Cart Shopping Cart. Mobile Navigation. Sign In Your Account. Chapter Details. Previous Chapter Next Chapter. When pastures turn green, hiking and biking trails abound in glacier-encrusted mountain areas and lower down along lost valleys, glittering lake shores and pea-green vineyards. View the grandeur from a hot-air balloon or parachute, or afloat a white-water raft. Then there's those must-do-before-death experiences like encountering Eiger's chiselled north face up close or reaching crevassed ice on Jungfraujoch.
And never has the urban been so close to the outdoors: within minutes you can reach nearby peaks, chill at waterfront bars with Alpine views, or enjoy invigorating swims in the Rhine, Aare and Limmat. Variety is the spice of rural life in this rich, earthy land where Alpine tradition is rooted in the agricultural calendar and soaring mountains are a dime a dozen.
Travels are mapped by villages with timber granaries built on stilts to keep the rats out and chalet farmsteads brightened with red geranium blossoms. Ancient markets, folkloric fairs, flag waving and alp-horn concerts engrave the passing of seasons in every soul.
And then there's the food: a hearty and flavoursome gastronomic celebration of gooey cheese desperate to be dipped in, along with velvety chocolate, autumnal game and air-dried meats. Ever innovative, the Swiss have always embraced the new and the experimental. Capturing the zeitgeist up and down the country are cultural venues, attention-grabbing architecture and avant-garde galleries.
Even in back-of-beyond corners of the Alps you'll encounter unexpected nods to modern aesthetics, contemporary art and fresh-faced design. Jump to: Table of contents. Put these must-see destinations on your next travel wish list. Everything you need to know about services, requirements, and the application process when traveling internationally. Plan a day trip full of local flavor and get back in time with these same-day options.
Browse the various transportation options to make your trip that much easier when you arrive. These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Switzerland.
If you make the pilgrimage to just one abbey in Switzerland, this really should be it. History of Stiftsbibliothek St Gallen Local lore has it that St Gallen began with a bush, a bear and an Irish monk who should have watched where he was going. In AD , as the tale goes, itinerant monk St Gall Gallus , one of the twelve companions of Saint Columbanus, was on a mission from Ireland to the continent.
He fell into a briar bush and considered the stumble a calling from God. In the Middle Ages, monks flocked here from afar to pray, read, study scriptures and devote years to copying and illustrating manuscripts; a painstaking, solitary act that required a patient hand and a peaceful heart. Arts, letters and sciences flourished here and the library grew to impressive proportions, with its manuscripts inspiring accomplished artists and leading literary scholars: from Notker Balbulus to Ekkehart IV.
The abbey survived the threats and fires that ravaged the town over the centuries, and the turbulent times of the Reformation. Based on plans by star architect of the baroque age, Peter Thumb of Vorarlberg, the new abbey was built in the mid 18th century, just before the abbey lands were secularised and the abbey itself dissolved in The former abbey church became a cathedral in , and the whole site, including the Stiftsbibliothek, was granted Unesco World Heritage status in Completed just before his death in , the library was his parting gift to the world and magnum opus: a swirling confection of curling stucco and frescoes depicting the early church councils.
The plump putti cherub-like figures in the window niches embody professions — poet and doctor, botanist and carpenter, musician and painter, astronomer and architect.
A balcony unfurls gracefully along the upper level, with 34 windows allowing a painterly light to stream in even on overcast days. No expense was spared on the materials, with bookshelves and bookcases carved out of exquisite walnut and cherry wood. Among these are incunabula books printed before Of the library's precious manuscripts — some of which are true works of art and remarkably well preserved — just a handful are on display.
The oldest manuscript, dating to , was penned by the monk Winithar, who complained about not having sufficient parchment. Among its other literary treasures are the 9th-century Cod Sang , the earliest portrait of St Columba, a version of The Rule of St Benedict, the cornerstone of medieval monastic life, and Manuscript B of the Nibelungenlied The Song of the Nibelungs , an epic poem written around The 16th-century original was stolen more than years ago, so what you see now is a very convincing replica.
Vaulted cellar For more insight into St Gall and his life and work, delve into the vaulted cellar. This houses the Lapidarium, which showcases a collection of Carolingian, Ottonian and Gothic sculpture from the former church on the site. There's also some interesting background, albeit mostly in German, about the art of illustration. The standout is the late 9th-century Evangelium Longum, an illuminated manuscript with an intricately carved ivory cover bearing the hallmark of the monk and artist Tuotilo.
Shepenese was the daughter of a priest and lived at the start of the Saite Dynasty to BC. Dom St Gallen Taking the stylistic leap from baroque to classicism, St Gallen's twin-towered, midth-century cathedral is only slightly less ornate than the world-famous library nearby. A riot of mint-green stucco and rose marble, the cathedral dances with dark, stormy frescos and cherubs and saints gazing down from heavenly clouds.
The cupola ceiling dome shows a vision of paradise with the Holy Trinity at the centre. To experience the cathedral at its uplifting best, visit during one of the Dommusik concerts. Locals have totted them all up and reckon there are Some bear the most extraordinary timber sculptures — a reflection of the wealth of their one-time owners, mostly textile barons.
Lonely Planet Best of Switzerland is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Hike through flower-strewn meadows, ski through fresh powder in the Alps, or relax by the shores of Lake Geneva; all with your trusted travel.
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The in-house cinema also shows free nature films twice daily. An atmospheric Kreis 5 park, in the shadow of a towering smokestack and railway viaduct, this family-friendly place has huge grassy expanses and a fountain for kids to splash in, along with drinks and snacks for sale at the adjacent Kiosk Josefwiese. View all stories. Planning Toolkit Quick Trips Plan a day trip full of local flavor and get back in time with these same-day options.
Quick Trips Plan a day trip full of local flavor and get back in time with these same-day options. Science Centre Focus Terra This hands-on university museum reveals the treasures of the earth, explaining what makes volcanoes erupt, where gems come from and what fossils tell us about the origins of life.
Museum Schweizerisches Landesmuseum Inside a purpose-built cross between a mansion and a castle sprawls this eclectic and imaginatively presented museum.
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