It’s so easy to be at one with nature in Switzerland, where majestic mountains sweep up to impressive summits and rivers flow in and out of stunning freshwater lakes – just perfect for dips in the warm summer temperatures. Cities are like resorts dedicated to fine living with easily organised day trips from Zürich, Lucerne, Geneva, Bern, Thun, Lausanne and Montreux to sun-dappled vineyards, dense forests, rivers and glaciers guaranteed to energise the soul. Complementing these thrills are endless metropolitan pleasures: luxe hotels, excellent restaurants, lively lakeside bars and world-class artists wooing audiences. Timeless yet contemporary, Switzerland is the epitome of happy holidays all year round.
As diverse as Swiss culture is its exquisite variety of wines, made from 252 types of grape, and its legendary cheeses. Visitors walking through summer meadows can’t miss the iconic bell-clapping cows that provide milk for more than 700 varieties of Swiss cheese, such as Emmentaler AOP, Le Gruyère AOP, Appenzeller® and Tête de Moine AOP, all produced in village dairies and readily discovered via the Swiss Cheese Passport. Wine dégustations at vineyards throughout various picturesque regions offer grape-to-glass journeys of discovery – a unique treat, as these wines are so popular with Swiss residents that as little as one per cent is exported.
Alive with cosmopolitan fizz, Zürich is a city where old and new fuse beautifully, local and international gastronomy delights diners, and chocoholics rejoice in the new Lindt Home of Chocolate interactive museum and shop. With its Mediterranean-like summer climate, the crystal-clear waters of Lake Zürich entice bathers, with stunning views of the mountains creating a natural amphitheatre. The grand towers of Grossmünster church are the city’s focal point; its Augusto Giacometti windows steep the interior in atmospheric allure. Marc Chagall’s stained-glass window series can also be admired in the nearby Fraumünster church.
Stroll through stylish boutiques on the Bahnhofstrasse, the main shopping street and a place to be seen. A walking tour of the Old Town’s hidden alleyways and picturesque squares brings to life tales of famous residents such as Einstein, James Joyce and Wagner. In the Zürich-West district, former industrial buildings and railway arches have been transformed into a cultural hub of design studios, galleries, hip boutiques and restaurants.
Kunsthaus, Switzerland’s largest art gallery, boasts the largest collection of paintings by Edvard Munch outside Norway, as well as a majestic minimalist extension by British architect David Chipperfield. Starchitect fans will also appreciate Le Corbusier’s Gesamtkunstwerk, his last building, and the only one made entirely of glass and steel. Public art decorates the city – 1,300 pieces to be exact, including impressive sculptures by Jean Tinguely and Carsten Höller. The Zürich City Guide App, in which you can also buy the Zürich Card, guides you to artworks and other city sights.
The call to nature is never far away. Crystal-clear water from Lake Zürich creates the river Limmat, a spot where the beautiful Art Nouveau lido, Frauenbad Stadthausquai, is still ladies-only during the day, and also offers a library to keep sunbathers entertained. There is yoga on the beach at Strandbad Mythenquai, where paddleboards can be hired and healthy dining comes courtesy of the world’s first vegetarian restaurant, Hiltl. Hikes around the nearby cool forests of Uetliberg mountain allow for quieter meditation. If the climb up to 2,850ft feels like too much of an exertion, take the train and wander down the well-marked routes.
To maximise Zürich’s resort feel, you can dine outdoors at two Michelin-starred establishments: Rico’s, which combines French cuisine with Italian and Asian influences, and The Restaurant at the Dolder Grand, where a fabulous terrace opens out towards lake and mountains. Inside a historic wood-panelled guild house in the Old Town, Restaurant zum Grünen Glas serves sprightly modern food on its bijou courtyard terrace. Enjoy lakeside dining at Landgasthof Halbinsel Au, savouring fresh fish straight from the lake, served among lush greenery by the rippling water.
