Circumnavigate Switzerland on these road trips

A place of heart-stopping natural beauty and head-spinning efficiency, Switzerland lies in the center of Europe yet exhibits a unique blend of cultures. Dazzling outdoor scenery such as the ever-admired Alps, pristine lakes, lush meadows and chocolate-box chalets combines with local traditions, cosmopolitan cities and smooth infrastructure.

In short, Switzerland makes it easy for you to dive deep into its heart on a life-affirming road trip. Distances are manageable and variety is within easy reach: you can be perusing a farmers' market for picnic provisions in the morning, then feasting on them on a mountaintop come lunchtime. At nightfall, try gazing at stars in the night sky from cosy digs or revelling in the cultural offerings of one of Switzerland's urbane cities.

This eight stage road trip can be tackled in one visit, or come back and explore one stage at a time. How long you spend on each stage is entirely up to you. For every corner of this itinerary you could while away your days hiking mountain trails, swimming in lakes, and dining on regional produce at traditional inns or modern restaurants.

Here's how to circumnavigate Switzerland one region at a time.

1. Zurich to Appenzell for cultural capital and fairy-tale villages

2-3 days 
100 km (62 miles) 

Start: Start your trip in Zürich, a famous financial center with its artsy, post-industrial edge, epitomized by the transformation of the formerly industrial district Züri-West. Book a couple of nights at a boutique hotel in Old Town. We like Marktgasse Hotel housed in a building that dates back to 1425. 

Stop 1: Once you’ve filled your cultural bucket in Zürich, head to the beautifully preserved medieval city of Schaffhausen for a half-day. Spend a morning at the tranquil cloister of the 12th-century Romanesque-style cathedral, Allerheiligen Münster, and its adjoining herb garden, which has been lovingly tended since the Middle Ages.

Stop 2: Just outside Schaffhausen is the Rheinfall, Europe’s largest plain waterfall. Trails thread up and along the shores, with viewpoints and abundant photo ops of the awe-inspiring cascade. 

Stop 3: Continue on to Lake Constance and spend at least one full day and a night in Arbon, enjoying the plethora of outdoor activities on offer. Rent bikes and pedal along the shore or through the region’s famed apple orchards.

Stop 4: Don’t miss St Gallen near Arbon. Its Altstadt is dominated by the UNESCO-listed Benedictine Abbey of St Gall, founded by itinerant Irish monk Gallus in 612. It houses Stiftsbibliothek, one of the oldest and most beautifully monastic libraries in the world. 

Stop 5: Finally, make your way to fairy-tale perfect Appenzell, about an hour from Lake Constance. Head to the local brewery, Brauguöll Appenzell, where the Locher family has been brewing since 1886, for a late afternoon beer tasting and then bed down for the night.

2. Appenzell to St Moritz for record-breaking sights

2-5 days
290 km (180 miles)

Start: After overnighting and exploring Appenzell – with its lavishly muralled facades and shops selling everything from folk costumes to local cheese along the Hauptgasse – learn about the region's folk traditions at Appenzell Museum and enjoy some walks on well marked trails. 

Stop 1: Next, bring your inner geologist with you for the incredible UNESCO World Heritage listed Tectonic Arena Sardona where the continents of Africa and Europe collided.

Stop 2: A pilgrimage for fans of the beloved novel children’s book Heidi, stop in Maienfeld, the setting for the world-famous story by Johanna Spyri. For everyone else, there’s the internationally acclaimed Blauburgunder wine to be discovered.

Stop 3: Next, Chur, the oldest city in Switzerland. You’ll want to linger for a day or two in this this charismatic, high-spirited, festival-loving city, whether to nose around the lanes of the historic Altstadt or dig into the rustic hearty Bündner specialities in a woody warm medieval tavern.

Detour: In nearby Guarda discover traditional houses with ornate sgraffiti. Sgraffito has a language all of its own, with protective and lucky symbols hidden on the historic facades of the region’s houses.

