Switzerland is a fascinating country with so much history, culture and of course natural beauty whilst being a major European travel hub home to several key airports that connect the country to the world. The main airports are Zurich Airport (ZRH), Geneva Airport (GVA), and Basel-Mulhouse Airport (BSL/MLH), each serving a vital role in international and domestic air travel.
Zurich Airport (ZRH), located in the largest city of Switzerland, is the country’s busiest and most significant airport. It handles the majority of international flights and serves as a major hub for Swiss International Air Lines. The airport boasts extensive facilities including numerous shops, restaurants and lounges making it a well-equipped gateway for travellers with various travel options available including airport transfer services
Geneva Airport (GVA), situated near the French border, is the second busiest airport in Switzerland. It primarily serves international flights, particularly to destinations in Europe and North America. Geneva is an important center for diplomatic and international organizations, including the United Nations, which gives the airport a unique status as a hub for international affairs. It also offers direct connections to neighboring countries, with a convenient transit to the nearby French border.
Basel-Mulhouse Airport (BSL/MLH) is located in the region where Switzerland, France, and Germany meet. This airport serves both Swiss and French travelers, with flights to a wide range of European destinations. Due to its location, it is often used by passengers flying to cities in both Switzerland and the surrounding countries. Basel-Mulhouse is known for being a more budget-friendly option, with many low-cost carriers operating from the airport. Each of these airports provides excellent connectivity and plays an essential role in Switzerland’s position as a major European travel hub.
Here are 10 things we highly recommend you try when visiting Switzerland.
1. Hiking
Enjoying the scenery in Switzerland is the number one thing to do. With more than 48,300km of marked hiking trails and stunning scenery at every turn, hiking in Switzerland is a must do. For fresh air, this is the place to be! Everything you need for your hiking needs can be found along with many lovely restaurants and hotel or bed and breakfast along the way catering for all budgets. For those not a fan of hiking, there’s plenty of opportunity to enjoy a simple walk to take in the stunning scenery and fresh air anytime of the year. Even in winter time, there are beautiful walks you can take up at the ski slopes.
2. Adventure Time in Interlaken
Here’s a great video of some extreme wing flying around Wengen, Jungfrau, Mürren and Niesen
3. A Day In Bern
The Capital A beautiful city with a lot of history and old buildings. It’s nice to walk around and let the old city take you back a few hundred years. All shops blend in so well in the old buildings, and some shops have been there for decades.
4. Try The Local Delicacies
Switzerland might be a small country in size, but every region has kept their own specialties and cultural traditions close to their hearts. Try out the local food specialties, they’re different everywhere. One thing the regions have in common when it comes to food is that the food is almost always covered by cheese. Cheese equals Switzerland. But it’s cheese of the best quality you can get. A favoUite is to just melt it all down in a pot (fondue) and dip bread in some bread – perfect! Another specialty you can find all over Switzerland is their nut cakes. There are special nut cakes for different areas of Switzerland.
5. Swiss Chocolate
No other chocolate in the world can compare to the one made here, it’s amazing! Maybe because of the great milk they produce here? anyways you will need to by and eat lots of this while in Switzerland!
6. Go Watch Shopping
I’m not sure why watches are such a big and important thing in Switzerland, but everything and everyone is so punctual it’s ridiculous. Nothing or nobody arrive a minute later than planned, nor earlier… Every second shop is a watch shop, and watches seems to have become part of the Swiss lifestyle. The best Swiss watch brands don’t even like to call themselves a watch business anymore, but a luxury business.
7. Visit The Old Villages
If you take the time to visit the Graubunden area you’ll be amazed. There are villages with houses dating back to the 13th century that people still live in! They also speak an ancient language called Romanch, which has died out everywhere else but here, and they try their hardest to keep their old traditions as well.
8. Take a Beautiful Train Journey
Traveling by train can look expensive at a first sight, but there are so many deals and offers you can get that you may end up with an amazing route cheaper than a one way ticket. One example is their day passes where you can travel as much as you like, anywhere you want for a whole day. Just ask the staff, read one of their many pamphlets or check out their website for deals! There is the world famous Glacier Express route, but also countless of other beautiful routes. Traveling by train is more than just a transport from point A to point B here, it’s a destination in itself.
9. Skiing or Snowboarding
There aren’t many places in the world where you can travel to at any season and have a great time. In Switzerland, winter is just as much of a high season as summer is, and that for a good reason. Few places in Europe has as good skiing as in Switzerland. Many of the ski-fields are huge and often blend in with each other, meaning you can ski over to another ski resort.
Many people who go skiing in Switzerland don’t actually go there for the skiing, but for the experience. Sitting in the sun 2000 meters high up on the mountain overlooking the mountain tops with a nice hot chocolate is just as nice as skiing by itself. In spring time it gets so warm you can ski in bikini!
10. Star Gazing
On some nights, Switzerland is one of the best places in the world to star gaze and even spot the milky way. This photo was taken from Switzerland.
Finally, check out this aerial drone footage from Switzerland that showcasing the majesty of this amazing place…
