Swiss Cityscapes & Alpine Escapes: A 7-Day Winter Adventure

Schweizerisches Landesmuseum (Swiss National Museum)

Museum displaying Swiss history

 Housed in a purpose-built mock-Gothic castle, the museum is often visited just to marvel at its architecture, but actually, this massive building has such superbly presented state-of-the-art displays on the history of the Swiss Confederation that you're sure to find something here that's worth at least an hour or two. If there's one thing the Swiss do, it's that they don't skimp on culture, so you can expect excellent value for money here.

James Joyce Foundation

Museum dedicated to the great Irish writer, James Joyce, wrote Ulysses during his wartime exile in Zurich from 1915-19

Museum dedicated to the great Irish writer, James Joyce, wrote Ulysses during his wartime exile in Zurich from 1915-19

FIFA World Football Museum

Modern museum with over 1000 displays on football (soccer)

Covering three floors in total, the museum traces the history of the game, FIFA, and both men's and women's World Cup competitions. Football junkies will delight in the details and memorabilia like old programs, shirts, boots and footballs, and even an unopened bottle of champagne from England's 1966 World Cup celebrations.

Wasserkirche

13th century church and crypt

The Gothic church is the site of the alleged martyrdom of Zurich's patron saints, Felix and Regula (they had deserted from their Roman legion in 286 and fled to Zurich before they were caught, tried and executed; after decapitation, they miraculously stood to their feet, picked up their own heads, walked forty paces uphill, and prayed before lying down in death). Behind the church is a statue of a sword-wielding Zwingli.

Kunsthaus Zürich

Art museum with major European collections from the 15th century

An absolute must for art enthusiasts. The collection begins before you even get inside: besides the main door is Rodin's vivid Gate of Hell depicting a scene from Dante's Inferno, while sculptures by Moore, Maillol, and others populate the grounds. Inside, Dutch and Flemish paintings are well represented by Rubens, Rembrandt, Hals, and others, and there's a Venetian room with works by Canaletto and El Greco. The collection of 20th-century art is one of the best in the world, with a selection of pop, concrete, and abstract expressionist art headlined by Warhol, Rothko, Bacon, and Twombly. Cubism, Fauvism, Dada, and Surrealism haven't been forgotten either. There are plenty of examples too of Picasso, Chagall, and Kandinsky, plus two canvasses by Monet, in addition to works by Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Cezanne, along with the largest Munch collection outside of Norway.

Zytglogge (Clock Tower)

The clock tower with an astronomical clock is the accepted landmark of Bern for both locals and visitors

Built in the 13th century, the Zytglogge once formed part of the Western Gate. Expansion of fortifications in 1270 necessitated raising the Tower by an estimated 7 meters to enable it to look over the surrounding houses. Curiously, the tower was used from around 1350 as a prison for women convicted of improper relations with priests. The great fire of 1405, which destroyed virtually all the former wooden city, did not spare the Zytglogge. So devastating was the structural damage that renovations were not completed until 1983. In the early 15th century, a simple astronomical clock was first added to the gate. The clock and great bell (cast in 1405) gives the tower its name: Zytglogge, or Time Bell in Bernese German.

Altes Zeughaus

The old arsenal, which houses a mildly distracting museum of militaria

The massive collection here documents Solothurn's history of battles and booty, most impressively with a hall full of swords and suits of armor

Museum of Tourism

Museum showcasing the history of tourism in the Jungfrau region

Featuring excellent commentaries on the history of tourism in the Jungfrau Region presented in three floors of exhibits that cover everything from early transport and hotels to travel clothing and skiing. Housed in a lovely restored 17th-century timbered house, the museum includes models of early postal coaches, rack railway locomotives, bicycles and lake steamers, as well as actual historical carriages and vehicles.

Schloss Interlaken

Former Augustinian monastery turned castle with a chapel and Gothic cloister

A picturesque gem located close to the center of the city. The castle dates back to the 12th century. You can see the 14th-century bell tower along with a Gothic cloister and remains of a chapel dating from 1452. 

Grindelwald

Village in the Bernese Alps

Village in the Bernese Alps that is considered to be the gateway to the Jungfrau Region. This village is popular among hikers and alpinists

Kriens-Pilatus Cable Car Station

Richard Wagner Museum Lucerne

15th century home where the composer, Richard Wagner, once lived

His manor house is now an important museum for students and lovers of his music. Numerous paintings and photographs, along with hundreds of letters he wrote to admirers such as King Ludwig II, the philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, and the composer, Franz Liszt, all of whom visited the Tribschen house.

Kultur und Kongresszentrum Luzern

A contemporary cultural complex featuring a concert hall, an art museum, restaurants, and a convention center.

A contemporary cultural complex featuring a concert hall, an art museum, restaurants, and a convention center.

Ritterscher Palace

Built in 1557 as a private mansion, but now hosting Lucerne's cantonal government

 Built in 1557 as a private mansion, but now hosting Lucerne's cantonal government

Bourbaki Panorama

A modern glass building on Löwenplatz called the Bourbaki Panorama

Inside is a giant 114m-by-10m circular mural depicting the retreat into Switzerland of the French Eastern Army under General Bourbaki during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71

Gletschergarten (Glacier Garden)

Discover the fascinating Glacier Garden, where Lucerne’s deep past comes alive in stone and ice.

The Gletschergarten (Glacier Garden) his open-air museum showcases giant potholes formed by glacial meltwater during the last Ice Age, alongside fossils dating back 20 million years. Wander through the rocky formations, climb the observation tower for sweeping city views, and don’t miss the quirky mirror maze built in 1896. A blend of natural wonder and playful history, the Glacier Garden is one of Lucerne’s most distinctive attractions.