Welcome to Switzerland, readers! We spent three weeks in Switzerland on the ultimate grand tour, visiting some of the country’s most exciting cities, the incredible Swiss Alps and the Swiss Riviera on the Italian border. This Switzerland itinerary will help you plan your trip starting in Zurich and making your way around to Basel Grindelwald. Zermatt, Ticino, St Moritz and Budgerigars. Are you ready to explore Switzerland with us? Well, let’s go.
The first stop on our Switzerland itinerary took us to Zurich and it quickly became one of our favorite places to visit in the country.
We spent three days exploring Switzerland’s largest city, from the charm of Old Town to the hip Zurich West neighbourhood. Three days is just enough to see all the best things to do in Zurich.
We highly recommend taking a city tour for an Insider’s Guide to Zurich. Visit Zurich offers Old Town walking tours to explore hidden alleyways and popular attractions as you learn about the history and become acquainted with all its top attractions.
There’s one thing you got to do in Zurich. It’s get on a paddle board on Lake Zurich. Awesome.
Lake Zurich is the beating heart of the city. And you can take a cruise, stroll along its shore, watch the sunset, or get out to one of the many public baths that line the waterfront. There’s great views of the cityscape and of the Swiss Alps. If you like chocolate, you are going to love lint. Home of chocolate. This multimedia experience takes you through the history of chocolate to how it’s made today. We’re on the chocolate tour and the best part of it is getting to taste the chocolate in these giant chocolate fountains. It’s just heaven or what?
One thing you cannot miss is going to the mountain overlooking Zurich. It’s easy to get there using Zurich’s fast and efficient public transportation system.
So it costs €2 to go up the tower and get the best view. You just tap your car. That’s all it is.
Well, this is absolutely stunning. We are at the top of Zurich, and I don’t think there is a more beautiful view. Look behind me, you have Lake Zurich, you have the Alps, you have the city. Make your way up here for sure.
With plenty of cool neighborhoods, great shopping, dining, outdoor cafes and attractions. It’s easy to pass the time in Zurich, but it’s time to move on to our next destination on our Grand Switzerland tour. Welcome to Basel.
Everybody known as the cultural capital of Switzerland, Basel boasts some of the country’s most unique and beautiful architecture. Its modern structures blend seamlessly with the altstadt on one side of the Rhine. Looking towards Klein Basel. This is a city filled with art galleries, museums, cathedrals and street art. Plus, the locals love to enjoy the great outdoors and parks that line the Rhine River. The Rhine is the beating heart of the city and local residents can’t get enough of it. While you’re there, try swimming on the Rhine or try your hand at traditional rowing. We took a trip up and down the Rhine with Vitaliy Basilio, where we learned how to row a vital boat and learn to spike our way upstream. It’s a fun way to see Basel from the river while learning about the city’s history. Basel has a gorgeous old town and taking a walking tour is a must. Start at the red facade of City Hall and make your way around the cobblestone streets as you get lost in the historic alleyways. Basel Minster was built between ten, 19 and 1500 in the romantic and Gothic styles. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city, with its two towers standing tall over the river Rhine. Basel may have a rich history, but it also has a very urban vibe. Make sure to seek out some of its more modern architecture and contemporary designs.
So much street art here in Basel. It’s kind of interesting because it’s all commissioned, but it’s also somewhat hidden. So I do highly recommend a tour to find it because it is so hidden and they know exactly where all the spots are.
A unique mode of transportation in Basel is the reaction ferry located between Basel’s five bridges are for reaction ferry terminals that take passengers from GROSZ Basel to Klein Basel. Basel shares its border with France and Germany, making it an ideal location to make a base and explore the countryside. So make sure you get out of the city to explore some of the sights around town. We’ve made it out to where the three countries meet. We are standing in Switzerland, everyone, and right behind me is both France and Germany. This is a really cool place to come out to get yourself an e-bike and ride around. And we’re doing the grand tour. Everyone, this is so cool.
Now. Let’s go. We spent four days exploring the Grindelwald region of the Swiss Alps from the incredible views at young froa top of Europe to hiking the Eiger trail and tackling amazing adventures on Grindelwald first Grindelwald is one of the top places to visit in Switzerland, and four days is just enough to take it all in.
Welcome to Young Prowl. Young Frank is the top attraction in Grindelwald, taking you up the world’s highest train station to the top of Europe. I’m at the top of Europe. It is the most incredible view of all these glaciers surrounding us. We have young prowl around us, the high mountain peaks. If you do come to this area, you have to make sure that you get up to the top of Europe. It’s truly incredible.
Next place we went is the ice palace, which is a glacier tunnel that was dug in the 1930s, covering 1000 square meters under the alleged glacier. This series of tunnels and corridors take you through a fairy tale maze of displays. The final stop is Glacier Plateau, where you walk on the snow outside, surrounded by mountains and glaciers. Well, this is it. I have the flag. I’m at the top of Europe and I didn’t even have to climb here. I just took an elevator.
One of the best things to do in Grindelwald is to spend some time exploring Grindelwald first. We’re going to take you on a hike to back Alps. Get your heart pounding on the first flyer. Take a walk in the clouds on the first cliff, walk and go speeding down the mountains on a trotting bike.
