By Rick Steves
So much to see, so little time. How to choose? To help you get started, I've listed my top picks for where to go in Switzerland, and my plan for your best two-week trip.
Depending on the length of your trip, and taking geographic proximity into account, here are my recommended priorities:
- 3 days: Berner Oberland (Lauterbrunnen Valley)
- 5 days, add: Luzern and Central Switzerland
- 7 days, add: Bern and Lake Geneva area, connecting with Golden Pass scenic rail journey
- 10 days, add: Zermatt and Appenzell, linking them with the Glacier Express train
- 14 days, add: Lugano and Upper Engadine, connecting with Bernina Express and Gotthard Panorama Express train rides
- 16 days, add: Zürich and Murten
- 21 days, add: More day trips (French Swiss countryside), more hikes, and time to slow down
Geneva Switzerland
Rick’s Best Two-Week Trip to Switzerland (by Train)
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a country situated at the confluence of Western, Central, and Southern Europe. It is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with federal authorities based in Bern. Hiking in the Swiss National Park Nowhere else in Europe is more synonymous with magnificent and mighty hiking beneath eagle-dotted skies than Switzerland, and its high-altitude national park, created a century ago, is the place to do it.
Day 1: Arrive Zürich Airport, head to Appenzell (sleep in Appenzell or on Ebenalp)
Day 2: All day for Appenzell and Ebenalp (sleep in Appenzell or on Ebenalp)
Day 3: Leave early for Luzern (sleep in Luzern)
Day 4: Luzern (sleep in Luzern)
Day 5: Boat, then train to Lugano along Gotthard Panorama Express route (sleep in Lugano)
Day 6: Bernina Express to Upper Engadine (sleep in Pontresina)
Day 7: Upper Engadine (Pontresina, St. Moritz, and Samedan; sleep in Pontresina)
Day 8: Take Glacier Express; if weather's good, head for Zermatt; if weather's bad, consider going straight to Lausanne (sleep in Zermatt)
Day 9: Zermatt and hikes, Matterhorn-view lifts (sleep in Zermatt)
Day 10: If weather's good, spend more time in Zermatt and go late to Lausanne; if weather's bad, leave early for Lausanne (sleep in Lausanne)
Switzerland Time
Day 11: Take the Golden Pass to the Lauterbrunnen Valley. If weather's good, go early; if weather's bad, linger in Lausanne/Lake Geneva area and leave late (sleep Gimmelwald or Mürren)
Day 12: All day for lifts and hikes in the Lauterbrunnen Valley (sleep in Gimmelwald or Mürren)
Day 13: More time in the Lauterbrunnen Valley (sleep in Gimmelwald or Mürren)
Day 14: Early to Bern, then on to Zürich (sleep in Zürich)
Day 15: More time in Zürich, or fly home
Notes
Zermatt isn't worth the trip in bad weather. If your reservations are flexible, consider skipping that leg and going straight to Lausanne (take the Glacier Express only to Brig, then change for Lausanne).
To connect Luzern and Lugano, follow the Gotthard Panorama Express route, but don't spend extra for the official tourist package-trip.
If you have extra time in Switzerland, I'd suggest spending it in (listed in order of priority): Murten and Bern, Zürich, Lausanne and the Lake Geneva area, Lugano (relaxing) or the Luzern area (day trips). For a short trip of a week or so, I'd just focus on the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Luzern, and Bern.
Rail Pass: The best rail pass for this itinerary is a Swiss Travel Pass, specifically for 15 consecutive days. This pass doesn't cover most higher mountain lifts, but it usually earns you a 50 percent discount.
By Car: Although this itinerary is designed for public transportation, it can be done by car with a few modifications. Obviously, you won't take the scenic rail trips. Instead, drive from Appenzell straight to the Upper Engadine, then continue through Tirano and on to Lugano (via Lake Como in Italy). From Lugano, drive to Zermatt (crossing again through Italy) and resume the above itinerary, visiting Luzern at the end before returning to Zürich. The French Swiss countryside and the area around Murten merit more time if you have a car.
Beyond Switzerland: Switzerland, right in the middle of Western Europe, splices neatly into a multicountry trip by car or train. For instance, the Appenzell region is a likely gateway to Germany's Bavaria or Austria's Tirol. Italy's Lake Como is a stone's throw from Lugano (in fact, the Bernina Express bus drives right alongside it) — and Milan is not much farther. If you're in Lausanne, you're literally looking at France (across Lake Geneva), and a handy train ride whisks you to Lyon or Chamonix. And big Swiss cities are efficiently connected by fast trains to destinations in all of these countries and beyond.
