Consider monstrous glaciers, Tiffany-blue lakes, time-trapped mountain villages, Unesco-listed winelands and grand dame hotels – and you’ve only scratched the surface of Switzerland. This is a country of superlative Alpine beauty, with sights connected by hairpin roads, screw-shaped rail tunnels and heart-soaring cable cars. A huge part of the country’s appeal is the journey itself, not the destination.
Come for city life too, from riviera glamour in Zurich and watch shopping in Geneva, to art in Basel and luxury on tap in ski resorts Zermatt, Verbier, St Moritz and Gstaad. Ride a gourmet cheese train from Montreux, a horned dairy cow in Appenzell (because, why not?), or chuck yourself out of a helicopter above the notorious Eiger. All quirks are catered for.
Current travel restrictions and entry requirements
Travellers arriving in Switzerland are no longer subject to any Covid-19 restrictions. No proof of vaccination, recovery or testing is required for entry and the country has done away with all mask wearing and social distancing.
Best time to go
Arguably, it’s the ever-changing four seasons carousel that makes Switzerland so darn appealing. Come in winter for feather-light powder, snow globe Christmas markets and as-good-as-it-gets Alpine adventures in quaint mountain eyries. February and March herald carnival season, with Fasnacht an eye-poppingly macabre event of all-night revelry that belies Switzerland’s supposed conservatism (the one in Basel is particularly raucous).
The spring thaw around April brings with it the arrival of hut-to-hut hiking and the start of inner city swimming rituals – the river waters in Bern, Basel and Zurich are almost good enough for Evian to bottle. Peak summer is for ‘schwingen’ fests (seriously fun bouts of Swiss Alpine wrestling), then the nation unites on Swiss National Day on 1 August. Autumn, meanwhile, is for the wine harvest around Lake Geneva. There are some 1,500 producers here, with the steeply-tiered vineyards of Lavaux in particular containing fabulous, almost-secret cellars.
Top regions and cities
Zurich
Many people’s first impressions of Switzerland are at Zurich Airport – one of the world’s slickest – and there’s no let-up in the positive vibes afterwards. This is a city of Medieval nooks and crannies, with Gothic churches, a spectacular lake and river setting, and the smartest restaurants, bars and shops in the Alps. Bahnhofstrasse is the country’s answer to Fifth Avenue, home to…
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