Discover

Experience the best of Switzerland

Switzerland

This edition written and researched by

Nicola Williams, Kerry Christiani, Gregor Clark, Sally O’Brien

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p49

Geneva &the West

p91Bern, Basel &the Northwest

p119Bernese

Oberland& Central

Switzerland

p161

Valais & Zermatt

p189Zürich,Lake Constance& the Northeast

p231

St Moritz,Graubünden

& the Southeast

Valais & Valais & ZermattZermattHighlights...............................164

Zermatt

Aletsch Glacier

Verbier

Leukerbad

Sion

Zürich, Lake Zürich, Lake Constance & Constance & the Northeastthe NortheastHighlights...............................192

Zürich

Schaff hausen’s Swiss Food

Thundering Rheinfall

St Gallen’s Stiftsbibliothek

Appenzell

St Moritz, St Moritz, Graubünden & the Graubünden & the SoutheastSoutheastHighlights.............................234

Graubünden Outdoors

Lugano Region

Lago Maggiore

Winter Davos

Skiing St Moritz

Geneva & the Geneva & the WestWestHighlights.................................52

Geneva

Lausanne

Lavaux Vineyards

Château de Chillon

Montreux

Bern, Basel & Bern, Basel & the Northwestthe NorthwestHighlights................................94

Bern

Basel

Murten

Gruyères

Fribourg

Bernese Bernese Oberland & Oberland & Central SwitzerlandCentral SwitzerlandHighlights ..............................122

Interlaken Region

Lucerne Outdoors

Grindelwald

Mürren & Gimmelwald

Gstaad

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ContentsContents

This Is Switzerland ........6

Switzerland Map ............8

Switzerland’s Top Highlights ......................10

Switzerland’s Top Itineraries ..............32

Switzerland Month by Month ......... 42

What’s New .................. 44

Get Inspired ................. 45

Need to Know .............. 46

Geneva & Geneva & the West 49the West 49Highlights ......................52Best… ............................ 54Itineraries ..................... 56Geneva ...........................58Lausanne .......................73Around Lausanne ......... 81La Côte .......................... 81Coppet ........................... 81Lavaux Wine Region.... 83Rivaz to Chardonne ..... 85Swiss Rivera ..................85Vevey ............................ 85Aigle .............................. 86Montreux .......................87

Bern, Basel & Bern, Basel & the Northwest 91the Northwest 91Highlights ..................... 94Best… ............................ 96Itineraries ..................... 98Bern ............................. 100Basel.............................105Canton de Fribourg .... 111Fribourg ........................ 111Augusta Raurica .......... 111Murten ......................... 114Gruyères ...................... 114Canton de Neuchâtel .................... 116Neuchâtel .....................117

DiscoverDiscoverPlan Your TripPlan Your Trip

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ContentsContents

Bernese Bernese Oberland & Oberland & Central Central Switzerland 119Switzerland 119Highlights ....................122Best… ...........................124Itineraries ....................126Interlaken ....................128Around Interlaken......134Schynige Platte ..........134Jungfrau Region.........134Spiez ............................ 135Grindelwald .................135Around Grindelwald ...140The Lakes ....................145Thun .............................146Brienz ..........................148West Bernese Oberland ......................149Kandersteg .................149Gstaad .........................149Lucerne .........................151Mt Titlis ........................ 156Lake Lucerne ..............158Mt Pilatus ....................158Mt Rigi .........................159Brunnen ....................... 159

Valais & Valais & Zermatt 161Zermatt 161Highlights ....................164Best… ...........................166

Säntis .......................... 226Around Appenzell ...... 226Walensee .................... 227Braunwald .................. 229Glarus Canton ........... 229

St Moritz, St Moritz, Graubünden & Graubünden & the Southeast 231the Southeast 231Highlights ................... 234Best… .......................... 236Itineraries ................... 238St Moritz.....................240Bernina Pass Road .... 243Pontresina & Around ........................ 243The Engadine .............244Zernez ........................ 244Swiss National Park ... 245Chur ............................. 246Klosters & Davos ....... 249Klosters ...................... 250Bad Ragaz ................... 251Davos ........................... 251Ticino .......................... 254Bellinzona ................... 254Lugano .........................257Lago di Lugano ...........261Lago Maggiore ............261Locarno ...................... 262

Itineraries ....................168Lower Valais ................170Martigny ...................... 170Verbier ......................... 172Mt Fort at Sunrise ....... 173Salgesch & Sierre ....... 174Sion .............................. 175Val d’Héremance ........ 177Leukerbad ................... 178Upper Valais ................ 178Zermatt ....................... 178Saas Fee ......................183Aletsch Glacier ...........186

Zürich, Lake Zürich, Lake Constance & Constance & the Northeast 189the Northeast 189Highlights ....................192Best… ...........................194Itineraries ....................196Zürich ...........................198Around Zürich ............212Winterthur ...................212Schaff hausen Canton .........................214Schaffhausen .............214Rheinfall ....................... 217Stein am Rhein ........... 217Lake Constance .........219Kreuzlingen .................221St Gallen & Appenzell Cantons ....221St Gallen ......................221Appenzell ................... 225

Survival GuideIn FocusOn the RoadOn the Road

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Directory .................... 298Accommodation ........ 298Climate ....................... 299Customs Regulations ................ 299Discount Cards .......... 299Electricity ................... 299Embassies & Consulates .................300Food ............................300Gay & Lesbian Travellers ....................300Health .........................300Insurance ....................301Internet Access ......... 302Legal Matters............. 302Money ......................... 302Opening Hours .......... 302Public Holidays .......... 303Safe Travel ................. 303Telephone .................. 303Time ............................ 304Tourist Information ... 304Travellers with Disabilities.................. 304Visas ........................... 304

