Blue-grey or turquoise depending on the day but always crisscrossed by pleasure boats, Lake Leman is an agreeable backdrop for excursions and strolls. In summer, its banks dotted by towns popular with tourists are perennially lively. This large body ..

At a height of 27m, this famous waterfall is reached along a forest path from the landing stage of Lake Brenets. It is at it most spectacular when viewed from the French side; a footbridge allows vistors to cross from one side to the other. The falls..

The road leading to the lower station of the ski lift heads left off the main Kandersteg road just after the bridge at Oeschinenach. From the upper station, a path descends to the shores of a lake in a vast amphitheatre surrounded by cliffs and toppe..

The lake recalls the watercolours of Turner who was here from 1842 to 1844. Its winding shoreline offers constantly changing views. Between Lucerne and Altdorf, it is constituted by what are virtually three separate lakes, named from west to east: Vi..

The journey up from Montreux by rack railway has views of Glion (689m) and Caux (1 050m). From the summit there is a fine view of Lake Leman and the Berne, Valais and Savoy Alps and Jura. There is also a panoramic restaurant, a botanical garden (..

From the church of St Croix, follow the yellow signs to Les Praises. Head right and continue towards the Avattes chalet-restaurant. Behind the chalet, join the crest path; note the peace stone, engraved with symbols of every religion. Beyond, the Cha..

The ridges of the Weissenstein, soaring rampart-like above low-lying Solothurn offer some of the finest panoramas of the Jura. A splendid view of the Alps from Säntis to Mont Blanc. On a clear day, Berne, the lakes of Neuchâtel, Morat and Bienne ar..

From Saas-Fee, take the Alpin Express cable car to Felskinn, before continuing to climb on the Metro Alpin underground funicular (at a height of 3 500m). From the upper platform of the revolving restaurant – the world’s highest – there is a spectacu..

The cable car journey offers good views of the Saas Grund ski runs. On arrival, visitors will find themselves at the heart of a high mountain landscape, with a superb panorama taking in the Lagginghorn, and the glaciers of the Hohlaub and the Weissmi..

The highest point of the northern Jura, Le Chasseral (1 607m) offers fine views. Alongside the Hotel Chasseral, the culminating point of the trail, an orientation table permits identification of the Berne Alps, Valais Alps and Mont Blanc. This impres..

This vast massif includes some internationally renowned wonders: the peaks of the Jungfrau and the Eiger, the Rhône glacier, the Trümmelbach Falls, Lake Thoune… Emphasising Swiss mastery of mountain engineering, the Jungfraujoch railway (Europe’s hig..

At Brienz, join one of the country’s last steam rack railways. From the summit, the view takes in the Berne Alps, Lake Brienz and the Hasli. Numerous walking options from the top.

Isolated by the depression which supplies water to the lakes of Lucerne , Zoug and Lauerz, the 1 797m-high Rigi has rugged wooded slopes punctuated by reddish escarpments. Its highest peak, Rigi-Kulm, is famous for its alpine sunrises. Arriving at t..

Three languages, two faiths, a political history formed of a patchwork of alliances… Switzerland’s biggest canton is a scale-model of the nation itself. The pass routes and challenging valleys providing access from the Oberland to the Engadine or l..

Coming from the north by the Julier or Albula hills, this high valley reveals itself as only a few hundred metres deep. From Italy and the Maloja false-hill, at a height of 1 800m, it has the source of the Inn. Lake Sils marks the beginning of the ri..

This magnificent high mountain route climbs the Bernina Valley to the southern pass, from where the Poschiavo Valley drops rapidly to Tirano. By car or train (the Bernina Express) brushes past the Swiss glaciers of the Engadine before heading down to..

Situated in a wild gorge of the upper Bagnes Valley, this dam is one of the world’s highest of its kind (237m). The giant wall retains 180 million m2 of water which powers the turbines of the Fionnay and Riddes power stations. Park in the visitors’ c..

This museum’s main focus is on modern art, but the first floor has works by Rembrandt, Ruysdael, Fra Angelico, Rubens, and Swiss artists like Hodler, Segantini and Füssli. Contemporary artworks include Pop Art, Dubuffet, Rothko and Pollock. On the se..

At an altitude of 2 365m, this dam represents the greatest feat of civil engineering ever undertaken in Switzerland. Water is directed here from a glacier at the foot of the Matterhorn, travelling around 100km through galleries before being used to p..

This prestigious Fine Arts Museum, where major temporary exhibitions are frequently staged, houses within its walls a large number of masterpieces. Pride of place is given to the collection of paintings and drawings from the Upper Rhine and the Nethe..