Switzerland is a country on every avid hiker’s bucket list. From rushing waterfalls and wildflower meadows, to towering mountain peaks and turquoise lakes, Switzerland has it all. If you’re planning a trip, be sure to add these 5 best hikes in Switzerland to your itinerary.
We recently spent 8 days exploring Switzerland and loved every minute. While we planned to do a lot of sightseeing, we mainly booked this trip for Switzerland’s amazing hiking trails. You don’t want to skip any of these trails!
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Switzerland Hiking Tips
Best Time to Hike
For the best trail conditions, plan your trip between mid-June and September. Some of these hikes can be accessed via cable car and chairlift; many chairlifts don’t operate until mid-June for the summer season.
What to Pack
Make sure you have sturdy hiking boots, plenty of water, and energy-rich snacks for each of these hikes. We would also recommend a pair of hiking poles. We never thought we’d be recommending hiking poles in our 20s, but we’re trying to save our knees (and yours too). Here’s the lightweight pair we purchased on Amazon.
Also make sure you have sunscreen, especially for the Stoos Ridge hike as it is not shaded at all.
Trail Markers
The hiking trails in Switzerland are color-coded. Yellow trails are standard hiking paths, while white-red-white trails are mountain hiking trails (more challenging routes).
AllTrails
Download your hiking routes on AllTrails, so you don’t add more distance to your hike or get lost.
5 Best Hikes in Switzerland
Saxer Lucke
To hike to the stunning Saxer Lucke viewpoint, you have three options.
Saxer Lucke via Frumsen-Staubern Cable Car
Cost: 40CHF/about $50 USD
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 5 miles
White-Red-White Trail
Saxer Lucke via Brulisau-Hoher Kasten cable car
Cost: 40 CHF/about $50 USD
Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging
Distance: 10.5 miles
White-Red-White Trail
Saxer Lucke from Brulisau
Cost: 8 CHF/ about $10 USD for 24 hour parking
Difficulty: Challenging
Distance: 12.2 miles
At the top of the list is Saxer Lucke, a stunning hike in the Appenzell region of Switzerland. While we decided to save money by skipping the cable car and hiking from the town of Brulisau, we highly recommend NOT doing this. It made for the most memorable day of our Switzerland trip, but it was rough. Taking the Frumsen-Staubern cable car and beginning the hike from the Staubern cable car station is the shortest option. Alternatively, if you want a longer hike, you can take the cable car from Brulisau to Hoher Kasten and begin hiking from there.
The trail is scenic and had lots of wildflowers, but nothing compares to the Saxer Lucke viewpoint. Plan to spend some time at the viewpoint before heading back down to the cable car station. There are plenty of spots to sit, take photos, and admire the view.
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Staubifall
Cost: pay per hour for parking
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: about 4 miles
This easy hike leads to one of Switzerland’s most powerful waterfalls. At over 300 feet in height, this waterfall is best to visit in the summer months when the snowmelt creates a dramatic flow. You’ll want to plan your hike for the afternoon, as Staubifall is shaded for most of the day. We got to the falls around 2 pm, and it was fully lit and perfect for photographing.
Start your hike in the town of Unterschachen where you can park at the Stellplatz campground. You may also be able to find parking at the Ribi-Wannelen cable car station, but parking fills up quickly in the summer.
From the town of Unterschachen, you’ll begin hiking towards Ribi. Once you get to Ribi, you’ll hike along a service road to get to the falls. The trail is mostly shaded, not too steep, and has beautiful views along the way.
Once you get to Staubifall, keep in mind that the land close to the falls and the farmhouses are private property. Stay on the trail as you take in the view of the falls.
Oeschinensee Panorama Trail
Cost: 40 CHF/about $50 USD
Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: about 5.5 miles
Oeschinensee is a hike you’ve probably seen all over Instagram, and for good reason. Oeschinensee is a beautiful turquoise lake in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland. You can take a short hike from the top of the Kandersteg cable car station to the lake shore, or you can hike to a viewpoint above the lake. We did both, but if you’re looking for that bright turquoise color, the lake is better seen from above.
For this hike, you’ll take the Kandersteg cable car up to Oeschinensee. From here, it’s a short walk to the lake shore. Expect the lake shore to be crowded. After stopping at the lake shore, you’ll start your hike along the Panorama Trail (follow signs for Heuberg).
It was a bit overcast during our hike, but the view was still absolutely stunning. Alternatively, you can save money and skip the cable car. You’ll start from the Kandersteg train station and hike up a very steep incline. We saw a few people doing this, but we chose to save our legs for other hikes we had planned.
Stoos Ridge from Klingenstock to Fronalpstock
Cost: 58 CHF/about $73 USD
Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging
Distance: about 3 miles
Stoos Ridge is one of the most popular hiking trails in Switzerland. This ridge hike overlooks Lake Lucerne and has 360-degree views of the Swiss Alps. You’ll be stopping a lot for photos.
To easily get to the trailhead, purchase the Stoos Peak Experience Ticket. With this ticket you’ll take a funicular (the steepest in the world) from Schwyz, walk about 15 minutes to the chair lift station, then take the chair lift from Klingenstock. You’ll end your hike at the Fronalpstock chair lift station, descend, then take the funicular back down to Schwyz. This is a very popular hike in Switzerland, so be prepared for crowds. We booked the first time slot of the day, and the trail was still extremely crowded.
While this hike is shorter in distance, it is a fully exposed trail with no shade. We made the mistake of forgetting sunscreen and ended this hike with sun poisoning.
Staubbach Falls Hike
Cost: Free
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Distance: less than half a mile
Staubbach Falls is one of the most well-known waterfalls in Switzerland, but did you know you can hike behind it? Starting in the town of Lauterbrunnen, walk towards Staubbach Falls. When you reach the falls, you’ll see a steep path winding up. As you get closer to the top of the falls, you’ll see some stairs. Be careful as they are wet and slippery.
If you want to spend more time hiking in Lauterbrunnen, you can hike from Staubbach Falls to Trummelbach Falls.
We hope this post inspired you to add these 5 best hikes in Switzerland to your travel bucket list. If you do any of these hikes, tag us on Instagram @mcmillansmeetworld.
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