Switzerland

Top 10 highlights

Switzerland is broadly divided into 3 main regions, the Alps, Central Plateau and Jura.

The Alps

This forms the largest part of the country and is without a doubt where most of the gems are. Here is where you get the beautiful snow-capped mountains and scenic landscapes, ideal not only for the hikers or skiers but also for the casual sightseers.

In particular, the most popular and commonly visited parts of this area are Interlaken, Zermatt and St Moritz.

The mountain ranges of Jungfraujoch, Schilthorn, First and Eiger, along with the quaint and scenic towns of Lauterbrunnen, Murren and Grindelwald are all within reach from the town of Interlaken. And precisely for this reason, many travellers choose to stay in Interlaken while exploring the area.

Undeniably though, the most famous mountain peak of Switzerland has to be the Matterhorn. I am of course referring to the Toblerone chocolate logo as seen all around the world. And that is why the ski resort of Zermatt, not surprisingly, attracts more than two million visitors a year.

In addition, the most scenic train ride in Switzerland is the Glacier Express, which runs between Zermatt and St Moritz along the mountain ranges of the Alps.

Central Plateau

This area covers only a third of Switzerland, but houses more than two-thirds of the country’s population. And that is mainly because this area is where most of the urban cities are located.

Firstly, Zurich is the city with the highest population and is the main commercial city of the country. It is also where the bulk of international flights arrive at. In other words, if you are arriving internationally rather than from a neighbouring country, it is likely that this is where you will start your tour of Switzerland.

Then, there is Bern. It may be surprising to some that Bern is in fact the capital of Switzerland and is where the Swiss parliament is located. Also, it was here in Bern that Albert Einstein developed his Theory of Relativity. His house in Bern has since been open to tens of thousands of visitors each year.

Lucerne is a common favourite among travellers as this charismatic city in Central Switzerland features a very medieval old town with landmarks preserved from the 14th century such as the Chapel Bridge. It is also a strategically located place for visiting the nearby ranges such as Mount Titlis or Mount Pilatus.

Another notable mention is Geneva, the second most populous city in Switzerland and is home to the United Nations office.

Jura

As can be seen in the map above, this is the area covering the border with France and is where the Jura limestone mountains are located. However, the most visited attraction has to be Rhine Falls, located at the border of Jura and the Central Plateau. It is indeed also the largest waterfall in Europe!

Getting to Switzerland

As I have shown above, there are a few key cities in Switzerland. All of them are well connected by rail and many of them are served by an airport.

By air

Swiss Air is the national airline of Switzerland and offers all-year flights from most major cities in the world, particularly from around Europe, the United States and Asia. Most of such flights land in Zurich, so if you are not arriving from a neighbouring country, this is where you are likely to begin your tour.

Switzerland is also served by a regional airline Helvetic Airways, connecting many parts of Europe and North Africa. They have bases at Zurich and Bern.

By rail

As can be seen in the overview map above, Switzerland shares borders with 5 countries, namely Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. Other than Liechtenstein, there are well-established train networks with the other 4 countries.

For example, you can easily get a train to Zurich from Germany and Austria, to Geneva from France and to Basel from Germany. Trains also connect the southern areas such as Lugano from Italy. Depending on which particular city you are arriving from, it may or may not be a direct train. You can refer to the Swiss Federal Railway (SBB) website to plan your journey.

By road

The train networks are so good that I’ve never thought about travelling by bus or even driving. However, if you prefer, you can plan your journey with Flixbus, which covers many different major cities in Europe, including your arrivals to Zurich, Geneva, Bern and Basel.

Getting around Switzerland

As I have noted above, Switzerland has one of the best public transport networks I’ve ever seen in the world. It almost feels as though every single corner has been connected to the network, including some of the highest mountain ranges like Jungfraujoch. I have never felt the need for a cab or to drive a car. Maybe unless you have elderly folks with a number of heavy suitcases.

Switzerland is small enough to travel between cities by trains. To illustrate, a flight between Zurich in the northeast and Geneva in the far west takes 50 minutes, while the train journey between both city centres can be covered in just 3 hours. Furthermore, you get the opportunity to enjoy the great views of the country!

It must be remembered that trains arriving at the same platform may be heading for different destinations. Always check the schedule in advance, refer to the train schedules and platform information at the stations or ask the information counter for the platform and departure time for your desired destination. Make sure to also check the information board at the platform before boarding so as not to board the wrong train.