Postprandial cocktails at Zürich’s Badi-Bars stir fun vibes. Some require you to leave shoes at the entrance for outdoor dancing, so best leave the Louboutins in your room. Colourful lights reflect on the water at Rimini Bar, where a sophisticated crowd chills out on oriental cushions under a canopy of trees. At the Seebad Enge, dipping feet in the water is de rigueur while a concert, poetry slam or reading dress the background as glasses clink. Moving into town, high above the rooftops, George Bar & Grill has wonderful terraces, neon-lit enclaves and a grand piano to key in some ambience.
Where to eat: Delicious two-Michelin-starred French haute cuisine at Pavillon, housed in the Baur au Lac Hotel by Lake Zürich – the tasting menu is out of this world.
Where to stay: La Réserve Eden au Lac Zürich has smart rooms designed by Philippe Starck and a wonderful lakeside terrace for those warm summer days and nights.
A gateway to the mountains, Lucerne offers a multitude of ways to see stunning vistas either by railway, cable car or on foot, taking in wildflowers, dragonflies and butterflies on the way. There are many sterling sights from the past such as the Chapel Bridge, the Lion Monument and the historic Old Town, but contemporary strokes too in the striking form of the KKL Luzern, Jean Nouvel’s concert hall on the shores of Lake Lucerne. Commanding the skyline like a conductor is the octagonal Water Tower, built c.1300 as part of the city’s fortifications, much like the neighbouring Musegg Wall and its nine towers. The Water Tower has been used as an archive, treasury, prison and torture chamber, and is Switzerland’s most-photographed monument.
There are numerous pretty places to wander. In the car-free Old Town, you can stroll in picturesque squares peppered with fresco-adorned houses decorated in eye-catching pinks, yellows and greens. Reward your step count here with handmade confections from Max Chocolatier. The green expanse of Dreilindenpark, an English-style wooded landscape, has far-reaching views of the Alps, while Lake Lucerne’s promenade is dotted with cafés, terraces and grassy areas beneath trees – a perfect place to stop for a dip in the lake.
Retail therapy beckons in the Bruch quarter’s hip stores; in Madeleine, a fashionable venue that stages comedy and music, you’ll also find the much-loved Treger boutique selling braces, bow ties and vintage clothes for gentlemen. To mark a special occasion, the long-established Gübelin jewellery boutique on Schwanenplatz is known worldwide for its handcrafted pieces and gemmological expertise.
The beauty of the location and the summer sunset is best absorbed on a stately steamboat – the recently renovated 1928 Art Deco paddle steamer Stadt Luzern, perhaps, which once hosted Queen Elizabeth II, or a modern vessel such as MS Diamant, which glides gently over the waves. Both boats have drinks and fine dining to entice.
On terra firma, aperitifs and nibbles are in order at Restaurant Opus, a vinothèque with a superb wine selection and a postcard view of the Chapel Bridge and Old Town quarter. A pleasing combination of modern and antique opulence turns heads at The Grand Hotel Lucerne, where every seat on its lakeside dining terrace frames stunning tableaux of the mountains. At Restaurant Rathaus Brauerei, you will find traditional dishes and sausage specialities made according to recipes from Lucerne’s master butchers, as well as beer brewed on the premises using Pilatus spring water, which is derived from the oldest complex of springs in the city.
Chef Roman Steiner has the same approach using local suppliers at Restaurant National, where the elegant yet easy vibe allows conversation to flow freely. The interior is comfy and colourful, and the popular al fresco seating has those must-have views over the lake. The menu incorporates local recipes and international dishes, with a globe-trotting wine list to match. A much-loved local, LUZ Seebistro sits on stilts like a boat house-cum-conservatory over the water. It’s a fun, busy, no-frills kind of place with crowd-pleasing bistro-esque dishes.
Where to eat: Restaurant Galerie at Hotel Schweizerhof for culinary perfection in elegant surroundings – and the most delectable chateaubriand in town.
Where to stay: At the Grand Hotel National Lucerne, grandeur meets modern vibrancy – and the Lake Terrace is ideal for al fresco dining.
