Green luscious mountains, with partial snow in the background and a re train slide. Green luscious mountains, with partial snow in the background and a re train slide. Explore

Top Swiss Alpine Hikes and Climbs

Swiss Alps Explore:

The Swiss Alps encapsulate places where the land feels untouched and the air is crisp with solitude. Sown among vast peaks, mountains rise sharply, lakes gleam quietly, and time is silenced. And it is in these serene, rugged corners that you will find some of the most soul-nourishing hikes and views.

1: Oeschinensee

A rocky and snowy mountain behind a turquoise lake, with luscious green trees on the side, next to a rocky shore.
A snowy and rocky mountain, behind a turquoise lake, in front of a road that concludes in wooden cabins, where people walk with backpacks.
A lady with black sportswear, on top of a rock, facing a turquoise lake with rocky and snowy mountains behind.

This beautiful lake offers a tranquil, picturesque setting, with bright turquoise waters that are fed by mountain streams and glacial meltwater. The area around the lake is very popular among hikers, with marked trails suitable for all levels. Upon reaching the lake area via a cable car, you can go on the easy 20-minute walk (or you can take the electric shuttle) that takes you straight to the lake and just admire the views from near the water, or else, if you are an experienced hiker, you can explore the higher mountain sides around the lake, with fantastic views down to the lake below. 

2: Schynige Platte

  • A lady with black sportswear, on top of a green mountain, facing a turquoise lake with rocky and green mountains.
  • A turquoise lake with dark green mountains and rocky valleys in light green.
  • A red and yellow train leaving the station of Ausstellung Kino.
  • A woman on the window of a red train, crossing a light green valley, with dark green mountains in the back.
  • A lady with black sportswear, behind a fence, on a hilltop facing a an array of rocky mountains.

This mountain ridge is especially scenic for its views of the turquoise waters of the lakes Brienz and Thun, with Interlaken standing in between the two. From up there, you can also get beautiful views of three of the main peaks of the Bernese Oberland region – the Jungfrau, the Mönch and the Eiger. To get there, you will catch a charming Cogwheel train in Wilderswill. For the first half of the climb, the train winds mostly through the wooded hills. Once you get to the intermediate train station, you start seeing exquisite views of the lakes Thuner and Brinezer and the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Once up there, several hiking options await, promising truly marvellous views.

3: Rigi Rotstock

Turquoise lake amidst dark green mountains and white clouds.
Wood cabin on a green hilltop, overlooking an array of mountains peaking through white clouds.
Mountain hilltop with houses, train rails and high trees.

Rigi is known for the easy hikes with beautiful views of the Lake of the Four Cantons down below. The cogwheel train from Vitznau to Rigi Kulm is the best place to start and my top recommendation. Fabulous views of Lake Zug will soon greet you, and slightly after, I suggest heading west and climb to Rigi Rotstock, where astonishing views of an unmistakable rugged lake, with Luzern, Bürgenstock and its Mount Pilatus stand tall in the distance.

4: Gelmerbahn

  • Turquoise lake amidst green rocky and snowy mountains.
  • Turquoise lake, next to a rocky and snowy mountain.
  • A train rail, in the middle of green, rocky and snowy mountains.
  • A red train, going up a rail on a hilltop green mountain.
  • Red train on trails, amidst green mountains.

One of the most thrilling and steepest funiculars in Europe, originally built in the 1920s to transport materials for the construction of the Gelmer Dam, The Gelmerbahn is now a popular attraction, with an open configuration that lets you sink in the views with no obstruction, and with an impressive steepness gradient of up to 106%. Once at the top, you are rewarded with the beautiful Gelmersee, an artificial alpine lake at over 1,800meters / 6,000 feet in altitude, with turquoise waters encircled by towering granite peaks, giving it a pristine and almost otherworldly appearance.

Swiss Alps Explore: