With its sky-piercing mountains and seemingly bottomless lakes, the so-called "Playground of Europe" serves up outdoor adventures whatever time of year you visit. Even the simple act of getting around in Switzerland can be a magical experience. Cable cars sway over plunging valleys, candy-red trains curl up mountains to improbable heights, and clanging cowbells ring out across hilly meadows that you can skip across with Heidi-like glee.
Switzerland's culture-filled cities have magnificent backdrops of vineyards, lakes and rivers, and the mountains are never more than a whisper away. As natural beauty goes, Switzerland is off the charts, so what are you waiting for? Without further ado, here are the 11 best places to visit in Switzerland!
Sky-high peaks, groaning glaciers and thundering waterfalls elicit gasps of wonder wherever you go. Or you can hike, ski, sled or zip-line among mountains of myth in Grindelwald , enjoy waterfalls galore, and tackle every kind of extreme sport imaginable in Interlaken. The Jungfrau region is the great outdoors on a blockbuster scale. Allow a week or more to explore in depth if you have the time; it's worth it. Framed by wooded hills and split in two by the Aare River, this red-roofed city looks good from pretty much every angle.
Planning tip: In summer, the action moves to the water, with swimming, tubing, rafting and paddleboarding along the Aare River, so bring your swimsuit.
A rewarding float will take you from the Camping Eichholz campsite to the Marzili Lido , with knockout views of the Old Town. No peak has more pulling power than the m 14,ft Matterhorn, a terrific, gnarled fang of rock that soars above the seductive, chalet-filled Alpine resort of Zermatt.
