Switzerland vacations 2024 & 2025

With snow-capped peaks, glittering lakes, and historic towns and cities, Switzerland offers a wide range of experiences for the visitor. The weathered mountains and steep valleys cradle deep-blue lakes every bit as beautiful as photographs suggest and with a web of walking trails and an extensive rail network, it’s easy to access the great outdoors.

You can see the sun set over the Matterhorn and spend time in the most indulgent mountain resorts on a tour of the lakes and mountains of Switzerland. Ride the steepest cog wheel train in the world at Pilatus Kulm, visit cheesemakers and chocolatiers, or wander along cobbled streets flanked by half-timbered buildings in Zürich and Bern on a Highlights of Switzerland trip. From cosmopolitan cities offering art galleries, fine dining restaurants and varied nightlife to traditional mountain villages and bustling ski resorts, Switzerland promises majestic landscapes, outdoor adventures, and urban sophistication.

Switzerland offers a wide variety of places to go depending on what you’d most like to see. Cosmopolitan Geneva with its medieval old town, stately architecture, and striking Jet d’Eau — a fountain shooting water high into the crisp mountain air — is a good place to start.

You could then head to a traditional Swiss resort town such as Montreux on the edge of Lake Geneva to relax, plan to go hiking, or climbing in the Bernese Oberland, or see the Matterhorn from Zermatt.

Set between soaring peaks, Lugano is a beautiful historic town on the shore of a glacial lake, waterfront Lausanne has a 12th-century cathedral and a Florentine-Renaissance-style museum, while compact Lucerne is best known for its handsome medieval streets.

From chic mountain resorts to intimate villas and slick boutique hotels, you can pick and choose where to stay in Switzerland from a wide variety of options. For old-world charm, art and antique-filled rooms, and a Michelin-starred restaurant, the Villa Castagnola on the shores of Lake Lugano is an excellent choice.

In Zürich, stay in the heart of the old town at the Marktgasse Hotel which blends crisp, modern design with historic features. Experience traditional Swiss style and hospitality at the Hotel Daniela in Zermatt, or stay at the century-old Hotel Belvedere in Grindelwald at the foot of the Eiger.

A direct flight from New York City to Zürich takes around eight hours, while a flight from Los Angeles to Zürich will take around 12 hours.

Switzerland uses Central European Time which is UTC+1 hour (EST-6 hours). Daylight Savings Time is observed from late-March to late-October.

The Swiss rail network is extensive and highly efficient and makes a great way to get around the country. Trains will take you right up into the mountains and offer access to remote areas where driving conditions can be challenging.

If you choose to drive, the roads are well maintained but often involve lots of hairpin bends with limited visibility and the concentration needed to drive means you can’t enjoy the scenery quite so much.

You don’t need to get any specific vaccinations for Switzerland, but it’s always a good idea to be up to date on vaccinations that would normally be advised at home. For further information on travel health in Switzerland, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

American citizens do not need a visa for stays of less than 90 days in Switzerland or other countries in the Schengen Area. If you’re visiting other parts of Europe too, or are a frequent visitor to Europe, please note that the 90-day limit is for time spent across the whole visa-free zone.

It’s worth checking in advance that your passport is valid for at least the six months after your departure from Switzerland and has at least one blank page remaining.