Switzerland Travel Guide: Zurich, Lucerne, Alps & Where to Go in 2026
Discover Switzerland’s best boutique hotels, hiking routes, historic wine bars, designer shops, eco-friendly seafood restaurants and more interesting locations with Locals Insider travel guides.
Switzerland is the country that always over-delivers. Trains run on the minute. The Glacier Express crosses 291 bridges between Zermatt and St. Moritz. Hotels at every price point are quietly excellent — Badrutt's Palace winters royalty in St. Moritz, The Dolder Grand watches over Zürich. Andreas Caminada holds three Michelin stars at Schloss Schauenstein in a Graubünden village of 400 people. The Alps deliver in winter and summer with completely different personalities.
Our Switzerland coverage runs across the lake cities, the Alpine luxury hotels, and the seasons that work best for each. Five articles and counting.
The travel personality: The Alpine Aesthete
Quick facts
Live right now
Best time to visit
| Season | Why go |
|---|---|
| June–September (alpine hiking), December–March (skiing) | Many alpine villages close in shoulder season between hiking and ski |
| May, October | Shoulder season — fewer tourists, often cheaper, weather still good |
| November, April (in-between seasons) | Off-season — quiet, best deals, plan around weather |
Top cities to visit
Experiences you'll probably love
- The Glacier Express scenic train (Zermatt to St. Moritz)
- Hiking the Eiger Trail beneath the North Face
- Lake Geneva wine villages and Lavaux vineyard terraces
- Skiing in Verbier, St. Moritz or Zermatt
- Riding the Bernina Express through the Alps
Not many tourists know about…
- Appenzell — eastern Switzerland's storybook villages
- The Aletsch Glacier walk (the Alps' longest glacier)
- Ticino — Italian-speaking Switzerland with Mediterranean food
- Andermatt — central Alpine village with high-altitude trails
- Schynige Platte scenic railway — Jungfrau views, fewer crowds
- Take the boat across Lake Geneva from Lausanne to Évian
If you visit only once, make it this
An 8-hour panoramic train journey from Zermatt to St. Moritz across the Swiss Alps — crosses 291 bridges, 91 tunnels, climbs to 2,033m at the Oberalp Pass. Panoramic windows curve into the ceiling. Among the world's great train journeys, and Switzerland's signature one.
Reserve seats 1-2 months ahead. Excellence Class includes meals; standard class still extraordinary.
Where to walk & breathe
The 23km Aletsch Glacier — UNESCO-listed, Europe's longest. Take the cable car from Bettmeralp to the Bettmerhorn (2,647m) for the panorama. Walk along the high path toward Eggishorn for the full sweep.
Cable cars run year-round. The glacier is visibly receding — visit while you still can.
Museums worth your time
Renzo Piano-designed museum housing Hildy and Ernst Beyeler's collection — Monet's water lilies, Rothko, Giacometti, Cézanne. Set in a sculpture park with views across the Rhine plain.
Visit website →Switzerland's largest art museum — major Giacometti, Hodler, and Munch holdings, plus the David Chipperfield extension opened 2021. The Bührle collection has been controversial.
Visit website →The IOC's home museum on Lake Geneva — Olympic torches from every Games since 1936, athlete equipment, the Olympic park sculptures outside. More engaging than its concept suggests.
Visit website →The Insider's Edit
A few additions for travelers planning Switzerland at the highest end:
A fairytale-castle hotel above the city — one of Europe's best hotel spas (4,000 sqm Foster + Partners spa).
On the shore of Lake Geneva since 1861 — six restaurants and bars, including Anne-Sophie Pic's two-Michelin-starred restaurant.
A 1,200-year-old castle in Graubünden with chef Andreas Caminada's three-Michelin-starred restaurant.
Renzo Piano's pavilion outside Basel — one of Europe's best Picasso-Cézanne-Monet-Rothko collections.
A 2026 opening — Four Seasons' first alpine European hotel.
The two most famous Alpine train journeys — book the Excellence Class on the Glacier Express for the guaranteed window seat and five-course meal.
Where to eat
Andreas Caminada's three-Michelin-star castle restaurant in tiny Fürstenau village — Caminada also runs the IGNIV restaurants in Zurich, Bad Ragaz, St. Moritz, and Bangkok. Tasting menu only.
Two Michelin stars in Basel — chef Tanja Grandits's vegetable-forward, color-themed menus (each menu literally focuses on one color). Quietly one of Switzerland's most original kitchens.
Zürich's 1924 brasserie where Joyce, Picasso, Chagall, Giacometti all ate — and their works hang on the walls (real Picassos and Chagalls). The Zürcher Geschnetzeltes is the signature dish.
Zermatt's fondue and raclette institution since the 1850s, in the Hotel Monte Rosa — where Edward Whymper stayed before the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. Cheese fondue done properly.
Where to stay
St. Moritz's 1896 Belle Époque palace — Le Grand Hall, the Polo Cup at Lake St. Moritz, where royalty winters. Closed in shoulder seasons; refresh dates posted online.
Norman Foster-renovated 1899 mountain resort overlooking Zürich — 4,000m² spa, golf course on the hillside, two Michelin-starred restaurants. 10 minutes from central Zürich by tram.
Zermatt's grand resort opposite the train station — Leading Hotels of the World, in-house ski guides, three restaurants. Direct Matterhorn views from select rooms.
Peter Zumthor designed the architecturally legendary Thermal Baths in 1996; the hotel attached now is one of the most architecturally ambitious in Switzerland. Tadao Ando, Kengo Kuma, and Thom Mayne each designed suite categories.
Realistic daily budget
Per person, per day. Excludes flights. Peak season can run 20-40% higher.
Travel safety & inclusivity
Safety scores reflect UK FCDO & US State Department travel advisories. LGBTQ+ scores reflect Equaldex and ILGA-Europe rankings. Both refreshed quarterly.
Major festivals
Need a visa for Switzerland?
Many travelers can enter Switzerland visa-free, but it depends on your passport. Check your specific requirements:
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Articles in this section are written by Locals Insider editorial team. Want to share your experience about Switzerland? Email us at hello@localsinsider.com.
