Grab your travel mates & let’s go on an adventure!
Most of you are probably picturing men in lederhosen and women in dirndls yodeling as they walk their goats over lush, green hills. While others see a land of corporate raiders rushing through the urban jungle. Of course, there is a kernel of truth in every stereotype but sorry to break it to you, it’s not like that. Switzerland is a mountainous country; it has the highest number of mountains that reach over 4,000 meters! Just about every Swiss city is surrounded by hills and boasts a lake or river. This Switzerland travel guide will advise you on the best sights and activities to guide you through your group travels!
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Year after year, Switzerland wins accolades and titles for its high quality of life, strong education system, low crime rate, and many innovations. Unfortunately, this all comes with a high price tag. The entire country is one of the most expensive places to visit in the world…
In each city, cheap eats can be found at:
-
Sandwich shops, especially the ones near a university.
- Cafeterias and buffets at department stores.
- Farmers markets.
- Stands that sell sausages, crepes, or pretzels.
10-Day itinerary
You and your group are starting your trip to Switzerland’s largest city, Zurich. After landing, get on a regional train to Zurich’s main station and then transfer to a long-distance train to Geneva, a French-speaking metropolis. After the 3-hour-and-15-minute trip, check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Pasquis district.
On a positive note: everyone who checks into guest accommodation gets a free pass to unlimited rides on the city’s public transportation system.
Day 1 – Geneva
Lake Geneva
After the train trip, you deserve an easy day. Take a 50-minute cruise on Lake Geneva. This cruise will pass several sights, including:
- The Mermaid Statue.
- Jet d’Eau, a forceful spray of water that rises 140 meters and is a Geneva landmark.
- Les Pierres du Niton (Neptune’s stones).
- The United Nations Office.
After the cruise, relax at one of the lakeside cafes or coffeehouses.
Day 2 – Geneva
Switzerland’s world-renowned watch industry is the result of the connection between religion and commerce. Calvinism spread throughout the country in the 1500s and 1600s. This religious school of thought promoted wealth as a reward for hard work and forbade decorative jewelry but not functional jewelry. The most common piece of functional jewelry is the watch. Swiss watchmakers are respected all over the world for creating accurate and beautiful timepieces.
Patek Philippe watch
Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe is one of these famed watchmakers. In addition to the super-luxe boutique, it has a museum. You will learn about 500 years of Swiss watchmaking history, Patek Philippe’s process, and strong samples of it by examining watches in the museum library.
Parc des Bastions
Reformation Wall
After learning about luxury, you’re going to visit a celebration of the men who made watches a luxury. In the heart of Parc des Bastions stands the Reformation Wall. The Geneva landmark holds statues and reliefs of the pioneers of the Reformist movement — Jean Calvin, John Knox, Theodore de Bèze, and William Farel. The park also has six giant chess boards, lounge chairs, and a botanical garden.
Jardin Anglais
L’Horloge Fleurie
After a delightful walk through Parc des Bastions, you are going to see another ode to Swiss timekeeping. Walk about 10 minutes to the lakeside English Garden (Jardin Anglais). This garden holds L’Horloge Fleurie (The Flower Clock). This working clock has a face made up of seasonal flowers and automated hands that indicate the time. Love walking through gardens? Check out the most beautiful city parks in the world.
Moulin Rouge Geneva
For something cheeky, catch a burlesque show at Moulin Rouge Geneva.
Day 3 – Geneva
This day is for nature.
Mont Salève
A few minutes on a bus and then a cable car brings you to Mont Salève. On this 1,100-meter-tall mountain, you can simply enjoy the view of the city and that area around it and breath in the fresh air. You can also mountain bike, cross-country ski, paraglide or hike (trails vary from easy to very strenuous. The easy ones go through fields with donkeys, cows, sheep, and other animals.). The cable car base is actually in France, so bring your passport in case border control requests it.
Night out
At night, stay close to your hotel and hit up one of the many bars in the Paquis district. If you want to turn it all the way up, find a thumping nightclub in Geneva’s Old Town neighborhood.
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Day 4 – Geneva
The last day in Geneva is all about learning. You and your group are going to visit one of these institutions:
CERN
The physics research center offers visitors free options. You can visit the CERN Globe of Science & Innovation for hands-on exhibitions of the physical world. You can take a two-hour guided tour of several parts of CERN facilities.
