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What to book before you travel to Switzerland?

Most visits can be booked on the spot. A few sell out days ahead. Here they are, stop by stop, with what you can do without booking underneath. Keep the rest of your time free.

Trip length
WeekendOne weekTwo weeks

8 activities to book · about €723 per person

Lucerne

Days 1-2
Days 1-2Mount Pilatus by cogwheel railwayHalf dayThe steepest rack railway in the world at 48% gradient, climbing to 2,128 metres. It runs from May to November only.€72Book on GetYourGuide →
Days 1-2Lake Lucerne cruise1hAn hour on the water, part of the fleet being paddle steamers that have been working since the 1900s.€30Book on GetYourGuide →

No booking needed: The Kapellbrücke, the chapel bridge · The old town · The Lion Monument · The lakeside walk

All activities in Lucerne on GetYourGuide

Interlaken

Days 3-4
Days 3-4The Jungfraujoch railway, Top of EuropeFull dayA tunnel drilled through the Eiger between 1896 and 1912, ending at a station cut into the ice at 3,454 metres.€220Book on GetYourGuide →
Days 3-4Paragliding over the lakes30 minThirty minutes off the slope above Interlaken, with both lakes in sight at once.€170Book on GetYourGuide →

No booking needed: Lake Thun and Lake Brienz · The Harder Kulm path · Lauterbrunnen village · The Trümmelbach falls

All activities in Interlaken on GetYourGuide

Zermatt and the Matterhorn

Days 5-6
Days 5-6Gornergrat railway and the Matterhorn viewHalf dayA cog railway open since 1898, climbing to 3,089 metres facing the mountain and the Gorner glacier.€66Book on GetYourGuide →
Days 5-6Glacier Paradise cable carHalf dayUp to 3,883 metres, the highest cable car station in Europe, with snow on the ground every month of the year.€95Book on GetYourGuide →

No booking needed: The car-free village · The Riffelsee path, where the Matterhorn doubles in the water · The Furi suspension bridge

All activities in Zermatt on GetYourGuide

Geneva and Lake Geneva

Day 7
Day 7Lake Geneva cruise1hAn hour out from the quay, with the terraced vineyards of Lavaux rising on the far shore.€25Book on GetYourGuide →
Day 7Montreux and Chillon day tripFull dayThe lakeside town Freddie Mercury recorded in, and the island castle Byron wrote a poem about in 1816.€45Book on GetYourGuide →

No booking needed: The water jet · The old town and cathedral · The Jardin Anglais and its flower clock · Bains des Pâquis

All activities in Geneva on GetYourGuide

Indicative prices per person, checked when written. The button opens the GetYourGuide search for the activity and the town, on the days of the stop once your dates are known. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Frequently asked questions

How much do the activities to book in Switzerland cost?

€723 per person if you do them all, across 8 bookings. The most expensive is "The Jungfraujoch railway, Top of Europe" at €220, the cheapest "Lake Geneva cruise" at €25. Prices checked when written: confirm them when you book.

What can you do in Switzerland without booking anything?

15 visits on this itinerary need no ticket or time slot, starting with The Kapellbrücke, the chapel bridge, The old town, The Lion Monument, The lakeside walk. They make up most of your days: booking ahead only concerns a handful of sites with limited places.

At which stop should you book earliest?

Lucerne, with 2 activities to book, against 2 at the quietest stop. That is where slots go first.

How long do these activities take?

From 1h for the shortest to Full day for the longest. Fit them into your days before filling the rest: a guided visit often takes half a day.

The rest of the trip

📒 The free printable Switzerland guide: itinerary, map, where to sleep→ 🗓️ Best time to visit Switzerland, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book: all our destinations→