History along the Grand Tour

The Château de Prangins was built in the 18th century by Louis Guiguer, a Swiss banker living in Paris, and has hosted illustrious guests from Voltaire to Joseph Bonaparte.Overlooking Lake Geneva, this beautiful listed building is home to the Swiss National Museum.

In the heart of Switzerland, just a stone’s throw from the capital Bern and set amid a paradisiacal park, lies Baroque Castle Jegenstorf. Inside, the former Bernese patrician country estate boasts all kinds of treasures and gems, with tales to take visitors of all ages on a magical journey back in time.

In St. Gallen you'll find history at every turn. The city's landmark is the Convent of St. Gall with its Baroque cathedral. The convent, including the library and monastery archives, was added to the Unesco World Heritage List in 1983.

Directly overlooking the Lake Schiffenen dam you discover a magical place with religious past. The cave open to visitors today, which measures a total 120 meters in length, was carved out in the rock by two hermits around 1700. Here, visitors find themselves walking over fossils and sandstone dunes from prehistoric times.

Since the 1970s old farmhouses, stables, bakehouses or barns are no longer demolished when they are due to be replaced by modern buildings. Instead, the buildings are dismantled stone by stone, and rebuilt in the Ballenberg Open Air Museum.

Swissminiature is Switzerland on a smaller scale. There are 128 models of houses, castles and monuments in the open air, distributed throughout the 14,000 square meter park. The models have been recreated authentically - with great attention to detail - and are surrounded by thousands of plants and flowers.

Pilgrims have been visiting the monastery of Einsiedeln for over 1000 years. The monastery lies in the midst of a breathtaking landscape with a deep blue lake and jagged mountain tops. Today more and more nature lovers and culture-minded visitors are joining the pilgrims.

The Grossmünster is an Evangelical Protestant church in the Old Town of Zurich and the city's landmark. The view from the church towers is spectacular: far across Lake Zurich to the Alps.

The regional museum dedicated to tourism presents on three floors the development of travel for pleasure and breaks in the Jungfrau region. Opened in 1980, the museum of tourism in Interlaken is the first and only museum of its kind comprehensively and exclusively dedicated to the history of tourism.

The "Bernisches Historisches Museum" (The Berne Historical Museum) is one of Switzerland's most important cultural and historical museums and hosts a general historical collection containing approximately 500,000 objects as well as the Einstein Museum.

The Bern Münster Cathedral of St. Vincent is the most impressive late-Gothic building in the city and the largest and most important late medieval church in Switzerland. From this highest church tower in Switzerland you may admire a magnificent view.

Martinskirche (St. Martin's Church) is found in the little village of Zillis in Graubuenden. The church is famous for its painted ceiling dating to the 12th century. The ceiling painting, which consists of 153 panels, is the only one in the world that is nearly completely preserved.

The secrets of time are revealed in a magical place: the 18th-century Château des Monts. An extensive collection covers 500 years of watchmaking history. Unique and surprising exhibits such as automata, mechanical songbirds and pendulum clocks will enchant all visitors.

The internationally-renowned Convent of St. John in Müstair enjoys UNESCO World Cultural Heritage listing and owes its existence and uniqueness to Charlemagne. It is one of the few existing architectural examples from the Carolingian period.

Today, the castle reflects the change from a medieval castle to a patrician residence.

Between Lindenhof, Niederdorf, and Grossmünster lies Zurich’s historic center. Discover winding streets and squares, historic buildings and guild houses, as well as cafés that shape the charm of Zurich’s Old Town.