Switzerland has a way of making you feel like every postcard you have ever seen undersold it. The mountains are bigger in person. The lakes are a colour that seems digitally altered until you are standing in front of one. The trains arrive exactly when they say they will, which, after any amount of time in other countries, feels almost emotional.

But most visitors follow the same well-worn path. Zurich for a night, Interlaken for the paragliding photo, Lucerne for the bridge, and Geneva for the watch shops. Switzerland rewards that itinerary. It also rewards the traveler who wanders slightly off it.

The best things to do in Switzerland are often the ones that require a second train, a local tip, or simply waking up earlier than everyone else. This list covers 25 of them, across nature, cities, food, culture, and seasons.

Before you go, connectivity is worth sorting. An eSIM Switzerland option like Jetpac activates before you land and keeps you mapped, translated, and reachable across every valley and altitude. More on that later.

Nature and the Outdoors

Switzerland's landscape is the thing most travelers come for and still somehow underestimate. These are the natural experiences worth going out of your way for.

1. Oeschinensee Lake

Most visitors to the Bernese Oberland head straight to Grindelwald or Wengen. Oeschinensee, reached by cable car and a short walk above Kandersteg, sits in a bowl of cliffs and glaciers with water so turquoise it looks unreal. In summer, the surrounding meadows are in full bloom. In winter, the lake partially freezes, and the silence is complete. Rowboats are available to hire. Go on a weekday.

2. Aletsch Glacier Walk

The Aletsch is the largest glacier in the Alps and one of the great things to see and do in Switzerland that most visitors never reach. The Jungfraujoch gets the crowds. Aletsch, accessed from Bettmerhorn or Eggishorn above the Rhone Valley, gives you unobstructed views across 23 kilometres of moving ice with a fraction of the people.

3. Rhine Falls by Kayak

Most people stand on a platform and photograph the Rhine Falls from a distance. Kayaking or taking a boat to the rock in the middle of Europe's largest waterfall is something else entirely. The spray hits you before you get close. The noise is physical. Available from Schaffhausen, this is one of the more genuinely thrilling fun things to do in Switzerland that the standard itinerary skips.

Before planning your route, check the best time to visit Switzerland to match your activities with the right season.

4. Creux du Van

This rocky amphitheatre in the Jura mountains is often called the Swiss Grand Canyon, and almost no international tourists know it exists. A circular hike of around four hours brings you to the cliff edge overlooking a sweeping natural bowl. Ibex are regularly spotted on the rocky outcrops. The silence up here is the kind you stop and pay attention to.

5. Trummelbach Falls

Inside the cliff face above Lauterbrunnen valley, glacial meltwater from the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau has carved a series of ten cascading falls through the rock. You take a lift up into the mountain and walk through tunnels to reach each one. It is loud, cold, and unlike anything else in the Alps. One of the more genuinely surprising things to do in Switzerland in summer is when the melt is at full volume.

6. Rochers de Naye Above Montreux

Montreux gets visitors for its jazz festival and its castle. Almost none of them take the rack railway that climbs to Rochers de Naye at 2042 metres above the lake. The view across Lake Geneva to the French Alps on a clear day is one of the great panoramas in the country. There is a marmot colony near the summit that children and adults are equally enthusiastic about.

Want more scenic inspiration? Explore the most beautiful places in Switzerland beyond the usual tourist stops.

Hidden Villages and Scenic Journeys

Switzerland's rail network is extraordinary, and most travelers use it to get between cities. These routes and villages reward the slower approach.

7. Gruyeres Village

The town of Gruyères sits above the valley on a hill and looks like someone designed it specifically to be charming. The medieval castle, the working cheese dairy below the town, and the HR Giger Museum (yes, the Alien artist, in a Swiss medieval village) make for one of the more unexpected combinations of things to see and do in Switzerland in a single afternoon.

8. Appenzell

Appenzell is the kind of place that makes you understand why people fall in love with Switzerland beyond the mountains. Painted facades on every building, a main square that has barely changed in centuries, and a local culture that has held onto its traditions with genuine conviction. The Appenzeller cheese is sharper and more complex than anything you will find in a supermarket. Try it at the source.

9. Lauterbrunnen Valley Floor

Everyone takes the cable car up from Lauterbrunnen. Walking the valley floor instead, past 72 waterfalls dropping from the cliffs on either side, is one of the most atmospheric things to do in Switzerland in summer and one of the least crowded. The sound of water is constant. The scale of the cliffs above makes you feel appropriately small.

