25 great things to do in Switzerland this summer

Surely the most fun thing of all to do in summer is... to extend summer? It’s possible in beautiful Lausanne, where a string of activities means that visitors and residents can gleefully string out the final days of sun amd summer, via boat trips, picnics, lake swimming, beach-lounging and a whole lot more. Click through below to find out more. 

Yes, you read that correctly. You can now bob across the gentle waters of Lake Thun in a Sealander, a caravan trailer that doubles-up as an electric boat. It’s a lot of fun and it’s also just one of the many bucket list activities you can experience in the Bernese Oberland this summer, alongside hiking Europe’s longest glacier, for starters. Click through below for the full list and info on how to start ticking off these exciting activities.

Basel’s artistic reputation will forever be associated with the mighty Art Basel, but the city has far wider cultural credentials than just this globally acclaimed event. In fact, Basel’s galleries and museums offer daring, first-rate exhbitions throughout the year. Click below to discover five of the city’s top cultural happenings.

Helping to protect Switzerland's natural beauty by looking after the environment is a key concern for many in the country, and it’s now easier than ever to holiday sustainably around Switzerland, thanks to a superb public transport network. Click through below for our tips on making your Swiss holiday more environmentally friendly and gloriously simple at the same time, by utilising trains, buses, boats and even cable cars.

One of Lausanne’s most popular attractions is celebrating its thirtieth birthday, and you’re invited. Great activities are taking place all day and into the evening, including a chance to peek behind the scenes and a music-fuelled block party.

With so much to see, do, eat, drink and experience in Lausanne, you’ll be forgiven for thinking that spending just 24 hours in this gorgeous city simply isn’t enough. But we’ve mapped out a one-day itinerary filled with unmissable activities and experiences, from arts hotspots to historic marvels to first-rate restaurants, to help make those 24 hours count.

Making it to the top of one of eastern Switzerland’s most famous mountains is just the start of the adventure. Because once you’ve ascended those 1,794 metres, a world of experiences opens up in front of you. This includes some of Switzerland’s finest hikes, a botanical oasis to explore and – yes – a revolving restaurant. Click through below for five of our favourite activities to seek out at the top.

Thanks to a packed events calendar, summer is a great time of year to visit Lausanne, particularly if you’re a fan of multi-layered music and cultural festivals. Alongside the dancing and partying, there are also museums and galleries to wander, and world-class sporting events to spectate. Click below for some of the upcoming highlights. 

Located 3,883 metres above one of Switzerland’s best ski resorts, Snowpark Zermatt offers a summer skiing adventure, and the best part is that you can do it in your beach wear.  

Don't just stand there on the promenade admiring the lake, get out and enjoy it. Pedalos can be hired from the lake's many boat hire companies and although it may look like you're messing around with an oversized child's toy, you'll be burning more calories than on a bike ride up an Alpine pass.

Using Swiss-engineered, electrically-powered bikes, you can explore the beauty of Lucerne and its surrounding areas in a three-hour tour. The tour winds up at the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Visitor Centre, where you'll be able to assemble your very own knife. 

Whether you want to go glamping, sleep under canvas, relax in a cosy wooden pod or even sleep in a giant bubble while gazing at the stars, Switzerland has a huge range of camping experiences. We’ve rounded up some of our favourites to help you start planning for summer, which you can read about by clicking below.

‘SolarBob’ is a nifty no-snow-required bobsled in Basel’s leafy outskirts which allows you to hurtle down a one-kilometre track before being carried back to the top by a solar-powered lift. Fun and ecology? We like it.

Lean back, relax and get pampered in the most scenic of settings. When it comes to spas and thermal baths, you’re spoilt for choice in Switzerland, but two of many highlights are the Bergoase Spa in Tschuggen Grand Hotel and Thermalbad & Spa Zurich. Click through below for more spa tips.

The UNESCO-protected vineyards of Lavaux are perfect for a stroll and a spot of wine tasting. Make the short bus ride from Lausanne into the Lavaux vineyards and you’ll be in wine heaven.

Hawaii's love of stand-up paddleboarding comes to Lake Geneva. The idea is to stand upright on a long surfboard and use a paddle to propel yourself across the water. There are also plenty of other watersports available to try on the lake, such as windsurfing and wakeboarding. Book lessons at Tropical Geneva and reward yourself afterwards with a drink on the palm-fringed beach, a more secluded location than the main yacht-crammed marina.

Fancy a meal with a setting epic enough for a James Bond movie? Simply travel 3,000 metres up to the peak of the Schilthorn Mountain and enjoy the 360-degree panoramic views from what’s claimed to be the world’s first revolving restaurant. The Schilthorn cableway offers a smooth and scenic 7,000 metre journey to the summit and warmer summer weather means the opportunity to experience all kinds of seasonal activities, including hiking trails, a via ferrata route and a journey out to the mighty glacier waterfalls of the Trümmelbach.

A short ride from Bern city centre by tram and the funicular Gurtenbahn sits this low mountain. At 858 metres above sea level, the Gurten sports fabulous views over Bern on a clear day and makes for a welcome getaway from the city. The leafy offering at the top includes a viewing tower, several restaurants and a children’s play area, plus hiking and mountain biking trails.

With two courtyards surrounding open-air pools, luxury surrounds the crystal clear waters of one of the world's most beautiful lakes. There’s food and drink in the open-air bistro and bar, which also has great views, plus dance and yoga classes on offer.

Hewn into chestnut woodland high above glistening Lake Maggiore in Canton Ticino, the ‘Sentiero dello Yoga’ is a self-guided outdoor yoga trail that incorporates nine exercises in the structure of a yoga class.

On Saturday mornings in Geneva there’s no better place to be than the Plaine de Plainpalais, which hosts one of Switzerland’s biggest and best flea markets. From bric-a-brac to vintage clothes, second-hand toys to ethnic jewellery, plus larger pieces of furniture, a regular rummage among the hundreds of stalls could rustle you up a real one-off. 

Be an early bird and start the day with a bang by heading 3,000 metres above sea level to watch the sunrise. Take a cable car up Piz Nair in the Engadine Valley for a healthy dose of spectacular views and sunshine before the crowds hit the summit. 

Standing at a towering at 4,478 metres, the Matterhorn is an iconic Zermatt landmark, making it an essential part of any visit to the region. The best way to see the most-photographed mountain in the world is via the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, the highest cable car station in Europe at 3,883 metres-above-sea-level. For more great things to do around Zermatt, click below.

The outstanding International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva is unmissable for its moving and sometimes shocking permanent exhibition, which charts the vital humanitarian work carried out by the organisation for the past 150 years. Combine this with a guided tour of the Palais des Nations, the European seat of the United Nations, for an insight into how the biggest issues facing the world today are tackled. 

Wine and cycling: sounds like a dangerous mix, right? Not in Valais, where local athletes, politicians, cultural figures and the public gather to taste the region’s wine and cycle through the vineyards. It's not just locals that get involved, tourists are also welcome to join in the festivities. 

Among the most famous monuments of Ticino are the impressive collection of Medieval castles at Bellinzona, north of Lugano. Castelgrande (home to an archaeological museum), Castello di Montebello and Castello di Sasso Corbaro are strung out along the original defensive wall spanning the Ticino valley. It's a reminder of the region's historic past at the centre of Europe and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Depart on a train from Zurich and head all the way up to the city’s local mountain, the Uetliberg. Complete the journey by making your way to the summit, where you can climb the observation tower and enjoy stunning views in all directions.