What is the Most Famous Part of Switzerland?
The Alps ripple over 60% of Switzerland, delivering mountain landscapes straight out of a fairy-tale. Crash-bang waterfalls and turreted castles share the scene with lakes in a dreamy shade of blue.
The country’s joie de vivre also extends to its food, with a mix of French, German, and Northern Italian cuisine. Chocolate, of course, is an essential ingredient, but Swiss cheese also deserves a place in your tummy.
Pilatus Mountain
The soaring mountain peaks of Switzerland have earned it the reputation as a dream destination for anyone who loves to travel. They offer stunning scenery from peaceful lakes and fairytale villages to snowy wonderlands and breathtaking views. These peaks are also a mesmerizing backdrop for many sports and activities.
Pilatus Mountain, which overlooks Lake Lucerne, is one of the most famous mountains in Switzerland. It features a unique landscape that includes flower-dotted hollows, fast-flowing rivers, and limestone crags. Its large network of trails makes it perfect for hikers and offers breathtaking views throughout the seasons. Wildlife lovers will appreciate this natural paradise as well. The mountains are home to more than 5,000 species of animals, including marmot, red deer, and chamois.
Another famous mountain in Switzerland is Santis Mountain. It is a favorite ski resort of billionaires and celebrities, and has one of the best skiing in the world. It has 350 kilometers of slopes and is surrounded by the Alps. It is also known as the “Paradise of the Alps” due to its beautiful scenery.
The Matterhorn is another famous mountain in Switzerland. This 4,000-meter peak is a legend among alpinists and has become a symbol for Switzerland. Its north face, however, is dangerous, and many climbers have died in its icy conditions. Other notable peaks include the Eiger, the Jungfrau, and Dufourspitze.
Lake Zurich
A country as famous for its mountains as it is for mouthwatering chocolates, Switzerland seduces with all manner of glimmering turquoise lakes, emerald valleys where tingling bell-wearing cows and sheep graze, and flower box-filled villages straight out of a storybook. But the country’s natural attractions don’t stop there: gushing glaciers carve out valleys, waterfalls crash into them and, everywhere you look, lakes settle into crystalline, pristine reflections of the mountains surrounding them.
Lake Zurich—the largest lake in the central European country whose irregular, fjord-like branches reach into four different Swiss cantons (or states)—is a prime example. The charming city of Lucerne sits at one end, while cable cars whisk hikers and skiers to points far above the turquoise-colored lake. Historic steamboats sail on the water year-round, and lakeside beaches are popular for swimming, canoeing, and kayaking.
Other Switzerland lakes boast equally spectacular scenery, though smaller and lesser known than their better-known counterparts. The Blausee is another lake steeped in legend: The name derives from the eyes of a beautiful maiden, whose love persists beyond her death, symbolized by the deep blue waters of this enchanting mountain lake. The lake lies in a small nature park in the Kander Valley and its water is sourced from subterranean springs. It is also a favorite destination for mountain lake hiking. The dazzling Jet d’Eau, at 140 meters high, is a prominent feature of the lake.
Aletsch Glacier
Switzerland’s most famous glacier is the Great Aletsch Glacier, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This massive river of ice looms over the Jungfrau Region and enchants visitors with its ancient beauty. Soaring peaks surround the enormous glacier and is a hub for hiking, winter sports, and special nature excursions.
The Great Aletsch Glacier covers more than 23 kilometers from the base of its head at Konkordiaplatz to its toe zone in the valley below. It stretches over the Moosfluh, Hohfluh, and Bettmerhorn mountains. Its huge ice volume makes it the largest glaciated area in Western Europe.
Despite its imposing size, the Great Aletsch Glacier is not impenetrable. Several footpaths run along its banks, and the mighty river of ice is also accessible by cable car. At its head, the glacier is bounded by the Jungfrau, Monch, and Eiger massifs in an elbow and flanked on the east by Trugberg and Gross Fiescherhorn.
The stunning Bernese Alps are one of the country’s most iconic natural wonders and are a magnet for climbers and skiers. There are mesmerizing lakes and emerald valleys filled with grazing cows and sheep, charming chalets, and flower box-filled villages that seem to be ripped from the pages of a fairy tale book. This is a landlocked central European country, but it’s bursting with wild beauty. Switzerland’s natural attractions are breathtaking, but the country also offers fantastic urban diversions and plenty of cultural delights.