10. Brienz by Boat

The boat across Lake Brienz from Interlaken to the village of Brienz is a slower and far more beautiful alternative to the train. Brienz is known for its woodcarving tradition and the steam railway that climbs to Rothorn summit. The lake is glacier-fed and shifts between shades of green and blue depending on the light and the time of year.

Planning a longer stay? Know the cost of living in Switzerland to budget realistically before arrival.

11. Giornico, Ticino

In the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, the small village of Giornico sits along the Ticino river with Romanesque churches from the 12th century and stone-arch bridges that predate the tourist industry by several hundred years. Warm enough for outdoor dining most of the year, it feels more northern Italy than central Switzerland. Almost no one goes.

City Experiences Beyond the Obvious

Switzerland's cities are easy to skim. The things worth finding usually require walking one street further than the itinerary suggests.

12. Langstrasse, Zurich

The things to do in Zurich, Switzerland, that make it feel like a real city rather than a financial capital are mostly found in Langstrasse. Street food, independent bars, second-hand shops, and a nightlife that runs later and rougher than the rest of Zurich would suggest. The Freitag tower nearby, built entirely from stacked shipping containers, is worth the detour for the view from the top alone.

13. Carouge, Geneva

The things to do in Geneva, Switzerland, beyond the lake fountain and the UN buildings include Carouge, a neighbourhood that feels architecturally Sardinian because it was built under that kingdom's rule in the 18th century. Arcaded streets, artisan workshops, independent cafes, and a Saturday market that locals actually use. Twenty minutes by tram from the city centre and a completely different atmosphere.

14. CERN Public Visit, Geneva

The European Organisation for Nuclear Research runs free public tours that take you through the actual facilities where particle physics happens at a scale that is hard to comprehend, standing inside them. One of the most genuinely fascinating things to do in Geneva, Switzerland and booking in advance is essential.

15. Basel's Art District and Tinguely Fountain

The things to do in Basel, Switzerland, extend well beyond Art Basel week. The city has more museums per capita than almost anywhere in Europe, and many are free on the first Sunday of each month. The Tinguely Fountain outside the theater, a collection of moving mechanical sculptures spraying water in rhythmic chaos, is one of the more joyful pieces of public art in any Swiss city.

Not sure how to structure your trip? Follow our Switzerland travel itinerary for a balanced route across cities and mountains.

16. Musegg Wall and Rose Garden, Bern and Lucerne

Among the things to do in Lucerne, Switzerland, that most visitors skip entirely: walking the medieval Musegg Wall, one of the best-preserved city fortifications in Europe, with nine towers you can enter and climb. In Bern, the Rose Garden above the old town offers a view across the river bend that surrounds the city, with over 200 varieties of roses in bloom through summer. Both are free. Both are almost always quiet.

Culture and History

17. Bear Park, Bern

The things to do in Bern, Switzerland, include one experience that surprises most visitors: the city has kept bears since the 16th century as a symbol of the canton. The modern Bear Park along the river is a proper open environment where the animals behave naturally. Watching bears fish in a stream in a European capital city is not something you expect.

18. Ballenberg Open Air Museum

Near Brienz, this open-air museum spans 66 hectares and contains over 100 original historic buildings relocated from across Switzerland. Farmhouses, barns, mills, and workshops from different centuries and different cantons, with demonstrations of traditional crafts still running inside them. One of the most quietly absorbing top things to do in Switzerland for anyone interested in how the country actually lived before the banks arrived.

19. Lavaux Vineyard Terraces

Between Lausanne and Vevey, the UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyards step down the hillside from the villages to the lake in a series of terraced rows that have been cultivated since the 11th century. Walking the trails between villages and stopping at small family cellars for a glass of Chasselas white wine, with the lake below and the Alps across the water, is one of the top things to do in Switzerland that belongs in any itinerary but rarely makes it in.

Food and Local Life

20. Cheese Dairy Visit, Gruyeres

The Maison du Gruyère below the village runs daily demonstrations of the cheese-making process from the morning milk delivery through to the pressing and aging. It is educational without being dry, and the tasting at the end is the point. Cheese this fresh and this specific to its place tastes genuinely different from anything exported.

Before departure, use our Switzerland packing list to prepare for shifting alpine weather and outdoor activities.

