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DISCOVER SWITZERLAND

Five beautiful Swiss villages located near Alpine lakes

During torrid summer days, why not come and cool off in one of these five alpine lakes? Set against a unique mountain backdrop, they are ideal for a trip out of the city no matter where you are in Switzerland.

Switzerland's Gänglesee. When the weather gets warmer, Swiss lakes are a perfect place to cool down. Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages
Switzerland's Gänglesee. When the weather gets warmer, Swiss lakes are a perfect place to cool down. Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

There will be no shortage of picnic areas, nooks and crannies for barbecuing with friends and hiking trails in the vicinity for discovering these idyllic areas.

The following map shows the five lakes’ locations across Switzerland. 

The lakes are close to five villages which are members of the association “Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse” (The most beautiful Villages in Switzerland), which aims to protect and promote villages that have a distinct architectural, landscape and historical beauty.

1. Lai da Palpuogna: Bergün (Gr)

Bergün is a charming village in Canton Graubünden set like a gem in Switzerland’s largest nature park, Parc Ela.

Its unique location between the Engadin and the Albula Pass has shaped the history, culture and architecture of the village.

Bergün. Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Bergün. Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Testimony to this are the typical Engadin houses decorated with the ‘sgraffito’ technique, the Kurhaus hotel that takes us back in time to the Belle Epoque and its Romanesque church, which houses an astonishing frescoed wooden ceiling.

And it is precisely on the Albula pass that we find the idyllic Lai da Palpuogna with its crystal-clear waters and a larch forest reflected in its changing colours. In a well-known Swiss television programme, this lake was voted the most beautiful place in Switzerland. 

Lai Palpuogna  Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Lai Palpuogna. Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Starting point: Preda (train station) : 1 Km / 120 m difference in altitude / 20 minutes walk

2. Lag da Breil: Breil Brigels (Gr)

In the Surselva region, in the heart of the canton of Graubünden, we drive up the main road to Breil/Brigels.

This beautiful alpine village is a jigsaw puzzle of sumptuous wooden chalets and little churches, one more beautiful than the other, such as the church of St. Sievi, which stands in a panoramic position and is visible from everywhere.

Breil Brigels. Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Breil Brigels. Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Here we are at the gateway to the Val Frisal, a fascinating side valley ideal for summer hiking.

Just a stone’s throw from the village centre, we find the Lag da Breil, a turquoise-coloured freshwater lake that invites tourists to relax on its shores.

There is a large car park, a mini-golf course, ski lifts and a playground right next to the lake… in short, all kinds of activities for everyone!

Lag da Breil  Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Lag da Breil. Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Starting point: Breil/Brigels (Church) : 900 M / 33 m difference in altitude / 10 minutes walk

3. Lago Saoseo: Poschiavo (Gr)

Poschiavo is a little Rome of the Alps, with its bell towers and opulent towers and an array of museums and state-of-the-art cultural spaces.

Poschiavo Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Poschiavo. Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

This small town in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland has always been a key crossroads between Switzerland and Italy, and even today, the famous little red Bernina train links the two nations, travelling through glaciers, forests and wild mountains.

From the locality of Sfarzù, just a few minutes from Poschiavo, it is possible to walk or take the post bus up to Lake Saoseo. This Alpine lake is a concentration of unique beauty and is set like a jewel in a dense larch forest.

From here, with a little more effort, you can also reach the Lagh da Val Viola, a little larger in size but equally magnificent.

Lago Saoseo  Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Lago Saoseo. Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Starting point: Sfarzù (bus stop) : 5.5 km / 420 m difference in altitude / 1h30 minutes walk

4. Rotelschsee: Simplon Dorf (Vs)

The Simplon Pass has always been a key commercial junction for trade between northern and southern Europe, connecting Brig in Switzerland with Domodossola in Italy.

First Baron Stockalper, and then Napoleon Bonaparte, were able to create a road linking the two cities, and halfway along, the village of Simplon Dorf benefited. This ancient Italian-looking village contains an amazing square crowned by iconic buildings such as its museum.

Simplon Dorf Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Simplon Dorf. Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

And it is precisely at the highest point of the Simplon Pass, at an altitude of around 2000m, that some very picturesque natural lakes have been created.

These include the Rotelschee lake, located just a few minutes behind the hospice, and the Hopschusee lake near the alpine pasture of the same name. 

Rotelschsee Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Rotelschsee. Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Starting point: Simplon Pass (Hospiz) : 700 m / 50 m difference in altitude / 10 minutes walk

5. Gänglesee: Triesenberg

The Principality of Liechtenstein shares not only language and currency with Switzerland, but also many traditions and peculiarities.

For example, the village of Triesenberg boasts a Walser past and even today, a different dialect is spoken here than in all the municipalities of the small country.

Triesenberg Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Triesenberg Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Since 2019, this village has been included in the Swiss network of ‘The most beautiful Villages in Switzerland. 

Gänglesee Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

Gänglesee Picture: Christian Guerra/Swiss Villages

All these excursions, and many more feature in the Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse free to download app available in English for iOS and Android. 