Switzerland has often seen itself, or has been seen by others, as a “special case” (Sonderfall), largely because of multilingualism, its diversified cultural patchwork, and its institutions, but also because of its economic success after World War II. Although some of the political and institutional peculiarities still persist, the rapid modernization of daily life in Switzerland is reflected in changes in the country’s habits and cuisine.
Swiss cuisine has traditionally been marked by important cultural and regional variations. Cheese dishes are typical of the Alpine regions. The national dish, fondue neuchâteloise (a mixture of melted Emmentaler and Gruyère cheeses and wine into which bread cubes are dipped), and raclette (cheese melted over a fire and scraped over potatoes or bread) are popular not only throughout the country but in much of the world. The Swiss chocolate industry, which originally grew out of the need to utilize the abundant milk produced in the pre-Alpine dairying regions, is world famous. Also popular are spiced, glazed honey cakes known as Leckerli. The preferred dish of German Switzerland is Rösti (fried shredded potatoes), but sausages and sauerkraut are also popular. Other popular dishes include Zürcher Eintopf, or Zürich-style beef stew, and, around the lakes of eastern Switzerland, the delicate fish Zander (pike perch). Specialty and seasonal dishes, such as the autumn bratwurst from Sankt Gallen, distinguish one region from another, as do the country’s abundant wines and beers (which now include Maisgold, or beer made from corn).
Western Switzerland is influenced by French cuisine and culture, and in Ticino pasta, polenta, and risotto are signs of a common culture with Italy. Despite the longevity of traditional culinary influences, modern Swiss cuisine is characterized by international trends, and restaurants with cuisines from all over the globe can be found even in smaller cities. There are many American fast-food chains, even in Alpine resorts such as Zermatt and Saint Moritz.
Visitors to Switzerland go there to eat, but more go to shop, especially along Zürich’s famed Bahnhofstrasse, an avenue that is home to both fine shops—including the country’s renowned jewelers and watchmakers—and leading banks. Along the Bahnhofstrasse, shoppers can find Switzerland’s famous timepieces, local handicrafts, and books as well as dine in elegant cafés. Each city and town of any size has a similar venue, and some have more than one shopping district; for example, just across the Limmat River from the Bahnhofstrasse lies Zürich’s youth-oriented Niederdorfstrasse, which features bistros, shops, and ethnic restaurants.
In general, the habits of city dwellers mirror those of urbanites in other parts of the world. Typical Swiss folk culture (e.g., yodeling and playing the alphorn) is still practiced in some rural areas. Early autumn’s annual Alpabzug, in which cattle are driven from Alpine pastures to lower elevations, is the occasion for rural fairs and auctions that emphasize rural traditions, and many cities and larger towns host farmers’ markets that join urban and rural areas. Stand wrestling (Schwingen), in which combatants wear wrestling breeches, can be seen in many regional festivals, and in some mountain villages, such as in Valais, traditional rural costumes are sometimes worn.
Family and household structures have considerably changed since the mid-20th century. The divorce rate nearly quadrupled between 1960 and the turn of the 21st century. The proportion of family households dropped, a reflection of both an increase in divorce rates and an aging population.
Swiss tradition survives in the country’s many holidays and festivals. Fasnacht (Carnival), which marks the beginning of Lent, is celebrated in late winter throughout the country, with Basel’s parades being of particular note. Although costumes and music are common features, Fasnacht exhibits regional variations, and in some places celebrants are adorned with masks said to chase away evil spirits. Masks are also part of Sylvesterkläuse (New Year) celebrations, particularly in rural Switzerland. Spring is marked by the burning of the Böögg during a festival that dates from 1818, when a guild held a parade replete with music and horses. The festival, which marks the end of winter, terminates with the burning of a large woodpile topped by a snowman. Throughout the fall there are various harvest and wine festivals. A popular holiday in Geneva is the Escalade, which is celebrated in December and marks the city’s victory over the duke of Savoy in 1602. August 1 is National Day (German: Bundesfeier; French: Fête Nationale; and Italian: Festa Nazionale), which commemorates the agreement between representatives of the Alpine cantons of Uri, Schwyz, and Nidwalden, who signed an oath of confederation in 1291. The holiday itself, however, dates only from 1891, and it became an official federal holiday in 1993. Other official holidays are religious in origin, and many of them, such as Whit Monday and Assumption, are observed in only some cantons.