The first cliff walk by, TSO is free to enter and you can walk it as many times as you like. The walk starts along a metal walkway clinging to the side of the cliff and extends out 45 metres over the void. What a view. New ones go.
On your way down from First Bond. You can actually do the glider and the flyer down and then you can hop on the go karts and then do the trolley bikes. You can choose as many as you like. 99 CHF covers all four, or you can do only one or two starting at 50 francs. Grindelwald is a hiker’s paradise and there are plenty of hikes to suit all levels from the Eiger trail to buckle up sea and man lichen. You’ll have gorgeous panoramic views at every turn. Plus, it is here in Grindelwald that you’ll have the chance to see the famous Swiss cows grazing on the side of a mountain. With Canyon Walk’s Thrilling Adventures in High Lookouts. Grindelwald has it all. Plus, with its charming downtown and proximity to Interlochen, this is a Swiss destination that is not to be missed. After ten days in Switzerland, a day of relaxation is in order. And during our transfer from Grindelwald to Zermatt, we stopped at the spa town of Lucca Bade for some pampering and R&R. We are in the car on our way to Lucca Bade, which is Spa Town. So after all of our time hiking in the mountains, we’re now going to spend the day at the spa. It’s pretty cool because we’re. To get there, you have to go through a tunnel. Your car goes on a train and the train takes you through the tunnel. So this is pretty cool. And this is called the Low Iceberg Tunnel. And we’re going to see what it’s like. We’re going. This is cool. It’s like we’re. On a little cart being driven in our car. It’s neat. We’re in the. Middle of a mountain, on a train in our car.
It’s pretty cool. Dan Matt They’ve gone, like, basically dug right through the mountain.
The drive from Grindelwald to Luke Herbert is approximately two and one half hours and is quite an adventure. If you’re not used to mountain roads, you may be a little nervous, but you can easily get a Swiss travel pass as well, which offers unlimited travel by train, bus and boat all around Switzerland. Luke Herbert is such a pretty town to spend a day or two in between your hiking and all of the mountains. It’s known for its thermal spores, and there are a couple of cable cars that you can go up for some fantastic lookouts. So people are hiking as well, so you can spend even more time and do hiking here, or you can just relax at the spa and get a massage. We stayed at the luxurious hotel source Alps and enjoyed its fine dining. Plus, we had our very own spa and swimming pool on site. And if you want to do some hiking, there’s access to the gem and torrent railways to go up for views of the mighty Swiss peaks. There are several spots in Luca bad, but this is the largest and the most popular. There are no photos and videos inside, of course, because it is a Swiss spa. So we’re just going to go in and enjoy the afternoon. We have arrived in Zermatt. The Matterhorn is behind us. And this is such a pretty town, isn’t it?
It really is. With all the Swiss buildings. The Matterhorn backdrop, man. It’s no wonder this is a postcard city. Zermatt, Switzerland, is home to the mighty Matterhorn. We spent three days in this glorious region of the Alps, hiking into the mountains, mountain biking and exploring the picturesque village.
Zermatt is a town that was built at the foot of the Matterhorn, specifically to attract tourists to the Alps. It is very busy and no motorized vehicles are allowed. So to reach Zermatt, make your way to Matterhorn terminal touch to catch the train from town. It is easy to get around using the many gondolas, trains and funicular to get into the Alps. Once you arrive in Zermatt, the sky’s the limit. There are hiking and biking trails, glacier lakes and magnificent Matterhorn views. We’re going to highlight four of our favourite things that we did in the mountains. We have arrived at Lake Stella. See to for sunrise over the Matterhorn. This is incredible. You take the 530 gondola up and it’s about a 30 minute walk. Maybe 20 minutes. It’s pretty fast. They change the gondola every time, depending on when sunrise is. So we made it up in time, and it’s spectacular.
I’m on top of the world.
And there you have it. The sun has risen over the Matterhorn. Not a bad way to get up in the morning. What do you think?
Well, we just finished sunrise here at Chelsea with the Matterhorn. It was awesome. And now we’re heading off to do some more hiking in this beautiful area.
Another amazing thing to do in Zermatt is the Five Lakes hike. You don’t need to be up for a sunrise for this hike. People take the entire day to enjoy the trails. The five lakes consist of stealthy grunge, sea, sea, musky and lacy. You can also mountain bike to all these lakes on the Four Lakes mountain bike trail. Each lake has different views of the mountains. Three lakes have reflections of the Matterhorn, but I found them all to be picturesque settings in their own right. Well, this is a very scenic trail. Everything is something new on our hikes to the all of the different lakes and lookouts and viewpoints. Just massive hiking around here.
It’s awesome. Glacier Paradise. 3883 metres! Woo! What have you.
Matterhorn. Glacier Paradise is Europe’s highest mountain station at 3883 metres. The impressive gondola takes you up to view 38 peaks of Europe’s highest mountains.
People come up here for The View, But there are plenty of other things to do up here. And we’re going to start with Glacier Palace, which was our favorite experience.