Grossmunster
Switzerland’s natural beauty is dazzling, with glacier-capped peaks ringing the landscape and lakes in the most heavenly shade of turquoise. But the country also has plenty of spectacular manmade wonders to discover. For example, Schaffhausen’s Rhine Falls is a stunning waterfall that sees upwards of 600,000 liters surging each second, making it one of the world’s largest water attractions.
For a more spiritual experience, head to Zurich’s Grossmunster church, a symbol of both the city and the Reformation that shaped Switzerland’s identity. Its roots go back to the early Middle Ages, when Charlemagne knelt before the graves of Zurich’s patron saints Felix and Regula at this spot, which inspired him to create a monastery and church here.
The Romanesque church was built from 1100 to 1220 and is renowned for its precision craftsmanship, including exceptional decorative windows. These include capitals sculpted by Augusto Giacometti and Sigmar Polke, each of which tells a different story from the legend of Sts. Felix and Regula, and other carvings of animals, saints, and the Christmas story.
Another highlight is the crypt, which holds a statue of Charlemagne, adding a layer of history to this landmark. The church’s organ is also a must-see attraction, with four manuals and a pedalboard controlling over five thousand pipes. It’s used for concerts and recitals, an exhilarating experience in historic surroundings.
Swiss Cheese
When people think of Switzerland, they probably think of Swiss chocolate, Swiss cheese, and Swiss clocks. But there is so much more to this landlocked country. It is a place where tradition, quirkiness, and a splash of rebellion combine to make it unique.
Among the country’s most famous foods is its incredible cheese, which is used in many traditional dishes and for snacks such as fondue. The country’s cheesemakers have perfected a variety of different styles and flavors over the centuries. Some of the most famous types include Emmental, Gruyere, and Sbrinz.
Gruyere is a semi-hard cheese that is popular throughout the world. It has a springy texture and a flavor that ranges from creamy to nutty to earthy depending on how long the cheese is aged. It is made from raw cow’s milk in the cantons of Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchatel, and Jura.
The cheesemakers of Switzerland are also skilled in making soft, creamier varieties. These are used for desserts such as raclette and rösti, or can be spread onto fresh bread to make a classic sandwich. While most of these cheeses are made from cow’s milk, some are made from sheep or goat’s milk. The country is also a leader in dairy technology, and its strict hygiene practices mean that unpasteurized cow’s milk is widely available in supermarkets. This is unlike the US, where most milk is pasteurized to ensure safety.
Railway Network
The best thing about Switzerland’s fabled railway system is that it’s entirely integrated. Swift and disturbingly punctual trains, clean buses and half a dozen different kinds of mountain transport systems all coexist in the same remarkably smooth and cohesive whole. You can buy a ticket for any part of the network at any station, and the options are almost endless: from single-journey tickets to multi-day, multi-use transit passes good for boats, trains, buses and even bikes.
The country’s greatest engineering feat is the 57km Gotthard base tunnel, but there are plenty of other amazing rail-related attractions to see as well. From the Mount Pilatus Railway, a steepest-grade cogwheel train above Lake Lucerne, to the Brienz Rothorn steam cogwheel railway above Lake Brienz, there are stunning views around every turn.
And of course, there’s the capital city of Bern, where a stroll through the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old Town takes you past the tallest cathedral in the country, 16th-century fountains, and the Zytglogge medieval clock tower. There’s also a host of museums, from the Zentrum Paul Klee, home to the world’s largest collection of works by the artist, to the National Museum of Swiss History. And don’t miss the markets in Bundesplatz, with views of the elegant Renaissance-style parliament building (Bundeshaus). The Alps ripple across 60% of this tiny country and the landscapes look like they were dreamed up by a particularly imaginative child.
The Alps ripple over 60% of Switzerland, delivering mountain landscapes straight out of a fairy-tale. Crash-bang waterfalls and turreted castles share the scene with lakes in a dreamy shade of blue. The country’s joie de vivre also extends to its food, with a mix of French, German, and Northern Italian cuisine. Chocolate, of course, is…