Stop 4: Stop by the visitor center in Zernez before exploring the surrounding mountains, lakes and river valleys of Swiss National Park on its 100kms of hiking paths and nature trails. 

Stop 5: Don’t miss Kloster St. Johann Müstair, the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage listed church with vibrant Carolingian and Romanesque frescos.

Stop 6: Climb 700m from Punt Muragl up to the Muottas Muragl on a funicular before exploring the iconic mountain resort of St Moritz. 

Stop 7: Sitting astride a sparkling aquamarine lake, rimmed by emerald forests and peering up to the snow-sprinkled heights of the Albula and Bernina Alps, this iconic destination looks a million dollars. If you have a budget to match, book a night at the lakeside five-star Badrutts Palace. 

3. St Moritz to Bellinzona for a dramatic change in altitude

2-5 days
290 km (180 miles)

Stop 1: After you’ve fully explored St Moritz head to the remote and silent Parc Ela, a 30 min drive away and an idyllic hiking destination. Nature runs riot here, with rocky, snow-frosted peaks looming above cottongrass-stippled moors, and turquoise lakes glimmering in flowery pastures. It’s also a haven for wildlife including ibex, chamois, marmots and golden eagles.

Stop 2: Rail lovers won’t want to miss Thusis. If time allows, experience the Bernina Express, one of the world's most sensational train rides.

Stop 3: Between Thusis and Andeer, Viamala Gorge is the entrance portal to Beverin Nature Park, home to historically, culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Admire the spectacular gorge was carved by ice and water.

Stop 4: Next tackle the hairpin turns of Splügen pass on the Italian border, and visit the sun-browned wooden Walser houses of its namesake village.

Detour: Take in dramatic views of the Il Spir observation platform over the Rhine Gorge in Graubünden. Parking nearby comes at a cost. You can also stretch your legs and hike up from Flims Waldhaus Wellness resort through the forest. 

Stop 5: A gem of a wildlife habitat with diverse landscapes, chestnut trees and dry stone walls, the undeveloped Parco Val Calanca is the perfect stop for some hiking with a good chance to spot deer, chamois, golden eagles, and grouse. 

Stop 6: Finally,you’ve made it to Bellinzona where medieval allure comes alive at hilltop UNESCO-listed castles, Castelgrande, Montebello and Sasso Corbaro, and bustling markets. You can rent e-bikes at the tourist office located on Piazza Collegiata. They also hand out brochures with suggested itineraries and maps.

4. Bellinzona to Zermatt for lovers of mountain roads

3-5 days
520 km (323 miles)

Start: Once you’ve explored the beauty and history of Bellinzona, you’re about to detour on to one of the most famous high mountain passes in Europe (from May to October, when it is open, that is).

Stop 1: Located at an altitude of 2106m St Gotthard Pass connects Italian- and German- speaking Switzerland. It’s also an iconic cycling destination. At the top there is an historic hospice, the St Gotthard Museum and the Sasso San Gottardo fortress. 

Stop 2. Next, immortalized in a car chase in the 1964 James Bond classic Goldfinger, the vertiginous Furka Pass in Valais' far northeastern corner is Switzerland's king of alpine passes. Be sure to stop in Gletsch, where an information point and food truck by the historic Grand Hotel Glacier du Rhône signals the path to the Rhône Glacier.

Stop 3: Andermatt, once an important staging post at a four-way crossroads, is now famous for winter sports plus hiking and cycling in the Alps. You’ll love the sun-blackened houses and cosy taverns along cobbled streets, soundtracked by the rush of the Unteralpreuss River.

Stop 4: Next, the UNESCO World Heritage listed Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch its breathtaking 23km-long superhighway of a glacier. Views from above are soul-soaring, but for a hardcore adrenaline surge nothing beats getting stuck in between crevasses on the ice.

Detour: Stop by the idyllic mountain village of Ernen, on the left side of the valley of Goms, above Fiesch. Hike in Binntal Nature Park – or even better, time your trip for Ernen’s famous classical music festival.

