Glacier-fed lakes, car-free mountain villages and the Matterhorn, joined by trains, boats and cable cars that run like clockwork.
Switzerland is small, beautiful and expensive, so how you travel matters as much as where you go. Most visitors plan around the rail network and a travel pass, and 2026 has added something new for non-Europeans: biometric registration at the border, with an online travel authorisation to follow.
Sources: Swiss Travel Pass 2026 prices, Jungfraujoch fares, EES and ETIAS timeline and Zermatt Tourism, checked 9 October 2026. Confirm before you pay.
Interlaken sits between two lakes at the foot of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Below the peaks lies the Lauterbrunnen valley, its cliffs streaked with waterfalls, and above them the railway climbs to the Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe.
Jungfraujoch return from Interlaken Ost: CHF 261.20 in summer
A car-free mountain village beneath the Matterhorn. Drivers park in Täsch, about 5 km away, and continue by shuttle train; direct trains from Zurich Airport take about three and a half hours.
Start or end point of the Glacier Express
A compact old town on the lake, crossed by its covered wooden Chapel Bridge, with boat trips to the mountains around it. Mount Rigi, Stanserhorn and Stoos are free with the Swiss Travel Pass.
Easy day trips by boat, cogwheel railway and cable car
Switzerland's largest city and main international airport: an old town along the Limmat river, a lake for swimming in summer, and trains to almost anywhere in the country within a few hours.
Most long-haul flights arrive here
Geneva's lakefront and international quarter, then east along the shore to the terraced Lavaux vineyards, Montreux and the island castle of Chillon.
Boat and train links all along the lake
The famous panoramic train runs between Zermatt and St. Moritz in about eight hours, over high passes and viaducts. The Swiss Travel Pass covers the fare, but seat reservations are compulsory and cost extra.
Book seats well ahead in summer
Switzerland is a year-round destination, but the mountains set the calendar.
Pack for two climates: warm valleys and lakes, and cold, bright conditions at altitude.
Switzerland uses its own Type J socket; many two-pin European plugs fit, but not all.
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