The centre of luxury watchmaking and banking, Geneva is also a sensational summer retreat, beautifully integrated with its natural surroundings. It’s perfectly possible – and really rather nice – to have an ice cream at the foot of the famous Jet d’Eau and, after a short bike ride, find yourself in the middle of the countryside for a stroll through vineyards, sampling the latest vintage with the passionate viticulteurs themselves.
The vineyards offer walking trails and idyllic places to eat and drink, such as the Dugerdil Estate, and small family-run wineries such as Domaine du Paradis and Cave de Genève in Satigny. To relax in the city itself, Bains des Pâquis, the city beach, is just a few metres from the Jet d’Eau and offers a splendid view of Lake Geneva – especially from atop the 10m diving board.
There is plenty of glamour in people-watching from a sunbed in the balmy Mediterranean climate, but the lure of the city’s luxury goods is never far away. You can marvel at the haute joaillerie and horological pieces on rue du Rhône. The Patek Philippe Museum, located in the heart of the Plainpalais district, showcases the watchmaker’s mastery over five centuries. Next door, one of Switzerland’s largest flea markets bustles into life twice a week with bric-a-brac, books, clothes, jewellery, antiques and decorative items ripe for browsing.
Worldly artistic pleasures are to be appreciated in Geneva’s Opera House, a stunning building inspired by the Palais Garnier in Paris. Built in 1760, after more conservative Calvinistic sensibilities were overcome, the present theatre was rebuilt after a fire in 1951; expect a full, well-regarded programme of operas, ballets and recitals every season.
Geneva’s Old Town is dominated by St Peter’s Cathedral, around which run small cobblestone streets and little squares. Carouge is similar in atmosphere but perhaps more bohemian, with its feel of a small Italian village and abundance of cafés, bars and shady terraces. Drinks among the contemporary art crowd cause a buzz during Nuit des Bains, which takes place three times a year, when galleries open their doors in Quartier des Bains and all attendees put themselves on display too.
The seasons define much of the food scene in Geneva, which is well served by its 12 Michelin-starred restaurants. In the five-star Hotel Beau Rivage, chef Dominique Gauthier favours seasonal ingredients at Le Chat-Botté, with a plethora of Swiss and French-influenced dishes and a fondness for truffles and seafood. There’s a wonderful terrace with views over the waterfront, where sommeliers assist with wine pairings from the 40,000-strong cellar. Gauthier also oversees the tapas menu of Asian and Mediterranean flavours at Albertine’s, the hotel’s chic terrace – a fashionable place to meet for a drink at any time of the day. Sunset drinks and nightcaps are best taken at the Metropole Hotel rooftop bar. The views are superb with luxury yachts, mountains and the busy city beneath you. The sofa seating arrangements allow parties to sit back and relax among the sophisticated crowd that flocks here.
Further out from the city, in bucolic countryside, you will discover Domaine de Châteauvieux, whose two-starred head chef Philippe Chevrier is described by the Michelin Guide as a ‘culinary technician as much as he is an artist’.
Where to eat: Michelin-starred Bayview by Michel Roth within the grand Hotel President Wilson offers delicious French cuisine and mesmerising views over Lake Geneva.
Where to stay: The very beautiful Hotel Beau Rivage Genève – the floral arrangements are to die for – continues to warmly welcome guests with classic five-star luxury.
A Unesco World Heritage Site, Bern’s Old City is hugged by the meandering river Aare, which welcomes swimmers, while bikers head out to picturesque villages amid grazing cattle and soul-quenching views of the Alps. With half of this charming city designated as green space, it’s a place to take life at a mellow pace, enjoying the sights and the shopper’s heaven of designer fare displayed in boutiques under six kilometres of arcades.
The independent local spirit is exemplified at Ooonyva, an elegant boutique where Bernese designers Debora Rentsch, Zara Nydegger and Nathalie Pellon present their own labels, and at the Art of Scent, home to perfumier Brigitte Witschi, who uses alpine flowers to create fresh, vivacious fragrances. Olfactory senses will be further primed by the 250 types of blooms in the Rose Garden, one of the most beautiful parks in Bern with its postcard view of the rooftops of the Old City, the loop in the river Aare and the late Gothic spire of Münster Cathedral.
