Switzerland offers Europe’s highest mountains, some of the most unspoiled wild places, and a multitude of picturesque blue mountain lakes. To protect these outstanding landscapes, large areas have already become part of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage.
If you want to hike in Switzerland, you are spoiled for choice. The country thrives on tourism and even the most regional areas are well prepared for it. There is a large, outstanding network of well-maintained hiking trails with great signage. Lots of mountain huts offer possibilities for overnight stays, even in locations and areas with difficult access. Thanks to the many cable cars, even high peaks are quite easily accessible.
The SchweizMobil website and app are a great way to pre-plan your hiking routes and it also offers offline maps to download for when you are on tour.
Panorama Trail along the Great Aletsch Glacier
The outstanding trail starts with great views into the Fiesch valley and toward the southern alpine mountain peaks. After passing the beautiful lake Märjelensee, the path stays alongside the impressive glacier for the final 8km.
Need to know
Length: 16.4 km
Time: 5 hrs
Grade: Moderate
Style: One Way
Access: Start from Fiescheralp and finish your hike at Riederalp. Both locations are accessible by cable car from Fiesch Valley, where you can park your car or arrive by train.
Further Info: Aletsch Glacier Hikes
Vier-Quellen-Weg / Four–Sources-Hike
The long-distance hiking trail “Vier-Quellen-Weg” runs in the Gotthard massif, in central Switzerland, and connects the sources of the country’s four largest rivers – the Rhine, Reuss, Ticino and Rhone.
Full of contrasts, this spectacular trail crosses several wetlands, taking in streams, ponds, lakes and moors with their typical native vegetation. A highlight of this multi-day tour is the Rhone glacier, which will (sadly) likely have completely disappeared in 80 years. See this awe-inspiring place while you still can.
Need to know
Time: 5 days
Grade: Moderate
Style: One Way
Access: The trailhead is the village of Andermatt and finish point is on Furka pass. There is a direct bus (nr. 681) connecting both locations.
Mount Rigi Panorama Trail
Mount Rigi is also called the “Queen of the mountains”. From its summit, Rigi Kulm, the 360-degree panorama includes 13 beautiful lakes and countless alpine peaks.
The Rigi-Panorama-Trail leads from the summit descending gently along the rocky path to the gondola station Rigi Scheidegg. All along the trail, you will be treated to breathtaking views of Lake Lucerne and the mountains of Central Switzerland.
This easy hike is very popular in summer as well as in winter. The (mostly) wide and not too steep trail is perfect for families with children (or that non-hiking enthusiast travel companion).
Need to know
Time: 3 hrs
Grade: Easy
Style: One-Way
Access: The trail begins at the train station of Arth-Goldau from where Europe’s first mountain railway takes you to the summit. From Rigi Scheidegg the cable car is taking you back down to Art-Goldau.
Oeschinensee Panorama Hike
This outstanding hike leads to one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in Switzerland. From the village of Kandersteg, a beautiful and easy hiking trail leads directly to the turquoise-blue Lake Oeschinen. This 1.6 km long lake belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage Swiss Alps. The way back is far above, on the panorama hiking trail with fantastic views of the lake and a multitude of alpine peaks.
Tip: Do not forget to bring your swimsuit
Need to know
Length: 9 km
Time: 3 hrs
Grade: Moderate
Style: Circuit
Access: Start and finish point is Kandersteg village in central Switzerland which is easy reachable by car or train
Further Info: Oeschinensee
Looking for a trail that's longer, closer, or not as challenging?
You need The Trail Finder, where you can filter your way through hundreds of hiking trails.
Grindelwald First – Schyniger Platte
One of the best hikes in Switzerland, the high-altitude hike from Grindelwald First to Schynige Platte should be on everybody’s to-do list.
High above the Bernese Alps, with gorgeous views of the Eiger North Face and the Jungfrau massif, this outstanding hiking trail takes you from one highlight to the next – the beautiful mountain lakes Bachalpsee and Sägistalsee, the stunning views from the summit of the Fauhorn, and the alpine flower meadows and wild karst landscapes. The hike simply combines the best of Switzerland, all in one trail.
Need to know
Time: 6 hrs
Grade: Moderate – Difficult
Style: One-Way
Access: The trailhead is in Grindelwald village from where you take the cable car to Grindelwald First. From Schyniger Platte the train is taking you down the mountain to Interlaken Ost and normally every 30 minutes a train goes from there to Grindelwald.
The Pizol 5-Lake Hike
The Pizol 5-lake Hike is one of the most beautiful and popular panoramic mountain hikes in Switzerland. Five crystal-clear mountain lakes and unique views of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Sardona are the undisputed highlights here. Along the trail, you’ll also have fantastic views of the nearby Glarus Mountains and the stunning Lake Constance, and all the way to the Rhine Valley.
Starting at the lovely Wangser Lake on the Pizol plateau, the trail continues to the striking turquoise Wildsee with the Pizol glacier and peak in the background. The next two lakes are dark and deep blue, contrasting the greenish Baschalva Lake at the trail’s end.
Need to know
Time: 4 hrs 30 min
Grade: Moderate
Style: Circuit
Access: The trail begins and ends at Pizol Hut, which is reachable by cable car from Wangs, in the east of Switzerland
Swiss Via Alpina
The Via Alpina 1, also known as the “Alpenpassroute” until 2008, is the Swiss part of the large Via Alpina hiking network. The entire Via Alpina crosses all eight Alpine countries with five different hiking routes. The Swiss section of the Via Alpina has 390 kilometres and runs in 20 stages through the northern Swiss Alps. It starts in Vaduz, Liechtenstein and goes all the way to Montreux on Lake Geneva.
This outstanding hiking trail leads over 14 of the most beautiful Alpine passes and across seven cantons. The most popular section is from Stages 10 to 15, from Meiringen to Lenk. This section takes 6 days in total and leads through some of the most beautiful and breathtaking scenery of the Via Alpina 1.
Need to know
Time: 20 days
Grade: Difficult
Style: One-Way
Access: Official start and end points are Vaduz in the east and Montreux in the west of Switzerland. The tour is well signposted and there are overnight accommodations, mostly in simple mountain huts, for each stage.
Matterhorn Glacier Trail
Need to know
Length: 6.5 km
Time: 2 hrs 30 min
Grade: Easy – Moderate
Style: One-Way
Access: The start point is Schwarzsee and the finish point is Trockener Steg. Both cable car stations are accessed from Zermatt village.
Further Reading: Matterhorn Glacier Trail
Bernina Tour
In the centre, the Piz Bernina, with its 4049m, is not only the highest point of the Swiss canton of Graubünden but of the entire Eastern Alps. There are also impressive views of all the glaciers in the Bernina massif.
The entire tour leads north through Switzerland and back through Italian Lombardy. For this reason, it is often done only as a one-way hike, in 5 days on the Swiss side from Maloja to Poschiavo.
This multi-day hike around the Bernina massif requires extremely good fitness, strength and agility, since almost every day you have to climb 1000 meters of altitude or more.
You can thank me later because this long-distance hike is still an insider tip. Compared to other better-known hikes in Switzerland, you will often have the stunning landscape all to yourself.
Need to know
Time: 9 days (round trip hike) / 5 days (one-way hike in Switzerland)
Grade: Difficult
Style: Circuit / One-Way
Access: The villages Poschiavo and Maloja in Switzerland are considered the start or end points. Those are reachable by car or public transport.
