Switzerland is an extremely popular country for those planning multi-stop tours around Europe, yet very few potential first-time visitors actually know specifically where they want to go.
Everyone seems to know that it has the most beautiful views of the Alps and some very impressive cities, but there are actually many misconceptions among casual trip planners, so I'd like to clear most of that up below.
The places to visit in Switzerland are not obvious until you've been there yourself or done many hours of research, so the list below should be a short cut.
Switzerland is about outdoor views rather than city visits
The first situation we usually run into is that people who want to visit “Switzerland” assume that the first and best (and sometimes only) stop should be its largest city, which is Zurich.
Unfortunately, Zurich is the most expensive city in the world for travelers, and it's not really very interesting.
Geneva is a very famous city (though not for tourism reasons) on a lovely lake of the same name, but it's also notoriously dull and lacking distinction.
Rick Steves puts it well by saying that “Geneva is pleasantly situated on a lake, like Buffalo or Cleveland.”
The point is, you don't want to go to Geneva unless you've got something specific in mind that you want to see there.
Switzerland's cities in summary
- Zurich: The largest city, very expensive, geared towards business travelers.
- Geneva: Second largest city, in the French part of the country, no major sights.
- Basel: Bordering France and Germany, no major sights.
- Lausanne: Near Geneva in the French part of the country, very hilly, and certainly more interesting than Geneva.
- Bern: The capital, compact, on a lovely river, some interesting sights and the best Swiss city to get a feel for the culture.
How much time and which Swiss cities to visit?
If you have 4 or fewer days in Switzerland I wouldn't visit any of the cities listed above.
If you have 5 or more days and especially if you want to include a proper city then I'd recommend 1 or 2 days in Bern.
For a longer trip, and especially if you want to visit the French part of the country, then a day in Lausanne is worthwhile.