According to the Mid Breaker Travel Guide, Switzerland is full of five-star lakes and mountains, but it’s not always the first place you think of for a European city break. But the towns and cities of this Alpine nation are replete with charm, buzz, and beauty, and travelers are finally catching on.
With short flights from the UK (London to Zurich takes less than two hours), you could be wandering medieval cobbled streets and knocking back a spritz at an al fresco lakeside restaurant before you’ve barely caught your breath.
This is the resource you need for everything from the prettiest small towns to bigger cities teeming with culture and nightlife: the best places for an urban break in Switzerland. In this article Mid Breaker Travel Guide will provide you best cities to visit in Switzerland.
1: Bern
It would be a challenge not to instantly fall in love with the Swiss capital. Curving around a bend of the turquoise Aare River is Bern’s medieval old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site for its beautifully preserved cobbled streets and structures such as the Zytglogge clock tower, Münster (cathedral), and colorful fountains. Shops, bars, and cafes nestle under the Lauben (promenades), or in the cramped cellars beneath, and cafe terraces line most of the street and square spaces.
One of the smartest joints in legs-11 town is Schweizerhof Bern, a five-star gem nestling within an Old Town mid-19th-century building and now the city’s oldest luxury hotel.
2: Thun
On a river some 30 kilometers up from Bern but less celebrated, Thun seduces visitors with its Old Town of cobbled streets and flower-laden buildings, plus its weird elevated walkways. As per the Mid Breaker travel guide, all of it is overlooked by the 12th-century Schloss (castle) – there is no better viewpoint to be had in town than from a tower climb to the top. A playground for water-sports fanatics, magical in all seasons, it is the watery activities that are among its biggest draws; hire a kayak for an unrushy paddle or catch one of the passenger ferries which sail to villages (you’re free to hop on and off as you like), castles and vineyards along the shores.
The castle’s former prison wing has been converted into the boutique hotel, Schlossberg Thun. For stunning mountain views and 16th-century wall frescoes, book the Tower Room.
3: Lucerne
Lucerne is Switzerland in miniature. In the middle of the country, on the shores of beautiful Lake Lucerne and tucked in between mountains, it practically oozes Swissness from its pores. The amount of alpine action on offer is obscene, but there’s plenty to keep you in town itself: art by Picasso and Klee at the Sammlung Rosengart, world-class classical music at the KKL arts center, nine towers from the city’s medieval ramparts, and a fabulous Old Town with painted buildings alive with bars (both traditional and trendy) and restaurants.
Perched on a mountain outside the city, reached by boat and funicular, the Bürgenstock Resort is Swiss luxury at its most elite, once favored by celebrities like Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren.
4: Basel
Situated in Switzerland’s northwest corner close to the borders of France and Germany, the location of Basel is manifest in its food, culture, dialect, and cosmopolitan air. But the de facto draw is art. Every June, enthusiasts descend for Art Basel, but visitors are enticed by the city’s plethora of galleries and museums year-round. There are some very good ones: Fondation Beyeler, a private collection of Picasso, Klee, Modigliani, and others; the Kunstmuseum, Switzerland’s biggest public art gallery; and Museum Tinguely, which displays the oddball mechanical constructions of late Basel kinetic artist Jean Tinguely.
Architecture in Basel is as diverse as its art, ranging from old to new. Volkshaus Basel – design hotel, whose interior is the creation of local star architects Herzog & de Meuron.
5: Zurich
The largest city in Switzerland (its 400,000 residents barely surpassing Zurich) boasts enough museums, restaurants, and nightspots to fill a weekend. It’s also the most marvelous place to shop; discover high-end fashion and watch boutiques on the Bahnhofstrasse, edgy brands on the vibrant pedestrianized boulevard Europaallee, and independent shops down the pretty cobbled lanes of Niederdorf. The city, in recent years, has converted a bunch of former industrial spaces — like Im Viadukt, with its boutiques tucked under the train-arch bridges. Also nearby, the flagship store of the Swiss truck tarp bag brand Freitag is a 19-stack-high tower formed out of shipping containers.
Set in a prime location in the Old Town, near the River Limmat, Lake Zurich shore, and the city’s cultural scene, the shiny new Mandarin Oriental Savoy flaunts an enviable address.
6: Lausanne
The cooler little sister of Geneva, Lausanne, spreads out over a hill rising from the shores of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). It’s the cultural capital of French-speaking Switzerland, and the new art district Plateforme 10 only adds to its already-impressive array of theatres, music festivals, jazz clubs, and museums – among them quirky bluestocking Collection de l’Art Brut (lit: “raw art”, as in by self-taught anti-establishment artists). In summer, the lakeshore gets busy with pop-up bars, pétanque player, and paddle boarders; hikers head into the nearby UNESCO-protected Lavaux vineyards for a stunning outing with a dégustation of local wine.
One of Lausanne’s numerous luxury hotels, Chateau d’Ouchy, is a fairytale castle tucked right up to the lakeshore.
7: Vevey
Vevey is smaller than Lausanne, and less touristy than its neighboring Montreux, a place the locals are happy to keep to themselves. Gripping the curve of Lake Geneva — with some of the finest views of the French Alps — it boasts the best display of lakeside promenade in French-speaking Switzerland, which turns into a sunbathing and swimming hive on summer days. A giant fork—symbol of the Alimentarium, a food museum operated by Nestlé and located in Vevey, which is home to the company. Chaplin’s World, an immersive experience dedicated to British movie icon Charlie Chaplin, is situated on a hill above the town in the 19th-century house where the star once lived.
For lakeside glamour, the historic Trois Couronnes—one of the original Swiss palace hotels—has been welcoming royalty and celebrities for nearly 200 years.
8: Ascona-Locarno
In Ticino, Switzerland’s sunniest canton, clinging to the northern shore of Lake Maggiore — whose serene waters straddle Switzerland and Italy — is a place that takes hitherto unknown bits from both nations and creates its own culture. Separated by the Maggia River, Ascona and Locarno are a pair of mince pie-stocked twin towns with palm tree-flanked lakeside promenades, sun-drenched buildings in bright crayola shades and Italian-influenced cuisine, serving up risotto, chestnuts and polenta at any grotto (Ticino’s restaurants). Swim in the lake, catch a ferry to the islands of Brissago, or head deep into the wonderfully wild Valle Maggia for a glimpse of times past.
Situated directly on the waterfront, alongside its own private beach, the Eden Roc Ascona merges a Mediterranean feel with Swiss luxury.
Mid Breaker Travel Guide
Switzerland is a destination that will blow your mind with beautiful scenery, amazing culture, and, quite simply, the most stunning hospitality you are ever likely to find. Each city, from the tranquil lakes of Lucerne to the bustling atmosphere of Zurich, has something special to offer. The Mid Breaker Travel Guide highlights Zurich for its lively nightlife, wealth of luxury shopping, and alpine views — Geneva is renowned the world over for its international ambiance and Mont Blanc views.
The Mid Breaker Travel Guide also features Interlaken as an adventure destination, with options for paragliding and hiking in the breathtaking alpine setting. For history buffs and architecture enthusiasts, Bern’s medieval old town is a must-see. Balanced with the best of nature, culture, and modern convenience, The Best Cities To Visit In Switzerland – Mid Breaker Travel Guide guarantees that all kinds of travelers will find their ideal Swiss getaway.