Stop 5: The last leg of this stage is a stay in the car-free town of Zermatt (park your vehicle in nearby Täsch). One of Switzerland's few ski resorts to buzz with local life year-round, this historic town at the foot of the Matterhorn is an unparalleled alpine playground.

5. Zermatt to Lausanne for postcard-perfect villages

1-3 days
260 km (160 miles)

Start: After a few days in Zermatt, enjoying chair lifts to walk or mountain bike between lake beaches, and riding the world's highest-altitude cable car to 3883m to gaze at 14 glaciers and 38 mountain peaks over 4000m from the Panoramic Platform, it’s time to hit the road again.

Stop 1: Grimentz is a picture-postcard village with panoramic views of the crown of peaks – from the Matterhorn to the Weisshorn, Zinalrothorn, and Dent Blanche. In the snowfree months, book dinner at Espace Weisshorn for an elevated experience in every sense. 

Stop 2: The small medieval city of Saint-Maurice was once an ancient Roman outpost, and the abbey here is the oldest Christian monastery in the Western world.

Stop 3: Vertigo suffers look away: the dizzying, 107m-long Peak Walk by Tissot on the Tsanfleuron Glacier is one of many exciting experiences at Les Diablerets.

Stop 4: Next, it’s time to experience the history baked into Chillon Castle with its medieval arrow-slit turrets and witch-capped towers on Lake Geneva. ​​

Stop 5: Today you’ll want to nominate a driver (or hop aboard the Train des Vignes) for the this part of your journey – it is time to taste the wines made famous by Saint-Saphorin St-Saphorin, Dézaley, Epesses at the gravity-defying vineyards in Lavaux which are so steep they're UNESCO-listed.

Stop 6: Finally, pull up on the banks of Lake Geneva in Lausanne. A city of steps and steep hills where staircases zigzag up through the Gothic old town and down to trendy bars squatting in the arches of the majestic old bridge. Meander the Ouchy lakefront, visit the Cathédrale de Notre Dame and the Olympic Museum, and (thanks to its hillside location) spy the sun-flecked lake wherever you go.

6. Lausanne to Neuchâtel for watch-making and cheese

1-3 days
160 km (100 miles)

Start: Lausanne’s student population lends itself to creativity, check out the city's sassy art district before you head off. 

Stop 1: Nature junkies will have a field day in the expansive Jura Vaudois Nature Park and the Vallée de Joux. When persecuted Protestants (Huguenots) fled here from neighboring France, they brought their horological know-how: “Watchmaker’s Valley” has stuck as a nickname ever since. And meanwhile alpine Gruyère AOC cheese is produced here using traditional methods in the mountain huts. 

Stop 2: It’s time to indulge yourself as the Romans once did. Drop into the thermal spa of Yverdon-les-Bains for the healing power of the mineral rich water. 

Stop 3: Next see the natural spectacle of the Creux du Van amphitheatre with 200m-high rock faces, wide views and pristine nature. 

Stop 4: Join the locals for some summertime swimming on the sandy beaches of Lake Neuchâtel, then take a boat trip or canoe tour on the pristine water.

Stop 5: Now in Neuchâtel, you have the perfect base for day trips into the Jura mountains, see the medieval castle, and immerse yourself in the buzzy pedestrian old town with its characterful fountains, 18th-century houses and colorful shutters, plus numerous bars, cafes and restaurants. 

6. Neuchâtel to Bern for waterfalls, boat rides and secret caves

3-5 days
295 km (183 miles)

Stop 1: From Neuchâtel, head to Murten, a charming 12th-century town that stands on a hill above Murtensee and Schloss Murten, ramparts and cobbled Hauptgasse (main street) are beautifully preserved.

Stop 2: Modern day Fribourg blends past and present as easily as it does languages, with craft-beer breweries, contemporary art exhibitions and lively student-nightlife venues existing in harmony with well-preserved medieval churches, bridges, fountains and fortifications.

