipment, including sleds, skis, skates, bindings, and costumes.

Zinal, farther into the valley away from Sierre, is an isolated mountaineering center with well-preserved wood houses and mazots.