Destinations in Switzerland — where to go
Zurich, Lucerne, and Interlaken — the three bases nearly every trip is built around.
Switzerland is compact enough that three well-chosen bases cover most of what people come for: Zurich (banking capital with a genuinely pretty old town, 1–2 days), Lucerne (postcard lake-and-mountain scenery, 2 days), and Interlaken (the gateway to the high Alps — Jungfraujoch, Eiger, Schilthorn — 2–3 days). Trains connect all three in under two hours, so you rarely need a car.
Switzerland has a way of making every single town look suspiciously like a screensaver, which is either the best or most annoying thing about planning a trip here — you genuinely cannot go wrong on scenery, so the real decision is about pace and what kind of view you want out the train window. Here's every major base worth knowing, with an honest read on how many days it actually earns.
The Slow Loris Take: SBB closed out 2025 with a record 94.1% punctuality rate on its national network — up from 93.2% in 2024 — and December 28, 2025 stands as the single most punctual day in the company's history, with 98.6% of trains reaching their destination on time. That's not a marketing number; it's the actual, published reason every guide on this site tells you to trust the timetable down to the minute and skip the rental car — connections here are routinely built with a two- or three-minute buffer, not the twenty you'd budget almost anywhere else. Worth knowing before you plan a tight same-day mountain excursion around a single train change.
Zurich
1–2 nights, walkable Old Town, best lake views from the boat.
Lucerne
2 days, the most photogenic town in the country, easy mountain day trips.
Interlaken
2–3 days, the launchpad for the high Alps and adrenaline sports.
Geneva
1–2 days, a lakefront capital of diplomacy with an oddly great old town.
Bern
1–2 days, Switzerland's actual capital, and most visitors have no idea.
Grindelwald
A proper Alpine village at the foot of the Eiger, not just an Interlaken day trip.
Lugano & Ticino
Palm trees, an Italian-speaking lake town, and Swiss trains that still run on time.
St. Moritz
Two-time Olympic host, ludicrously sunny, and one of the priciest towns in an expensive country.