Famous Landmarks in Switzerland: 9 Sites Worth Seeing
Seven days along the country's best rail line: two in Zurich for the lake and the old town, two in Lucerne under its covered bridge and two mountains, and three in the Bernese Oberland, where the trains keep climbing until there is nothing above you but the Jungfrau. See the full itinerary.
From the same hand-researched library as our Switzerland itinerary. Last reviewed 2026-08-08.
Zurich
Switzerland's largest city is smaller than most people expect and sits at the head of its own lake with the Alps on the horizon. It is a banking capital that also gave the world Dada, and the medieval guild houses along the river now hold the bars where that contradiction plays out nightly.
1
Grossmünster
The twin-towered Romanesque church where Zwingli launched the Swiss Reformation in 1519. Climb the Karlsturm for the roofline view over the river and the lake beyond.
Zurich
2
Fraumünster
The abbey church across the water, famous for five stained-glass windows Chagall made for it at eighty-three. Morning light is when they work.
Zurich
3
Lindenhof
The quiet linden-shaded terrace on the site of the Roman fort, with the best free view over the old town. Locals play chess on the giant board and nobody is in a hurry.
Zurich
Lucerne
The postcard Switzerland everyone pictures: a covered wooden bridge over a green river, painted facades, a wall with nine towers, and two proper mountains rising straight out of the lake behind it. It is small enough to walk in an hour and set up perfectly as a base for going upward.
4
Chapel Bridge and Water Tower
The oldest surviving wooden covered bridge in Europe, built about 1360, with painted panels under the roof. A 1993 fire destroyed most of the originals; the replacements are honest about what they are.
Lucerne
5
Musegg Wall
The intact medieval city wall with nine towers, four of them open to climb for free in the warmer months. Almost nobody up there, and the best view of the roofs.
Lucerne
6
Lion Monument
A dying lion carved into a rock face in 1821 for the Swiss Guards killed defending the Tuileries. Mark Twain called it the saddest stone in the world and he was not wrong.
Lucerne
Interlaken and the Jungfrau Region
A valley town wedged between two lakes, and above it the most concentrated stack of accessible high Alps anywhere. Three days is enough for one big summit, one valley of waterfalls, and one cliff-village day, without spending the whole trip on trains.
7
Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe
The highest railway station in Europe at 3,454m, in a tunnel bored through the Eiger and Mönch between 1896 and 1912. Ice palace, glacier viewing, and the Aletsch, the longest glacier in the Alps, out the window. Expensive and worth it once. Go on a clear morning or not at all.
Interlaken and the Jungfrau Region
8
Harder Kulm
Interlaken's own lookout, ten minutes up by funicular, with a platform hanging over the drop and both lakes and the Jungfrau in one view. The cheap version of the big panorama.
Interlaken and the Jungfrau Region
9
Schilthorn and Piz Gloria
The revolving summit restaurant from On Her Majesty's Secret Service, above Mürren at 2,970m. The cable car has been under staged replacement since 2024, so check which sections are running before you plan the day.
Interlaken and the Jungfrau Region
Museums, parks, and neighborhoods are on the full Switzerland itinerary, sequenced into a realistic day-by-day plan with transport between cities.
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