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Wonders of Switzerland

Landscape in Bern Alps
Landscape in Bern Alps. / sbmeaper1, Flickr / public domain

WorldBlue  Highlights

The gorgeous country of Switzerland is rich both with natural and human-made heritage. Here the most amazing wonders are:

  • Historical abbeys – there are several very old and once influential monasteries with immense art values. Especially rich is Abbey of St. Gall – once an important center of knowledge.
  • Urban planning monuments – Switzerland is rich with well preserved historical villages, towns and cities. Here are many interesting medieval towns (Bern Old City, Murten, Stein am Rhein) but of great value are early industrial cities La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle.
  • Waterfalls – some of Europe’s tallest and most spectacular waterfalls are found here. Most waterfalls here are thin streams falling over multiple cascades and flowing down along nearly vertical cliffs but one stands out – the powerful Rhine Falls, one of the widest waterfalls in Europe.

Map with the described wonders

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WorldViolet Top 25 wonders of Switzerland

Geological wonders

Hölloch

Schwyz

Very long cave system, total length of explored passages – 200.421 km, depth 938.6 m.

Rhine Falls

Zurich (ZĂĽrich)

One of the largest waterfalls in Europe, formed on the Rhine River. The waterfall is some 150 m wide and 23 m high, with water flow fluctuating between 250 and 650 mÂł/s.

Rhine Falls, Switzerland
Rhine Falls / Joggi, Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Grotte aux FĂ©es

Valais

Well known show cave, known since the Roman times at least. Contains an impressive, 77 m tall underground waterfall. 3,620 m long.

Rinquelle

St.Gallen

One of the most impressive springs in Europe. It beats from the cliff face, forming a very tall waterfall with three steps. The upper step is 40 m tall. The medium output is 2,650 l/s. Spring cave has been explored up to 1920 m far, but most of it is underwater.

Rinquelle with Seerenbach Falls in the background, Switzerland
Rinquelle with Seerenbach Falls in the background / Vasile Cotovanu, Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Archaeological wonders

Wildkirchli

Appenzell Ausserrhoden

Group of three closely located caves, interesting monuments of history. In these caves have been found some 90 thousand years old remnants of cave bears. Later, some 50 – 30 thousand years ago there lived Neanderthals. In the 17th – 19th centuries caves were inhabited by hermits.

Architecture wonders

Abbey of Saint Gall

St.Gallen

A very old monastery, started in 719 AD (or even 613 AD) and gained much influence. It contains one of the richest medieval libraries in the world – the Abbey library of Saint Gall, with a beautiful interior in Rococo style. Another beautiful structure is St. Gall Cathedral (1681 – 1766) – an enormous church in Baroque style, with a wonderful interior.

KapellbrĂĽcke

Luzern

170 m long covered bridge, made from wood. The oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe and the oldest existing truss bridge in the world. Most of the bridge was lost during a fire in 1993 but in some parts, the interior paintings from the 17th century have been preserved.

KapellbrĂĽcke, Switzerland
KapellbrĂĽcke / Esteban Chiner, Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
Chillon Castle

Vaud

One of the most beautiful castles anywhere, located on the island of Lake Geneva. Constructed in the 10th – 13th centuries.

Chillon Castle, Switzerland
Chillon Castle / Alan Rouiller, Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
CERN Large Hadron Collider

Geneva

World’s largest particle collider. It is located in a specially made tunnel – ring that has a circumference of 27 km. Scientific experiments here are expected to bring very important discoveries regarding the basic rules of the Universe. Constructed in 1998 – 2008, initially used for the electron-positron collider. Contains two parallel beam pipes made in extremely high precision – these pipes intersect in two places, where the collision takes place and is documented.

Bern Old City

Bern

Historical city on a peninsula formed by a loop of Aare river. This city has remained almost unchanged since the 15th – 18th century, with numerous valuable buildings. Many great buildings are in the Renaissance style. Many streets have arcades.

