mySwitzerland #INLOVEWITHSWITZERLAND Summer 2017 wants you back. Summer 2017 Nature 895 reasons to discover Switzerland Schaffhausen on the Grand Tour B o First electric road trip: 200 charging stations for electric vehicles d e n s Beautiful curves: 5 Alpine passes higher than 2,000 m Rhein Thur e e Freshwater heaven: 22 lakes bigger than 0.5 km² Töss Frauenfeld Unforgettable highlights: 12 UNESCO World Heritage Properties Limma and 2 Biosphere Reserves B t Multicultural society: 4 official languages, countless dialects Liestal Baden Perfect signposting: 650 official Grand Tour signposts irs Aarau B A Delémont Herisau More details on the Grand Tour: Appenzell in Re e h u R MySwitzerland.com/grandtour ss Z ü Säntis r 2502 i c s Solothurn ub h - s e o e D e H L Zug Z 2306 The regions u g Churfirsten Aare e Vaduz r W s a e La Chaux- 1607 e lense e L A Aargau Chasseral i de-Fonds e n e s 1899 t r h e B Basel Region FRANCE el Grosser Mythen Bi Weggis 1798 Glarus Rigi Vierwald- Glärnisch C Bern 1408 Schwyz Bad Ragaz 2119 2914 Neuchâtel re Napf stättersee Pizol D Fribourg Region Aa Pilatus Stoos Braunwald 2844 l te Stans La nd E Geneva châ qu u Sarnen 1898 Altdorf Linthal art Ne Stanserhorn R F Lake Geneva Region Chur 2834 de C e Flims ac u Weissfluh Piz Buin L 2350 s Davos 3312 G Graubünden E Engelberg s mm Brienzer Tödi e Rothorn Scuol e Titlis 3614 H Jura & Three-Lakes y Arosa 2383 ro Fribourg Thun Brienz 3238 Inn Yverdon B Flüelapass a Disentis/ Lenzerheide- I L rs. Lucerne-Lake Lucerne Region les Bains D 2175 ze Mustér in Lai Nationalpark T n rhe Gantrisch h rie er un B A rd J Eastern Switzerland / e a 3503 Vo 3294 Schwarzsee me r r Müstair Sim s e e e 2998 Sustenhorn Piz Beverin Piz Kesch Liechtenstein 2362 Grindelwald 2431 Niesen Wengen Furkapass Andermatt ein K Ticino F Eiger 3970 rrh e 2970 L'Orbe 2002 1914 nte 2284 n i i Schilthorn Mönch 4107 H 3056 Le Moléson r Gotthardpass Julierpass L Valais a Piz Nair S 4274 a L 4158 Finsteraarhorn M Adelboden r 3402 St.Moritz Zurich Region Jungfrau - e h h Rheinwaldhorn c c s s Montreux Lenk t t 2065 Gstaad e e é m a n l l San-Bernardino-Pass 2973 L A g 1677 e 2042 Wildstrubel 3272 L Diavolezza La Dôle Rochers- 3244 3934 Basòdino 4049 de-Naye Leukerbad Bietschhorn Piz Bernina Crans- Montana T i c 3210 Ve i n Les Diablerets rzasca Brig o a M e sp ôn a Sion h Vi g e R g L ia E L Locarno Bellinzona 3257 Champéry Haute Nendaz Dents 02040 80 km du Midi Saas-Fee Verbier 4545 Dent Blanche Dom 01020 40 miles 4357 LUGANO e o an Zermatt r ug o i L Matterhorn 3090 d i 1701 Grand 4478 Gornergrat o g g Monte Combin g La Generoso 4314 Dufourspitze a 4634 M 1097 o Monte S. Giorgio g Grand-St-Bernard a L 1546 The Grand Tour of Switzerland is a suggested route that makes use of the existing Swiss road network. Visitors follow the route at their own risk. Switzerland Tourism and the Grand Tour of Switzerland association accept no liability for construction works, diversions, signage relating to special events or safety provisions along the route. GERMANY Schaffhausen B o d e n s Rhein Thur e e Töss Frauenfeld Limm at Liestal Baden irs B Aarau M AUSTRIA Delémont Herisau Appenzell in Re J e h u R ss Z ü Säntis r 2502 i c s Solothurn ub h - s e LIECHTENSTEIN o e D e L Zug Z 2306 u g Churfirsten Aare e Vaduz r W s a e La Chaux- 1607 e lense e L Chasseral i de-Fonds e n e s 1899 t r h e el Grosser Mythen Bi Weggis 1798 Glarus Rigi Vierwald- Glärnisch 1408 Schwyz Bad Ragaz 2119 2914 Neuchâtel re Napf stättersee Pizol Aa Pilatus Stoos Braunwald 2844 l te Stans La nd châ I qu u Sarnen 1898 Altdorf Linthal art Ne Stanserhorn R Chur 2834 de e Flims ac u Weissfluh Piz Buin L 2350 s Davos 3312 E Engelberg s mm Brienzer Tödi e Rothorn Scuol e y Titlis 3614 Arosa 2383 ro Fribourg Thun Brienz 3238 Inn Yverdon B Flüelapass a Disentis/ Lenzerheide- L rs. les Bains 2175 ze Mustér in Lai Nationalpark T n rhe Gantrisch h rie er G un B A rd e a 3503 Vo 3294 Schwarzsee me r r Müstair Sim s e e e 2998 Sustenhorn Piz Beverin Piz Kesch 2362 Grindelwald 2431 Niesen Wengen Furkapass Andermatt ein Eiger 3970 rrh e 2970 L'Orbe 2002 1914 nte 2284 n i i Schilthorn Mönch 4107 H 3056 Le Moléson r Gotthardpass Julierpass a Piz Nair S 4274 a L Finsteraarhorn 4158 Adelboden r 3402 St.Moritz Jungfrau - e h h Rheinwaldhorn c c s s Montreux Lenk t t 2065 Gstaad e e é m a n l l San-Bernardino-Pass 2973 L A g 1677 e 2042 Wildstrubel 3272 L Diavolezza La Dôle Rochers- 3244 3934 Basòdino 4049 de-Naye Leukerbad Bietschhorn Piz Bernina Crans- Montana K T i c 3210 Ve i n Les Diablerets rzasca Brig o a M e sp ôn a Sion h Vi g Le R g ia Locarno Bellinzona 3257 Champéry Haute Nendaz Dents 02040 80 km du Midi Saas-Fee Verbier 4545 Dent Blanche Dom 01020 40 miles 4357 LUGANO e o an Zermatt r ug o i L Matterhorn 3090 d i 1701 Grand 4478 Gornergrat o g Monte Combin g Lag Generoso 4314 Dufourspitze a 4634 M 1097 o Monte S. Giorgio g The Grand Tour is signposted clockwise Grand-St-Bernard a L 02 Alpine04 passes on 08the Grand Tour 0 km ITALY 011546 02004 miles www.swisstravelcenter.ch Nature wants you back: watch the TV commercial at MySwitzerland.com/ summer “Grüezi” Swap the office for the mountains, the Wi-Fi for the woods, the hustle-bustle for the heights. Nature is waiting for you. And with good reason – nothing beats the effect it has on body, mind and spirit. Switzerland is ready- made for unforgettable outdoor encounters. Whether you head to the pristine Alps or crystal-clear lakes, you’ll soon slow down, relax and fall head over heels #INLOVEWITHSWITZERLAND. By the way: Switzerland Tourism has been showing visitors the beauty of the Swiss nature for a century – we’re celebrating our 100th anniversary in 2017. And the subject has never been more relevant. Enjoy the inspiring journey back to nature! Jürg Schmid, CEO Switzerland Tourism 3 Contents 6 14 Sunny Far horizons and away Dreamy sunrises and sunsets as A week in an Alpine hut in the photographed and posted by holidaymakers Bernese Oberland with no computer, in Switzerland mobile phone or internet 36 44 Best What kind on foot of spa-goer Ten unique attractions that can are you? only be reached on foot Find out if you are into active relaxation or just sheer indulgence 58 70 So close to Quirin’s the best world Nenad Mlinarevic, Gault-Millau What kids and their parents Chef of the Year 2016, swears by can get up to in the family destination local produce of Pontresina 24 Eye to eye with an ibex On the hunt for photos with a wildlife specialist 48 Posted: sun photos 6 Pure 14 Far and away 22 Tips for hat lovers nature 24 Eye to eye with an ibex 33 Tips for animal lovers Switzerland’s nature parks and nature discovery parks 34 Mountain high five 36 Best on foot – walk suggestions 44 What kind of spa-goer are you? 48 Pure nature – Swiss parks 58 So close to the best 69 Gourmet tips for foodies 70 Quirin’s world 78 76 Tips for family holidays 78 Ciao Ticino Ciao 82 Stays close to nature booklet Ticino 84 Prix Bienvenu 86 This way to fun World Heritage 92 MySwissExperience site hopping 96 Handy information Posted: sun photos frederic.huber #Rämisgummen “This shows the carpets of flowers in the lovely Emmental – the warm, rich light of sunset really allowed these crocuses to shine on this cool spring evening.” marcelschiegg #Bollenwees “A mystical play of light over Lake Fälen in Appenzell’s Alpstein Alps. As an Alpine herdsman’s blessing resonated through the valley, it sent a shiver down my spine.” missynoomi #Dent de Jaman “We slept in a tent at 1,875m on this hot summer day. The light over the Grammont and the view of Lake Geneva were simply out of this world.” oliver_wehrli #Gisliflue “I love it when flowers cloak the rugged rocks of the Jura in early summer. And at sunset there was this beautiful yellow back- lighting. What an incredible experience!” Nature lovers: digital detox Far and away No computer, mobile or internet. Here only birdsong and the sound of wood chopping interrupt the silence. Can urbanites survive a week’s digital detox in an Alpine hut? MySwitzerland visited Lea and Marco in the Bernese Oberland to find out. Text: Christian Sidow Photos: Ivo Scholz 14 mySwitzerland Our home for the next week, with a rustic bench in the sun. 15 Digital what? Wikipedia describes a digital detox as a period of time during which a person refrains from using electronic connecting devices such as smartphones and computers. This time is seen as the chance to distress, step back from social media and concentrate instead on the physical world.