The contrast between ancient and modern is served by the Zytglogge clock tower, notable for its mechanical figures of bears, a jester and a golden rooster, and the Zentrum Paul Klee museum, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano of The Shard fame. Flowing waves of glass and steel house 4,000 works of art by the artist known for his colourful semi-abstract depictions.
Fresh local produce is in the DNA at Moment restaurant, where the focus is on unfussy regional cuisine, and a wine list full of starry Swiss labels. At Casa Novo, expect Mediterranean-style meals served on a spacious terrace beside the river Aare, where you can watch boat trips float past. The river is inviting: before you know it, you will have joined the bathers in the turquoise waters of the lovely Marzili pool directly below the Parliament Building, or find yourself paddling on a rubber raft, pausing to drift gently with the current under the sunny rays.
Where to eat: At the glamorous Kornhauskeller where the culinary focus is on regional and seasonal products.
Where to stay: Discover Art Nouveau perfection at Bellevue Palace, which has hosted Charlie Chaplin, Jacques Chirac, Nelson Mandela, Bruce Springsteen and Sophia Loren.
The medieval buildings in the Old Town are the stuff of fairy tales when gloriously dressed in summer-flowering plants. Towering above them is the 12th-century Thun Castle; its four white towers a landmark from far and wide, framed by the surrounding mountains. This is country-town living at its finest. The river Aare runs into Lake Thun where paddleboarding, lake cruises and leisure swimming are always in progress, and surfing takes place in the river under the bemused eye of diners in nearby restaurants.
To get your bearings through culture, visit the Thun-Panorama, the world’s oldest preserved circular work of art. The 38m painting in the round depicts the city and its surroundings, including the Alpine peaks of the Bernese Oberland. Happily, the local regions depicted can be explored through three-course speciality meals courtesy of three different mountain restaurants on the Stockhorn Culinary Trail. Each hike takes 45 minutes with breathtaking panoramas along the way.
Back in the Old Town, a shopping trip must include a visit to Sabine Portenier’s store, whose clothes hook contemporary flourishes into very wearable fashion, and conclude with an award-winning cocktail courtesy of the ritzy Atelier Classic Bar located in the heart of Thun on the Rathausplatz. Thun is all about leisurely pleasures. Let the conversation flow with an Italian meal under the chestnut trees by the river Aare at Ristorante Waisenhaus. To rest eyes and limbs, Schadau Castle is wonderfully situated on the shores of Lake Thun. Its terrace sits by extensive lawns for coffee or a nightcap, while elegant rooms inside the hotel have tranquil views across the lake to the mountains.
Where to eat: Amid the cobbled streets of the Old Town, Schwert has a modern interpretation of Swiss cuisine with a diverse selection of wines.
Where to stay: The clean-lined Hotel Seepark, which has 91 rooms with views of the Stockhorn mountain and Lake Thun.
Romantic, laid-back Lausanne – voted the world’s Best Small City in 2020 – has always attracted the most iconic of creative minds. Coco Chanel lived here, cherishing a view she had seen ‘nowhere else’, and David Bowie hunkered down in the impressive Château du Signal for 15 years, marrying the Somalian-American model Iman at the Town Hall. Glancing over the ripples of Lake Geneva to the mountains beyond, the charm of their favoured choice of residence is obvious. There is so much to do – or not do – in Lausanne, and even a 1.5-kilometre stretch of beaches to soak up the rays or sail, waterski and paddleboard.
Looking towards the city, the gothic spires of Lausanne Cathedral rise above all else, surrounded by the historical Cité with its medieval alleyways. Worship has taken place on this site since the 13th century and concerts are staged within its incredible interior, which has a world-class organ created in 2003 with more than 7,000 pipes. An illustrious history can also be appreciated at The Olympic Museum on the banks of Lake Geneva. Lausanne has been home to the International Olympic Committee for 100 years, and here it presents the story of the Games through 150 screens and 1,500 objects.