The United Nations Office
The United Nations Office (UNO) offers guided tours. While you are there don’t forget to look at the “Broken Chair” statue. This giant chair is a reminder of the lives lost to landmines and sits in front of Place des Nations, the home of the UNO.
After your tour, you are hopping on a train to Bern. Your second stop in Switzerland is two hours away.
Day 5 – Bern
Bern is a city in central Switzerland and the capital of the nation. We recommend you and your group to stay in a backpacker hotel in the Old Town.
Bern Old Town
Bern’s Old Town is a World Heritage site. The area has narrow streets, historic towers, and buildings made of sandstone where the River Aare flows through it. You can get a good look at it from the elevated Rose Garden. As the name suggests, it’s home to more than 400 species of roses. Every spring, the park’s cherry blossoms draw throngs to the park. The Rose Garden has a beautiful restaurant and an open-access library with a reading garden.
Follow in the footsteps of Albert Einstein
After a relaxing visit in the garden, following the footsteps of Albert Einstein is one of the best things to do in Bern.
“Bern is delightful; one of those essentially cozy cities in which one can live just as well as in Zurich,” wrote Einstein to his girlfriend and fellow physicist Mileva Maric.
The German genius moved to Switzerland to escape the regimented education system and required military service in Germany and because he assumed Switzerland wouldn’t push to become a global superpower. After graduating from a prestigious university in Zurich, without a job but with a pregnant girlfriend, he moved to Bern to work at a patent office. Einstein continued to research on his own (some say with his then-wife Mileva Maric). In the seven years he lived in Bern, he developed several groundbreaking theories, including the theory of relativity.
For this, the city of Bern has embraced Einstein as if he were a native son. Albert, Mileva, and their son, Hans Albert, lived at Kramgasse 43 from 1903-1905. That house, which is about a 15-minute walk from the garden, is a popular tourist spot. Today, the apartment is filled with replicas of furniture and decoration popular during his time. The traditional exhibition is found on the third floor of the building. At a cafe on the ground floor of the building, delicious food from Switzerland and beyond excellent coffee and wines can be found at surprisingly reasonable prices.
Einstein museum
Follow-up this trip with a visit to the Einstein Museum, which is part of the Bern History Museum (Bernisches Historisches Museum). The mix of 550 original objects and copies, videos, and documents tells the personal and professional stories of Albert Einstein. If you have the time or the energy, pay the additional entrance fee for the rest of the Bern museum and learn about the historic and cultural landmarks in Bern since the Stone Age.
Explore breweries
With 176 breweries and microbreweries, Bern has the most breweries in the country. This evening, you and your group are going to sample the beers from two or three factories.
Make sure to check out this video to see the top 7 places you should also visit when in Switzerland!
Day 6 – Bern
This day you and your group have a choice between art and history.
History
Swiss parliament building
As the seat of government, Bern is a political or history buff’s dream. You can sit in on a live session of the parliament and take a tour of the domed national landmark. Of course, reservations for this free adventure must be made in advance.
Art
Zentrum Paul Klee
Or you can visit Zentrum Paul Klee. The paintings of this Swiss master are exhibited in a cutting-edge building designed by architectural superstar Renzo Piano.
Get active
A view of the Aare river
These activities can then be followed by a swimming session in the Aare River or biking in the city or its hilly suburbs.
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Day 7 – Zurich
In the morning, hop on the train for a 56-minute trip to Zurich. Budget accommodations can be found in pensions and cafe-guesthouses in the city center.
The city of Zurich
PS: Water is very important in Zurich. There are more than 1,200 free drinking fountains sprinkled throughout the city.
Cruise on the Limmat River
You and your group are going to learn about the sights of Zurich from a cruise on the Limmat River, a body of water that runs into Lake Zurich. On this trip, you will float through the Old Town and learn about the sights with an audioguide. You can hop on and off wherever you want or stay on for the full 50-minute circle.
Police station
Your next stop is the police headquarters. Yes, the police station. Zurich takes its public art seriously. The general public can visit the building to view the amazing red-and-ochre frescoes painted by Swiss master Augusto Giacometti.
Peterskirche
Church of St. Peter
The next stop is Peterskirche (Church of St. Peter). This is Zurich’s oldest parish church and the sight of the largest clock face in Europe.