Within cities, they are also mostly served by a comprehensive bus or tram network. Many of them are compact and small enough to get around by walking as well.

How can I manage costs?

As I have noted above, Switzerland is expensive. In fact, I would rank it within my top 3 most expensive countries visited. I’d think this is quite unavoidable especially so in terms of accommodation, food and inter-city transport. However, I can bring to your attention a few points.

City passes

I have not seen any other countries doing this, but many cities in Switzerland give visitors a free city pass when you book at least a one night stay. This pass would normally include free public transport and discounts to excursions, shops and food during your stay in the city.

With the exception of Zurich and Geneva, most of the others including Bern, Basel, Interlaken and Lucerne do give visitors this benefit. Check with your place of accommodation in case they do not issue the passes to you, and keep in mind the benefits available to you.

Rail passes

There are so many passes available that it probably might take a bit of science to fully understand them all. And especially so when there are dependencies, where one pass leads to a discount for another. I will try my best to break it down, but ultimately you need to work out your sums in order to determine if the passes give you any savings or not. All in all, it depends on your itinerary – the cities and excursions you pick, the length of stay for each and the number of train trips.

Make use of the SBB website to determine the cost of each point-to-point journey to help you compare. Take note that the SBB website shows by default, the prices on the Half Fare Card. 

Swiss Travel Pass

This pass gives you unlimited travel on the trains, buses, boats and many cable cars for a period of 3, 4, 6, 8 or 15 consecutive days. It also gives you 50% discount on several mountain excursions including Schilthorn and Gonergrat, and 25% on Jungfraujoch. In addition, you also get free entry to about 500 museums all across Switzerland. Refer to more details here, including the validity map.

Swiss Travel Pass Flex

This is exactly the same as the Swiss Travel Pass, except that you can use it on any 3, 4, 6, 8, or 15 days within a month. It costs slightly more but may work out to be cheaper especially if you do not need it for a few days in between.

Swiss Half Fare Card

This pass allows you unlimited half price travel for a month on all trains, buses, boats and cable cars, including the excursions to Jungfraujoch, Schilthorn and Gonergrat. However, unlike the Swiss Travel Passes, there is no free entry to any museums.

Swiss Family Card

This is for children up to their 16th birthday travelling with at least an adult holding one of the above passes. It comes free, and the child holder travels for free. There is no need to get any additional physical card or app on your mobile, it comes with the adult’s travel pass.

Youth Pass

If you are under 25 years of age, you are able to purchase the Swiss Travel Pass, Swiss Travel Pass Flex and the Swiss Half Fare Card at a 15% discount.

Berner Oberland Pass

This pass covers the Berner Oberland area, which largely encompasses the areas of Bern, Lucerne, Interlaken, and Brig. It gives the holder free transport in this region, but like the passes above, it only gives you 50% discount for the train to Jungfraujoch.

If you hold any of the passes above, you get to purchase the Berner Oberland Pass at a discount. However, I don’t see much of a reason to purchase this pass if you’ve already got one of the Swiss Travel passes.

It is also priced very similarly to the Swiss Travel Pass, so I wouldn’t say this pass is in any way appealing. You can read more about it here.

Jungfrau Travel Pass

This pass covers your excursions from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Grindelwald, First and Eiger. But like all of the above, the trip to Jungfraujoch from Eiger is at a discounted price. Again, if you already hold one of the Swiss travel passes, you get to purchase this pass at a discount. But I don’t see why you need this pass when you already have one of the Swiss travel passes.

It is priced lower than the Swiss Travel Pass, so if you can get to Interlaken at a lower cost than the price difference of the Swiss Travel Pass and Jungfrau Travel Pass, this is probably one you can consider. Refer to the Jungfrau Travel Pass website for more information.

Zermatt Peak Pass

This covers unlimited trips to Gonergrat, Klein Matterhorn and Rothorn, the key sights in the Zermatt region. Trains and cable cars to these places are at 50% discount with the Swiss Travel Passes but comes free with the Zermatt Peak Pass. Thus, you will have to do your sums to see which will cost lower for you based on your plans. The Zermatt Peak Pass comes at a discount with any of the Swiss Travel passes. Visit the Zermatt Peak Pass website for more information.

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