Transport .................... 305Getting There & Away ........................ 305Getting Around ..........306Language ....................310

Behind the Scenes..... 311

Index .............................312

How to Use This Book ....................319

Our Writers ................. 320

Switzerland Today .... 266

History ........................ 268

Family Travel ...............276

Winter Sports ............ 279

Summer Sports ......... 283

Scenic Transport ........287

The Swiss Table .........290

Spa Resorts & Treatments ................. 295

Survival GuideSurvival GuideIn FocusIn Focus

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No one has a hard time conjuring images of Switzerland: Alps, chocolate, cows with bells, cable cars, mountain meadow hikes, tidy old villages, yodelling, lake steamers, cheese (lots of tasty cheese!) and much more. And the reality lives up to the iconography. This orderly nation – where a train is officially late if it’s three minutes off – is a splendid place to explore winter or summer, whether you’re cliché-hunting or ready for a surprising adventure.

What giddy romance Zermatt, St Mor-itz and other legendary names evoke. From the intoxicating chink of Verbier glitterati hobnobbing over champagne in ice-carved flutes to the reassuring bell jangle of cows coming home in Kandersteg, Switzerland is a harmonious tableau of beautiful images. This small, land-locked country is so darn easy to step into and experience.

Switzerland begs outdoor escapades with its larger-than-life canvas of hallu-cinatory landscapes. Skiing and snowboarding in the winter wonderlands of Graubünden, Bernese Oberland and Central Switzerland are obvious choices. Or you can hop on an engineering marvel of a train and travel to the crevassed ice on Jungfraujoch (3454m), at what seems like the top of the world.

The perfect antidote to this rich Alpine land is a surprise set of cities. There’s the capital Bern, with its Old Town and world-class modern art; Germanic Basel and its bold architecture; shopping-chic Geneva astraddle Europe’s largest lake; and ubercool Zürich with its rooftop bars and atypical Swiss street grit.

Smaller but equally beguiling are Lucerne, St Gallen, Chur and Laus-anne. Here medieval wooden structures complement ancient stones, and old towns beg exploration. You may be charmed by a castle or simply a scrumptious slice of cake. Either way, Switzerland never fails to reward.

This small,

landlocked country

is so darn easy to step

into and experience

This Is Switzerland This Is Switzerland

Twilight over Zermatt and the Matterhorn (p178)DANITA DELIMONT / GETTY IMAGES ©

6

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(Zürichsee)Lake Zürich

Lake Geneva(Lac Léman)

Waldshut

Schaffhausen

Mulhouse

Winterthur

ZürichAarau

Baden

Zug

Altdorf

SchwyzLucerne

Brienz

Wengen

Engelberg

Andermatt

Brig

Moutier

Delémont

Basel

BERNMurten

Biel-Bienne

Solothurn

Montbéliard

La Chaux-de-Fonds

Neuchâtel

St Ursanne

Thun

Mürren

Spiez

Fribourg

GruyèresChâteau-

Visp

LeukerbadGstaad

Verbier

Sion

CransMontana

d'Œx

Yverdon-les-Bains

Lausanne

Geneva

Vevey

Aigle

Montreux

Olten

Grindelwald

Interlaken

Gimmelwald

Verbania

Saas FeeTäschMartigny

Courmayeur

Zermatt

Besançon

Vesoul

Mt Pilatus

(3239m)

Jungfraujoch

Valle

(3454m)

Mt Titlis

Kandersteg

(4478m)Matterhorn

(4807m)Mont Blanc

Dufourspitze(4634m)

Lake Lucerne(Vierwaldstättersee)

LakeBiel

Lac deNeuchâtel

(Thunersee)Lake Thun

AletschGlacier

LagoMaggiore

PassOberalp

PassSt Gotthard

Jura

SimplonPass

PassSt Bernard

Great

Rheinfall

G E R M A N Y

F R A N C E I T A L Y

F R A N C E ZürichAirport

GenevaInternationalAirport

Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Airport

(Euro Airport)

1212

1111

44

2121

7733

99

1313

66

20201818

2525

1616

1414

1717

101011

2323

2222

22

55

Switzerland Switzerland

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Lake Constance(Bodensee)

Konstanz

Appenzell

St Gallen

VADUZ

Chur

Buchs

Landquart

Klosters

Tirano

DavosArosa

Gravedona

Bellinzona Sondrio

St Moritz

Como

Milan

Rapperswil

Locarno

Lugano

Frauenfeld

NationalPark

Swiss

ai

aM

gg

ComoLago di

Lago diLugano

San

PassBernina

Engad

ine

PassBernardino

G E R M A N Y

LIECHTENSTEIN

A U S T R I A

I T A L Y

Rhine

1919

88

1515

2424

40 km20 miles

00

2000m

3000m

4000m

4500m

1000m

0

ELEVATION

�1�1 Lake Geneva

�2�2 Matterhorn

�3�3 Grindelwald’s Jungfrau Region

�4�4 Lakeside Lucerne

�5�5 Skiing Verbier

�6�6 Bern

�7�7 Glacier Express to St Moritz

�8�8 Hiking in the Swiss National Park

�9�9 Aletsch Glacier

�a�a Romance in Montreux

�b�b Zürich Lifestyle

�c�c Splash of the Rheinfall

�d�d Art & Architecture in Basel

�e�e Sion & Valaisian Wine

�f�f Lago di Lugano

�g�g Fribourg Café Life

�h�h Lausanne

�i�i Vie Ferrate in Kandersteg

�j�j St Gallen

�k�k Mürren & Gimmelwald

�l�l Mt Pilatus Circle

�m�m Murten

�n�n Fondue in Gruyères

�o�o Lake Constance

�p�p Interlaken Adventures

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