All the hiking trails in Switzerland’s national park lead back to nature. Established back in 1914, the National Park is a hiker’s paradise with 80km of marked hiking trails. From the family-friendly one-day hike to the multi-day circular hike, there’s a trail to suit everyone.

If you’d like to experience the classic Swiss long-distance hiking trail but only have one or two days to spare, we recommend Stage 13, which runs from Griesalp to Kandersteg. The highlights are the Hohtürli Pass, the cosy Blüemlisalphütte and idyllic Lake Oeschinen. And if that leaves you wanting more, the Via Alpina in its entirety will take you through the Alps in 20 days.

A close-up look at the eternal ice: on this two-day tour led by a mountain guide, hikers cross the 23 kilometre-long Aletsch Glacier. It starts on the 3,466 metre-high Jungfraujoch and leads to the Fiescheralp, taking in the Konkordiahütte along the way.

Creux du Van you will find a gigantic natural amphitheatre measuring one kilometre across. After an ascent of exactly 725m, you will be standing above this impressive rock arena. The box seats in the 160 metre-high rock face are reserved for the ibexes, of course.

Welcome to William Tell country: the ten-day walk along the Waldstätterweg and the Swiss Path leads you around Lake Lucerne – with impressive scenery and historical sites to enjoy along the way. If you take a boat you can choose from many different starting points and destinations or shorten the hike.

The terraced vineyards of Lavaux make for an impressive spectacle. Spanning more than 800 hectares, Lavaux is the largest contiguous winegrowing region in Switzerland and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The trail leads uphill and downhill through the vineyards from St-Saphorin to Lutry, with plenty of sights to enjoy along the way.

The views here are unrivalled: this ridge walk from Monte Lema to Monte Tamaro is a classic among the high-altitude hikes. The panoramic views extend from the Leventina region over the surrounding valleys and up into the Valais Alps to the west and the Graubünden Alps to the east.

On the panorama trail from Hoher Kasten to Brülisau, you can take a break or stay the night at Berggasthaus Staubern or Berggasthaus Bollenwees. You will also be treated to magnificent views over the Alpstein mountain range and Rhine Valley.

The scenic hike around the Gastlosen in the Fribourg Pre-Alps takes just one day. As you walk the trail, set against the jagged peaks of the mountain chain, you can discover an extraordinarily diverse array of flowers and stop off at Berggasthaus Soldatenhaus – a mountain hut that used to be a home for soldiers.

For centuries, the route via the Untersee lake and Hochrhein river was Switzerland’s most important waterway. Today you can follow the easy long-distance ViaRhenana hiking trail from Kreuzlingen to Basel, passing through a richly varied river landscape. One highlight is Stage 4 with the Rhine Falls.

Switzerland has 48 mountains higher than 4,000m – and nearly all of them are in Valais. With the help of a mountain guide, some of these lofty peaks can be conquered even by those without much experience of the mountains. Among these peaks is the Breithorn near Zermatt.