Fraumünster
A few steps away from Peterskirche is Fraumünster (the Minister of our Lady). This grand building is famed for its spectacular stained-glass windows. Famous artists, including Augusto Giacometti and Marc Chagall, give Biblical stories an otherworldly feel. Tickets to this church include multimedia devices that tell the church’s story. (The CHF5 ticket also comes with a CHF5 discount to Kunsthaus Zurich.)
Grossmünster
Grossmünster lights up in the middle
A short walk across Münsterbrücke brings you to the Grossmünster (The Great Minister) church. When the reformation movement in Switzerland started, legend has it that Charlemagne found the bodies of two martyred reformists and brought their bodies to this church to be buried. With its two adjacent towers, the Grossmünster is easy to spot in town.
Karlsturm
For a small fee, visitors can climb the 187 rickety, steep steps to the top of Carl’s Tower (Karlsturm) and see an expansive view of the city and beyond. You can also see stained-glass windows by Sigmar Polke, the Romanesque crypt, choir windows designed by Augusto Giacometti, bronze doors by Otto Münch, and a Reformation Museum. Except for these artistic touches, this church’s interior is not very memorable.
Fun night out
After dinner, head back to the water. In warm months, lakeside swimming outlets turn into bars. Follow the music and pick one for the night. When it’s cooler, get your club clothes on and go to Langstrasse in Kreis 4 and Kreis 5. This strip is lined with clubs and bars that run the spectrum of coolness and music. Here are some of the coolest bars to visit around the world with your friends.
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Day 8 – Zurich
After a slow start, this will be a day to get outside the city.
Rhine Falls
Europe’s biggest waterfall is a 50-minute train ride away from Zurich. Rhine Falls is 150 meters high and 23 meters wide. Your time at the falls starts at Laufen Castle at Rhine Falls (Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall). This former castle is a museum focused on the history of the building, the region, and the waterfall. This tour shouldn’t take more than 45 minutes.
Following your time at the castle, you have two options: see the falls from a boat or from a viewing platform.
From a boat:
Boat tours have four different boarding points on the river. Of course, you’re going to get wet, so dress appropriately.
From a viewing platform:
A glass elevator or a zigzagging path leads from the castle level to a viewing platform near the waterfall.
Industriequartier
You return to Zurich in the late afternoon. Now’s the time to do some shopping. In Industriequartier, you’ll find the innovative Markt im Viadukt. In 1894, trains started rolling over these viaducts. Even then businesses filled the viaducts. The trains were diverted but the viaducts’ purpose was not. Today, the 500-meter long viaduct filled with a variety of outlets, including stands that sell fresh food, clothing, home decor, and workspace; the hub of several tech companies; and an Argentine tango dance school.
Fondue for dinner
One of the things you think of when you think of Switzerland is cheese. One of the best things to do in Switzerland is eating fondue. Find some wine and fondue for dinner.
Day 9 – Zurich
On day 9 you and your group are going to learn about the cultural heritage of Zurich at one of its world-class museums. If you don’t want to use your Kunsthaus Zurich discount, you can visit these institutions for free:
- Botanical garden
- Architekturforum Zurich
- Anthropological Museum
- National Museum offers free admission to the “Simply Zurich” exhibition
- Migros Museum for Contemporary Art is free Thursdays 5 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
- Kunsthalle Zurich is free on Wednesdays
Pavillon Le Corbusier
Pavillon Le Corbusier is a treat inside and out because it’s the last building. Plus, it’s filled with the works of Swiss artists, architects, and designers. The light-filled space sits outside the city center and along the lake.
Day 10 – Zurich
This Switzerland group travel guide saved the sweetest for last. When you think of Switzerland, you probably think of Chocolate. Zurich is brimming with artisanal chocolate shops. You can trip through the city alone and sample and learn about chocolate or join a tour.
Lindt
Lindt has workshops on chocolate production and you can even make your own confection. In fall 2020, the massive Chocolateria was opened nearby Kilchberg.
Aeschbach Chocolatier’s Chocoworld
In the city, Aeschbach Chocolatier’s Chocoworld has interactive exhibitions on the history and production of chocolate. Plus, visitors can watch the actual manufacturing process during a guided tour of the factory.
This winds up your time in Switzerland. This Swiss group travel guide should bring you to the best of Switzerland. So, start packing your bags and take your travel mates along! Check out JoinMyTrip to kick start your incredible adventure. Here you will find like-minded travel mates and many cool yet unique group trips. Join already planned trips or lead your very own trip.
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