But this is pretty amazing. Like, there’s nobody here. We have this whole ice palace to ourselves to walk around and explore. It’s pretty awesome. You don’t get that very often.
Whoa, This is crazy. The minute you step outside, you feel the wind. It’s freezing. You feel the altitude. I can’t believe people are skiing up here. It’s warm down in Zermatt, and it’s winter conditions up here.
Hey, where else can you take an elevator? Almost up to 4000 meters. I don’t think anywhere else.
Garner Gujrat is home to Europe’s highest hotel. There’s a small chapel, a restaurant and an interactive museum, so it’s worth spending a little bit of time once you reach the top. It’s so cool because you get right up here and your monks, all the glaciers and just surrounded by these peaks. Usually you’d have to fly or trek in or do a helicopter tour. But the COG train took us right up, and it’s a pretty special ride, definitely. It doesn’t seem real.
From the Swiss Alps of Zermatt. We hopped in our car and drove to the Italian border where snow and ice gave way to palm trees and promenades as we explored the Swiss Riviera known as the Mediterranean of Switzerland. Ticino is an enchanting Lake district bordering Italy. I do actually feel like I’m in Italy. There’s cappuccinos, there’s cheese, there’s pasta, and there’s beautiful lakes and scenery. The first stop on our Ticino tour was the Verzosa Valley. It’s famous for its glowing emerald waters flowing fast through the smooth boulders of the valley and its historic bridges.
Belen Zona is the capital of the Ticino region of Switzerland and is not to be missed for its three castles that are a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. Located on Lake Maggiore. Locarno is another lovely town in Ticino, with pastel buildings lining its waterfront. Well, I think we must be doing the grand tour of Switzerland, because I see these signs everywhere we go. This one’s in Astana. As Ghana is a beautiful town on Lake Maggiore. It’s I would say it’s Switzerland’s answer, maybe to Lake Como. You know, you just want to walk around the old town, have a drink on the promenade, or just stroll the really pretty pastel buildings. You can even take a boat ride on Lake Maggiore to cross into Italy at O’Connor’s waterfront is also one of the swings of the world. There are 12 of them around Ticino. Nestled between Lake Como in Italy and Lake Maggiore in Switzerland. Lake Lugano has top billing as one of the best things to do in Ticino. It will, in fact remind you of Rio de Janeiro with Mont San Salvatore and Mount Bray framing the city just like the South American country. Strolling along the waterfront is a must and make sure to keep an eye out for all of the art installations that line the two km route from Paradiso to Park, Oceania. We have come off the world’s steepest funicular here into Chino, and it has gorgeous views of the valley. There’s some great hikes you can do. So if you do come up here, I’ll bring all your hiking gear and you can hike out for about two and a half hours to a little hut where you can have some lunch and then hike on back.
The Italian border from Lugano to the next stop on our grand tour of Switzerland is St Moritz, which was the birthplace of winter tourism, opening its doors in 1864. Staying at the hotel, we enjoyed some time at the spa and this ultra luxury resort before heading out on another gorgeous hike through the Swiss Alps. The best thing to do in St Moritz in the summer is to go hiking. And we did the MOTUs Mirage to help Lingard hike. It was absolutely beautiful.
Well, we made it up to the second teeny hut here. It’s an absolutely beautiful view. We’re going to enjoy a coffee and a cake. Come on. The day doesn’t get better than this.
Once you get there, sit back, relax, and be sure to use the toilet. It’s probably one of the most scenic outhouses on earth.
After our hike, we spent the afternoon at the SPA at our hotel room, and it was divine with gorgeous views of the Alps overlooking Lake St Moritz. On our way to our last stop in Switzerland, we made a detour to one of its most famous landmarks. We’ve made it out to the Land Water Viaduct. This is probably the most famous train bridge in the world. And here it is, ladies and gentlemen. No trip to Switzerland would be complete without a visit to a proper Swiss spa and the grand resort. Quadrigacx is one of the most luxurious and traditional spas in Switzerland. It is also the site of Europe’s first thermal water indoor pool. The resort is attached to Tamina therm, which is a public baths and hotel guests have access to each spa to enjoy its sauna, steam rooms and water circuits. We are at the beautiful spa here at the Grand Dragas. This is one of the oldest spas in Switzerland. And what’s really great is when you stay here is that you have access to the private spa. The adjoining spa is one of the most popular spots in all of Europe. So it’s nice to escape from the crowds of the public to get into this really chic private spa on your own. We spent two nights here enjoying our luxurious room and eating at the restaurants. They have three Michelin star restaurants, several other restaurants, and a bistro and bars. It’s also a perfect base for hiking to one of Switzerland’s most popular day hikes, the Five Lakes hike and pizza. Well, it’s certainly been interesting hiking around up here and keep going. You think we’re at the lake yet because it’s just fog. It’s always interesting and fun to do something like this. This was the one day in our three week Switzerland trip that we didn’t have luck with the weather, but luckily we had a glorious spa to go back to where we spent the afternoon pampering and relaxing. Now, this is a beautiful spa. I’ll be back, but you can’t come. This is definitely a place to unwind and relax before your flight home.
And that was our grand tour of Switzerland, we hope yu liked it and enjoyed it!