Most strikingly, the Vaud Museum of Fine Arts (MCBA) has an equally venerable pedigree, but its collection of 10,000 works is housed in vast, innovative spaces inside the new Plateforme 10, designed with almost monastic modernism. Adjacent to the train station, it houses fine art, photography, design and textiles, and is described as ‘the most dynamic museum complex ever to be built in Switzerland’.
For fresh air, take a walk through the Unesco-listed Lavaux vineyard terraces close to the city. These are crisscrossed with marked trails – there are even little trains to help on steeper inclines. To finish the day in local style, restaurant Pinte Besson serves excellent Swiss dishes in a lively downtown quarter of Lausanne near Place de la Riponne. Founded in 1780, the restaurant’s interior, with vaulted stone roof, seems to buzz with the satisfaction of generations of happy diners.
Since 1861, the majestic Art Nouveau Beau-Rivage Palace has welcomed guests who have defined history, from diplomats signing treaties to artists finding inspiration in the setting. Here, guests will enjoy exemplary hospitality in serene surrounds.
Where to eat: Anne-Sophie Pic’s luxurious restaurant in the Beau-Rivage Palace hotel overlooks the calming waters of Lake Geneva.
Where to stay: Enjoy old-school ritz and modern luxury at the Lausanne Palace – a stunningly elegant Belle Époque hotel.
There is nowhere better to start the day than on the Unesco-listed Lavaux vineyard terraces west of Montreux, learning about viticulture while drinking in the breathtaking views of Lake Geneva, the vines and the mountains. This is the experience to enjoy when visiting the Domaine Christophe Chappuis winery, established in 1335, followed by a tasting and a delicious meal.
Every Tuesday and Saturday, local ingredients come to the lake shore on the Grande Place in nearby Vevey. Here, farmers and locals meet, and the atmosphere positively effervesces with conversation and catch-up banter. Also in Vevey, menu modernity can be savoured at restaurant Denis Martin, housed in the Confrérie des Vignerons Château. The refined food presentation resembles art, with the complexity of tastes winning the chef a Michelin star. For cocktails, Le Deck at Le Baron Tavernier has a chic terrace with exalted views of the lake and mountains beyond.
The landscape has long inspired artists. Charlie Chaplin spent much of his life here and the city is famous for its 16-day Montreux Jazz Festival. The town is also notable for its connection with Freddie Mercury. The charismatic Queen frontman owned a lakeside recording studio, where six of the band’s albums were recorded. As well as an impressive bronze statue of Mercury by Lake Geneva, there are Freddie Tours and evenings with Peter Freestone, his personal assistant for more than 10 years.
The Trois Couronnes Hotel is the place to stay, with pretty five-star luxury accommodation and a restaurant specialising in Alpine cuisine. Equally fine is the Grand Hôtel du Lac, with traditional, elegant rooms and calming views of the lake from its balconies.
Where to eat: Le Pont de Brent has earnt two Michelin stars for its cuisine, sourced from regional products and served in a beautiful village house located just above Montreux.
Where to stay: With 236 rooms, Fairmont Le Montreux Palace has delighted visitors for more than a century with its Belle Époque architecture.
If you seek visual beauty or outdoor activity, there are accommodation choices galore to reflect the uplifting, healthy nature of the landscape. Switzerland Tourism offers a unique selection of hotels and accommodation as diverse as the country itself to help you find the perfect place to stay.
Wellness and Spa hotels offer much more than just relaxation. With activity programmes on sunny paths and terraces, beauty and anti-ageing treatments from Swiss luxury brands, mind and body exercises to slow the pace of life, healing water, pools with a view and the finest nutritious food, you’ll find everything you need to rediscover yourself.
Alternatively, why not base yourself in one of the Design & Lifestyle Hotels, which are led strongly by aesthetics and are set apart by the unique nature of their rooms and furnishings? These establishments are packed with individual character and offer a special mix of form and functionality.
To enter a competition to discover Switzerland’s energising city resorts and natural beauty, please visit My Switzerland.