21. Zurich Market Halls

The Markthalle in Zurich and the weekly markets along the river on Tuesday and Friday mornings are where the city actually shops. Bread from small bakers, seasonal vegetables, Swiss charcuterie, and hot food from local vendors. One of the more grounded fun things to do in Switzerland for travelers who want to feel briefly like a local.

Things to Do in Switzerland Across the Seasons

Switzerland changes dramatically with the seasons, and some of its best experiences are tied to specific times of year.

22. Paragliding in Interlaken (Summer)

The things to do in Interlaken, Switzerland, are dominated by adrenaline, and for good reason. Tandem paragliding from Beatenberg or Niederhorn above the lakes is one of the more transformative things to do in Switzerland in summer. The launch is peaceful, and the views across Lakes Thun and Brienz from altitude are the kind that make you understand why people keep coming back.

23. Alpine Wildflower Trails (Summer)

From late June through August, the higher meadows above villages like Murren, Wengen, and Vals come into bloom with dozens of wildflower species. Walking these trails in full summer bloom, with cowbells in the distance and the smell of warm grass and flowers, is one of those things to see and do in Switzerland that no photograph adequately prepares you for.

24. Open Air Cinema, Zurich (Summer)

Each summer, open-air cinema screens appear across Zurich, the most atmospheric being the one at Lake Zurich itself. Watching a film on a warm evening with the water behind the screen and the Alps in the background is a genuinely lovely, fun thing to do in Switzerland that locals look forward to all year.

25. Igloo Village, Engelberg or Zermatt (Winter)

Spending a night in a hand-carved igloo at altitude, with a fondue dinner, a hot tub in the snow, and stars visible through the opening above your sleeping bag, is one of the most memorable top things to do in Switzerland for winter visitors. Available at several alpine resorts, it books out months in advance.

Switzerland Travel Budget

Switzerland is not cheap, but it is manageable with some planning.

The Swiss Travel Pass, available in 3, 4, 8, or 15-day options, covers trains, buses, boats, and many mountain railways and pays for itself quickly on longer trips.

Staying Connected in Switzerland

Switzerland's terrain is dramatic, which means connectivity can vary between a city centre and a high alpine trail, for a trip that moves between cities, lakeshores, and mountain villages, having a reliable eSIM Switzerland option sorted before you land matters more than in flatter countries.

Jetpac is the best eSIM for Switzerland travel and handles the variation well.

Whether you are researching an eSIM Switzerland tourist option for a first visit or adding it to a multi-country trip, Jetpac removes one layer of logistics from a trip that already has plenty to manage.

FAQs

What are the best things to do in Switzerland for first-time visitors?

Start with the experiences that combine landscape and local life: Lauterbrunnen valley, a boat across Lake Brienz, the Musegg Wall in Lucerne, and an afternoon in Gruyères. These cover the best things to do in Switzerland without following the most crowded itinerary.

What are the top things to do in Switzerland in summer?

Summer opens up the alpine trails, lake boats, paragliding, outdoor markets, and wildflower walks. Things to do in Switzerland in summer also include open-air cinema in Zurich, cheese dairy visits, and the Lavaux vineyard walks when the vines are at their fullest. The season runs from June through September, with July and August being the warmest.

What are the best things to do in Interlaken, Switzerland?

Paragliding is the headline, but things to do in Interlaken, Switzerland, also include boat rides across Lake Thun, the Harder Kulm viewpoint above the town, day hikes into the Bernese Oberland, and the valley floor walk to Lauterbrunnen. It works best as a base for the surrounding region rather than a destination in itself.

What are the fun things to do in Switzerland that are not expensive?

Many of the most fun things to do in Switzerland cost very little. The Creux du Van hike, the Musegg Wall, Appenzell village, Bern's Bear Park, and the Lauterbrunnen valley walk are all free or close to it. The Swiss Travel Pass covers most transport and brings cable car and boat costs down significantly.

Is an eSIM Switzerland tourist option worth getting before the trip?

Yes, particularly if your trip combines cities and mountain regions. An eSIM Switzerland tourist option activates before you land and adjusts automatically to available networks. The best eSIM for Switzerland travel keeps maps, translation, and communication running across every part of the country without roaming charges or SIM swaps at the border.

Disclaimer

Prices and destination information in this blog are based on publicly available information at the time of writing and are for general reference and educational purposes only. Actual costs and conditions may vary based on travel season, personal preferences, and current market rates. Jetpac is not responsible for network variations or third-party data accuracy. Mention of any destination, product, or service does not constitute an endorsement. Always verify the latest travel advisories and entry requirements before visiting.