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Lake Lucerne

Things to do in Switzerland

Lake Lucerne
With over half of its landmass covered in mountains, Switzerland is best known for Alpine adventures, but it also boasts the lakefront Montreux Riviera, valleys full of half-timbered farmhouses and grazing cows, richly historical cities and grand 19th-century resort towns. Our specialists have picked out the best things to do in Switzerland, and can help you choose experiences based on your interests.

You can take a gondola to the top of a mountain and walk on the world’s longest glacier, or visit a traditional cheesemaking factory and see how they get the holes into Swiss cheese. Taste truffles at an exclusive chocolatier, then get on a cogwheel train that will take you to the top of a snowy massif. Whether you’d rather ride a luxury train through mountain tunnels in the Alps or take a boat to a grotto to learn how to make risotto, we can help you find the best ways to explore Switzerland.
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Ideas for experiencing Switzerland

Experiences you have as you travel often hold the longest memories. As part of their research trips, our specialists seek out authentic ways to get to know Switzerland, and the best local guides. These activities reflect some of their best-loved experiences.

  • Glacier Express train journey
    The train passes over the Landwasser viaduct

    Glacier Express train journey

    St. Moritz

    Glacier Express train journey

    The Glacier Express panoramic train meanders through the pine-covered valleys and barren mountain passes of the Swiss Alps between St. Moritz and Zermatt, and you can see it all while enjoying exceptional service on this day-long railway journey.

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  • Day trip to Pilatus Kulm
    Mt Pilatus excursion, Lucerne

    Day trip to Pilatus Kulm

    Lucerne

    Day trip to Pilatus Kulm

    Take a boat ride, a steep tramway, a mountaintop walk and a gondola in this day-long trip to Mount Pilatus, which soars to several peaks above Lake Lucerne. You can revel in 360-degree views from the top of the tallest peak, Tomlishorn.

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  • Jungfraujoch — Top of Europe
    Jungfraujoch — The 'Top of Europe'

    Jungfraujoch — Top of Europe

    Interlaken

    Jungfraujoch — Top of Europe

    The highest train station in Europe, the Jungfraujoch gives you sweeping views of the Jungfrau, the Mönch and the Eiger, the storied peaks of the Bernese Alps. Walk the decks of the Sphinx Observatory and see the continent’s longest glacier, the Aletsch, on this day-long tour.

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  • Schilthorn — Piz Gloria
    Schilthorn observatory

    Schilthorn — Piz Gloria

    Interlaken

    Schilthorn — Piz Gloria

    The summit of the Schilthorn provides 360-degree views of the Bernese Alps’ most renowned peaks, the Jungfrau, Mönch and Eiger. Soar through the mountain landscape in cable cars to the observation deck and revolving restaurant, which was featured in a 1960s James Bond movie.

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  • Gornergrat glacier
    Gornergrat under a blanket of snow

    Gornergrat glacier

    Zermatt

    Gornergrat glacier

    Explore one of the Alps’ most accessible peaks with a rack-railway ride to the top of Gornergrat, overlooking the mountains’ longest glacier. Take in the seemingly endless sea of peaks and then marvel at the Matterhorn’s reflection in Riffelsee.

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  • Stein am Rhein
    Stein am Rhein, Zürich

    Stein am Rhein

    Zürich

    Stein am Rhein

    Stein am Rhein boasts an impressive collection of 16th-century frescoes — all on the outsides of the medieval half-timbered buildings lining the old town’s Rathausplatz. Visit for a day, walk the storybook streets and stroll along the riverbank in this historic paradise.

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  • Chocolate, cheese and mountains
    Appenzell valley

    Chocolate, cheese and mountains

    Zürich

    Chocolate, cheese and mountains

    A tour encompassing three of the most well-known aspects of Swiss culture: chocolate, cheese, and mountains. You’ll board a bus and visit a chocolate outlet, a cheese factory, an Alpine summit and a storybook village on this drive through the northern Swiss countryside.

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  • Day trip to Gstaad, via Glacier 3000
    Les Diablerets

    Day trip to Gstaad, via Glacier 3000

    Montreux

    Day trip to Gstaad, via Glacier 3000

    This day trip takes you from lakeside vineyards to high Alpine peaks, where you can hike a glacier, walk suspended between mountains and visit the quiet playground of Hollywood’s elite. A panoramic train takes you back to Montreux through the Swiss countryside.

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  • Lavaux wine tour
    Lavaux wine tour, Montreux

    Lavaux wine tour

    Montreux

    Lavaux wine tour

    You can enjoy a visit to Switzerland’s sunny Lavaux wine country, where red and white wines are created to be enjoyed almost entirely within Switzerland. Terraced lakeside vineyards, wine tastings and lunch with a local wine producer round out your day.

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  • Private chocolate tasting at a boutique chocolatier
    Chocolate tasting in Lucerne

    Private chocolate tasting at a boutique chocolatier

    Lucerne

    Private chocolate tasting at a boutique chocolatier

    Get a glimpse into the workings of a boutique chocolatier, taste unusual single-origin chocolates and have a chance to make your own in this small-group visit to Max Chocolatier, one of the few small-batch chocolate makers in Switzerland.

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  • Cruise and Cook — risotto workshop
    Risotto cooking station

    Cruise and Cook — risotto workshop

    Lugano

    Cruise and Cook — risotto workshop

    Learn to make risotto from a local chef in a grotto restaurant on Lake Lugano, Switzerland. Cruise across the lake, enjoy the rustic hospitality, then prepare and eat a risotto dish with fresh ingredients, with local wine and appetizers.

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  • Emmental Show Dairy
    Traditional cheese making

    Emmental Show Dairy

    Bern

    Emmental Show Dairy

    The Emmental Show Dairy is the place to see where the best-known Swiss cheese gets made — and how. Take a tour of a working dairy and get a taste of the traditional methods used from the 18th century to today.

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