A thousand miles over two biospheres, four linguistic and cultural regions, five Alpine passes that are 2,000 metres above sea level, 11 UNESCO World Heritage sites, and 22 significant lakes, the Grand Tour of Switzerland is a trip on which the best of this scenic republic unravels along the way.
What's more, the Swiss tourism authorities have made it marvelously easy. They provide maps to scale, route options, manageable distances, places to stay, and things to see—nothing is left to the imagination.
Skipping highways—unless they make the most pragmatic travel sense—the Grand Tour's planners have carefully charted courses best suited for picturesque meanderings. Of the more than 100 things to see, 44 are billed as top attractions. Even with a driving time of at least five hours a day (reasonably calculated somewhere between a quick jaunt and a leisurely cruise), you will need at least a week to complete the core of the tour, or longer, depending on where you begin and which excursion tempts you off the main route.
Travel anytime between April and October, and choose from a selection of recommended starting legs for the journey: Basel to Neuchâtel (165 km), Geneva to St. George (53 km), or Chiasso to Bellinzona (109 km). Cars and motorbikes are your best options, and the Grand Tour is all about flexibility. However, planning a clockwise route works better, especially for navigating cities with one-way streets and entering or exiting highways (or what the Swiss call motorways). Terraced vineyards, rolling hills, history-rich towns, mountain villages straight out of children’s classics, azure lakes, and lofty peaks—the Tour has them all.
Take in the awe-inspiring sweep of the Rhône and Aletsch glaciers, board a heritage paddle steamer to the romantic Giessbach Falls, and visit the three castles of Bellinzona, among the largest fortified complexes in Europe. Spend hours at the museums of Basel, absorb the mesmerizing landscape of the Doubs River, and head up to the highest railway station on the continent, Jungfraujoch. Additionally, drive over to the stunning Alpine vistas of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. With so much to enjoy, you won’t want to follow a rigid itinerary.
"They say the journey is the destination," and the Grand Tour of Switzerland certainly qualifies, both for the remarkable places it visits and for the breathtaking way it gets there.
The 1,643 km circuit encompassing the Grand Tour is best undertaken by car or motorcycle. You may also travel using electric vehicles, as a dense network of charging stations provides power for the entire route. In addition to public charging stations, many private charging stations are operated by hotels and restaurants.