Historic excursions

The Diemtigtal valley is celebrated for its magnificent rural dwellings, and you can see some of the finest along the marked Diemtigtal House Trail. The details are particularly impressive: intricate carving, delicate paintings and elaborate compositions of form and colour that adorn the wooden façades underneath the massive roofs.

If you have long wanted to know what the Bernese Extrawurst was all about and why Baden was visited by numerous delegates of foreign powers in the 15th century, this guided tour of the city is highly recommended.

The Roman Mosaics of Orbe consist of eight magnificent mosaic floors that decorated a Gallic-Roman estate dating back to the year 170. The mosaics give the visitor an inkling of the enormous wealth of the lord of the manor and gentleman farmer, whose villa had more than 100 rooms.

The Alpine pass and the legendary Great St. Bernard Hospice symbolise the hospitality shown by the monks to travellers over the centuries. Barry, the large and good-natured St. Bernard dog, is famous for saving the lives of lost mountaineers – this four-legged hero has always been bred here.

Fashion museum housing 5,000 pieces from the 18th century to the present, including the archives of Yverdon-born designer Robert Piguet.

The “Pharmacy museum” contains collections of old pharmaceuticals, pharmacy furniture, laboratory utensils, ceramics, instruments, books, art- and craftwork. The museum is situated in the old house “Zum Vorderen Sessel”, where the famous humanist Erasmus and the alchemist Paracelsus once dwelled. Well worth a visit not only for specialists but also for interested laymen.

Route: Geneva - Lausanne - Orbe - Avenches - Solothurn - Augst

The villa of the Hermitage Foundation solely houses changing art exhibitions. What is permanent is the magnificent view of Lake Geneva and Notre-Dame Cathedral, a view that inspired the leading landscape painter Camille Corot.

The "Ponte dei Salti" stone bridge soars over the turquoise Verzasca with two arches. 400 years after its completion, is draws visitors in droves on a daily basis. Some photograph the picture-perfect subject from all sides, others use the bridge as a springboard for diving into the refreshing water.

Generally, museums are in big cities, or at least in highly visited villages, but hardly are they ever on a 2,100-meter-high mountain pass.

Permanent exhibition about the novelist, with a unique collection of exhibits. An invitation to an extraordinary journey…

Experience the feeling of flying like an eagle, above one of the most beautiful region of Switzerland, with a breathtaking panorama.

During the summer, Madame Yvonne Jollien-Berclaz will be happy to guide you through the village of Fang and will show you the old school exhibition.

The cities, the mountains, the lakes – have you already seen all that Earth has to offer? If so, then come up to the Sattenlegi and discover the heavens above through our telescope.

The adventures of Heidi, the orphan girl, are known the world over. Not least through the eponymous film from 1952. One of the original locations is above St. Moritz and can be visited at all times.

What would Basel be without the Rhine? Four passenger ferries cross the river from one bank to the other, using nothing but a steel cable and the current of the water. The ferrymen’s tradition of telling yarns during the journey has continued to this day.

Perched high above Lake Constance and nestled in large parklands, this elegantly furnished castle was once the residence of the last emperor of France. In what is now the Napoleonic Museum, the original furnishings have been preserved, and the palace gardens have recently been restored.

History comes alive.

World-renowned celebrities such as Lady Gaga and Michelle Obama bear witness to eastern Switzerland’s quality textile enterprises. And products range from finest Haute Couture to architecture.

The Museum zu Allerheiligen is one of Schaffhausen’s most significant places of interest. Here, archaeology, history and art as well as natural history converge under one roof. In addition to its extensive permanent exhibitions, the museum hosts between six and eight special exhibitions each year.

The museum includes the castles of Lenzburg, Wildegg, Hallwyl, Habsburg, the monastery of Königsfelden, the Legionnaire's Path, the Wettingen Monastery Peninsula, the Vindonissa Legionary Trail, the Vindonissa Museum, the Egliswil Collection Centre and the Aabach Industrial CulTOUR. Each of these monuments is an authentic witness to a long history.

For centuries the ownership of salt mines meant wealth and power. The salt deposits at Bex, discovered in the 15th century, are still mined today. The salt mines are accessible to visitors, a museum depicts the mining of salt from 1684 to the present.

As you explore the alleys of the Old Town, you can really feel the many centuries of history that have given Sion its very special charm.

Every spring the nostalgic Gotthelf-Märit attracts thousands of visitors to the historic center of the village of Sumiswald. They revel in the authentic ambiance of a fair from yesteryear.

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.

Aarau is home to a special place of cultural interest consisting of a unique construction from the perspective of technology and industrial history: the Meyerschen Stollen, an underground water collecting system dating from the early 19th century.

This museum is dedicated to Brother Klaus (Nicholas of Flüe, 1417-1487), father and hermit, farmer and visionary, politician and mystic, and Switzerland's only saint.

On an over 1500-meter area in the Lindwurm Museum, at the heart of Stein am Rhein’s Old Town, visitors experience close-up views of how respected families lived and made a living way back in 1850.

Bringing the history to life in the Tamina Gorge. This is the source of the 36.5° C warm thermal waters that have made Bad Ragaz world famous.

The region around Nendaz has managed to preserve its traditional heritage while also offering guests all modern holiday facilities. The area is full of fascinating reminders of a rich past.

Springs, city stream, fountains, bathhouses and the Limmat – in Baden, water is the pulse of the city. This tour offers exciting insights into the close, millennia-old relationship between Baden and "its" water.