Stop 3: Carry on to the bucolic pre-Alps where cheese, chocolate and cow-grazed countryside await. The centerpiece of the area is the hilltop village of Gruyères, the epitome of traditional Switzerland with its cobbled streets, flower-strewn wooden houses and fairy-tale castle.

Stop 4: Swiss pistes don’t get fancier than those in car-free Gstaad, where skiing comes with a spritz of glamor and celebrity-spotting magic. From Gstaad you can explore the idyllic side valleys and the mountains around the Sanetsch and Pillon Passes.

Stop 5: Grindelwald’ s sublime natural assets are film-set stuff. Here the Jungfrau railway has been making its journey to Europe’s highest-altitude railway station at 3454 metres.

Stop 6: As if cupped in celestial hands, Lauterbrunnen spellbinding valley entranced Goethe, Lord Byron and other romantic souls like you, with 72 waterfalls that crash over vertical cliffs in summer and freeze solid in winter.

Stop 7: Holding up a blue mirror to the Jungfrau Alps, Lake Thun will have you rubbing your eyes in disbelief. Navigate Thun and Brienz on a boat tour, offering a unique view of Switzerland’s unrivalled natural beauty.

Detour: Word has it Tolkien also seized inspiration for The Lord of the Rings from St Beatus Caves above Lake Thun. Dress warmly and follow the trail which whisks you through grottoes stippled with stalagmites and stalactites and past underground lakes.

Stop 8: And lastly, pulsing with culture, the pocket-sized Swiss capital of Bern,  framed by the Aare River and offers spectacular views of the Alps, will woo you with its World Heritage treat of a medieval old town, Einstein connections and phenomenal stash of Paul Klee art. Try Am Pavillon for a B&B steeped in art nouveau charm. 

8. Bern to Zurich for more castles, hikes and culinary delights

2-5 days 
350 km (220 miles)

Start: Once you’ve had your fill of culture, dust off your walking boots: alpine hiking doesn’t get any better than in the Bernese Oberland, where almost every inch of the sublime mountainous terrain has been diligently mapped, apped and waymarked.

Stop 1: Emmental nails the country dream in this lushly green region, cow-nibbled pastures and hip-roof farmhouses snuggle in among wooded hills. Its dairy farms produce the holey cheese that couldn't be more Swiss if it tried. 

Stop 2: The valley of Entlebuch is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve meaning its farmland and forests generate no end of quality produce. Eat stunning dishes crafted from local produce at local restaurants then hit the numerous well-marked cycling trails.  

Detour: Pop by Hallwyl Castle, one of the most beautiful moated castles in Switzerland. Exhibitions here illuminate its 900 year history and the everyday lives of its subjects.

Stop 3: Lucerne is home to music, the most popular museum in Switzerland, an energetic carnival and a beautifully preserved old town. Beyond the cobbled streets and decorative buildings of the Altstadt, the less crowded Neustadt offers a diverse array of restaurants and a community vibe around the pretty Vögeligärtli park.

Stop 4: There are several ways to ascend Mt Rigi, the “Queen of the Mountains”, including by cogwheel train. Lose the summer crowds by hiking one of its trails or book a day at the Mineral Baths & Spa Rigi Kaltbad.

Stop 5: Brunnen enjoys mesmerising views of Lake Lucerne and Lake Uri, and is a picturesque base for boat trips, hikes and outdoors activities. The lakeside terrace of Seehotel Waldstätterhof is the ideal spot for an aperitif as the sun sets. 

Detour: The sleepy town of Einsiedeln is dominated the imposing Klosterkirche with its baroque smorgasbord of dramatic ceiling frescoes, pudgy pink cherub sculptures and gold flourishes. You can also taste wine from the monastery's own vineyards on Lake Zurich.

Stop 6: And now you’re back to the beginning of your Grand Tour. When it comes to a recipe for the good life, Zürich has it covered. Don’t be surprised if you find it hard to leave...