Bern Old City
Bern Old City. / GenevaLife, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Stein am Rhein

Schaffhausen

Beautiful town with numerous historical buildings, many covered with frescoes. Most of the old town is off-limits to cars.

Saint Ursanne

Jura

Well preserved medieval town at Doubs River, with a Romanesque church, historical bridge, and other old structures.

Saint Ursanne, Switzerland
Saint Ursanne / Luciano 95, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
St. John Abbey in MĂĽstair

GraubĂĽnden

Well preserved early medieval monastery with great examples of Carolingian art. This abbey was founded circa 780 AD, frescoes were painted around 800 AD.

Morcote

Ticino

A gorgeous historical town at lake Lugano, with densely located historical buildings lined along the lake. Mountain scenery and almost subtropical plant life add to the beauty of the site.

Tarasp Castle

GraubĂĽnden

Spectacular mountaintop castle, its construction started in 1040.

Tarasp Castle
Tarasp Castle./ kuhnmi, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Einsiedeln Abbey

Schwyz

Enormous Benedictine monastery with its history starting in the late 9th century, a pilgrimage site. Contains important Baroque and Rococo artworks.

Interior of Einsiedeln Abbey church, Switzerland
Interior of Einsiedeln Abbey church / Ashley Van Haeften, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
St. Maurice’s Abbey

Valais

Enormous monastery encompassing the whole town. Started to develop around 515 AD.

Spreuer Bridge

Luzern

An old wooden bridge, originally built in 1408, rebuilt after 1566. 81 m long bridge contains 45 paintings of Danse Macabre and other motives.

Aigle castle

Vaud

Impressive, well preserved castle, rebuilt over an older castle in the 13th century.

Landwasser Viaduct

GraubĂĽnden

Emblematic structure – railway viaduct with six arches. Constructed in 1901 – 1902, 65 m high and 136 m long.

Basel Minster

Basel-Stadt

Large, ornate church, built from red sandstone in Romanesque-Gothic styles between 1019 and 1500. The building is ornate, with numerous art values.

Basel Minster, Switzerland
Basel Minster / Taxiarchos228, Wikimedia Commons / Copyleft
Langwieser Viaduct

GraubĂĽnden

Impressive viaduct – amazing achievement of structural engineering for its time, built in 1912 – 1914. The first large railway bridge from concrete, the longest railway bridge in the world at its build time, 284 m long.

Luzerne Jesuit Church

Luzern

The first large Baroque church in this part of Europe, built in 1667 – 1673 and later.

Fribourg Old City

Fribourg

One of the largest and best preserved medieval cities in Switzerland with numerous Gothic structures. Most buildings were built before the 16th century, city for the most part is surrounded by city walls with 14 towers.

Murten (Morat)

Fribourg

Nearly intact medieval city at Lake Murten encircled by city walls, and with a castle.

Murten
Murten. / Hauptausgang, Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

WorldYellow Recommended books

Rick Steves Switzerland


Cross the Alps in a cable car, cruise Lake Geneva, and visit a medieval château: with Rick Steves on your side, Switzerland can be yours!

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Switzerland


Ski the Alps, explore the idyllic countryside and take in the alpine scenery when you travel to Switzerland. See history, art, and more in this unique and vibrant country.

From top restaurants, bars, and clubs to standout scenic sites and walks, our insider tips are sure to make your trip outstanding. Whether you’re looking for unique and interesting shops and markets, or seeking the best venues for music and nightlife, we have entertainment and hotel recommendations for every budget covered in our Eyewitness Travel Guide.


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Katie
4 years ago

Do not go on this site. I looked up these locations after seeing them on this site and most of these are WRONG. It’s not called Geltenbach cave it’s kaltenbach. And juan falls is in Puerto Rico not Switzerland. The only reason I went on this site is because I have a project and if I hadn’t looked these up I would’ve gotten a big, fat F. All because this site is wrong. Whoever’s posting on this site needs to get their facts straight before posting false information.

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