To reach these magnificent freshwater lakes and much more, why not check out from ‘The most beautiful Villages in Switzerland‘?

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DISCOVER SWITZERLAND

Eight very different museums in Switzerland you need to visit

Switzerland has thousands of years of cultural history and stories to experience, told through its museums.

Eight very different museums in Switzerland you need to visit

From stuffed frogs, to the world’s biggest foosball table, via a creepy alien interior, we’ve put together a list of eight entirely unique museums across Switzerland that you should visit this year.

Hoosesagg Museum, Basel

Let’s start small—really small. The ‘Hoosesagg Museum‘ (Pants Pocket Museum) is a two-foot-by-two-foot window on Imbergässlein, a short stroll from the marketplace. 

The Vergeats, the owners of the historic home it is housed, became fed up with passersby peering in, so they began exhibiting tiny objects. Soon, others contacted the Vergeats, wanting to display their collections of shot glasses, thimbles and other minuscule treasures. 

The window first became a viral sensation before transforming into a fully-fledged museum of objects that can fit in a trouser pocket. 

Exhibits change frequently, and it’s one of the city’s most photographed locations. 

Museum HR Giger, Gruyères, Freiburg

The ‘Alien’ films have traumatised audiences for over thirty years, mostly due to the horrific biomechanical art of Swiss Artist H. R. Giger.

Giger both designed and constructed the museum dedicated to his art in the beautiful medieval city of Gruyères. Therefore, you won’t be amidst a bright, sterile environment. 

Instead, expect to feel like you’ve stepped into the lair of the ‘space jockey’ from Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic – walls, doorways and furniture appearing as if they’ve been grown rather than built. 

Afterwards, calm your nerves with a drink in the museum’s bar, even if it does carry the theme over. Maybe not the location for a first date!

Frog Museum, Estavayer-le-Lac, Freiburg

Everybody needs a hobby, right? For one nineteenth-century Swiss military officer, his was catching frogs and taxidermied them, posing them in weird, beautiful dioramas that poked funny at everyday life. 

The museum in the small town of Estavayer-le-Lac, on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel, acquired his collection sometime around 1927. Around 150 of the officer’s unique creations are now on display, alongside artefacts that help tell the region’s story. 

Matterhorn Museum, Zermatt, Valais

The Matterhorn occupies a unique position in the popular imagination—a towering mountain that sums up much about Switzerland. Of course, it has its own museum, located in the town of Zermatt, which lies at its base.

Particularly moving are the exhibits dedicated to the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865, which claimed four of the seven climbers involved – the centrepiece being the broken climbing rope. 

Another equally poignant story is told by the remains of ‘Theo’, a sixteenth-century mercenary who perished crossing the Theodul Pass. only to be released by the glacier hundreds of years later. 

Schloss Habsburg, Habsburg, Aargau

Looking at it, you wouldn’t think this squat little castle was the seat of Europe’s greatest dynasty. Yet the clue is in the name. 

In Schloss Habsburg, close to the border with Germany, the family who would come to rule almost half the world for a thousand years first emerged. 

To learn how an unassuming family of minor nobles came to take the reigns of imperial power, a permanent exhibition in the castle serves as a fantastic, concise introduction. 

One particular highlight is the virtual reality reconstruction of the castle. Not only can you explore the interior, but you can also take flight, to take in all the details you can’t see from ground level.

Forum of Swiss History
Hofmatt, Schwyz

Switzerland’s political entity is unique in the world—twenty-six cantons with unprecedented levels of devolved power. How did it get that way? 

That’s the question that the Forum of Swiss History in Hofmatt seeks to answer. 

Over three floors of a historic building, the story of Switzerland from the twelfth to fourteenth centuries is told – a dangerous, lawless alpine realm coalescing into a powerful confederation that no other power managed to conquer.

A particular highlight of this museum is the dioramas and recreations of historical locations, such as monasteries, that can be found throughout.

FIFA Museum, Zurich

Love or loathe them as an entity, there’s no denying that FIFA’s history is the history of international football. Therefore, visiting the FIFA Museum in Zurich is essential for every fan. 

Across almost three thousand square metres, not only can you understand how the organisation has shaped football worldwide but also better understand the football countries of over 211 countries that have competed over the years—some of which no longer exist. 

If you bring the kids, you can participate in the world’s largest foosball table!

Swiss Witchcraft Museum, Gränichen, Aargau

Our last museum is again small but receives rave reviews. In Schloss Liebegg, located in the Aargau village of Gränichen, the Swiss Witchcraft Museum dedicates itself to the traditional folk beliefs of cultures worldwide. 

The museum also explains how women have been persecuted over the centuries within Switzerland itself – a particular nexus of hysteria related to witchcraft.  

This museum is an idiosyncratic labour of love and doesn’t even have consistent opening hours. It’s therefore essential to check whether it’ll be open in advance.

Can you suggest an amazing Swiss museum we should know about? Let us know in the comments! 

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