Fodor's Essential Switzerland

by Fodor's Travel Publications Inc.

For a limited time, receive a free Fodor's Guide to Safe and Healthy Travel e-book with the purchase of this guidebook! Go to fodors.com for details.

Written by local experts, Fodor's travel guides have been offering advice and professionally vetted recommendations for all tastes and budgets for 80 years.

Switzerland, Europe's mountain playground, is a classic tourist draw. Fodor's Switzerland is the perfect guide for travelers seeking to ascend the slopes of the Alps and feel on top of the world. When they come down from the mountains, they find thriving, cosmopolitan cities steeped in history and culture. This travel guide Dozens of full-color maps, hundreds of hotel and restaurant recommendations, with Fodor's Choice designating our top picks, multiple itineraries to explore the top attractions and what's off the beaten path.

This travel guide

•ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE contains a brief introduction and spectacular color photos that capture the ultimate experiences and attractions throughout Switzerland •UP-TO-DATE Fodor's Switzerland covers new restaurants and hotels around the country with a special focus on Zurich, and new scenic train routes. Extended features on Swiss food and Christmas markets, along with new listings for ski resorts and lakes, help travelers make the most of their time in the country. •ILLUSTRATED "Scenic Train Rides and Drives" helps travelers choose the best trip through the mountainous countryside, while "Wintertime in the Alps" explores the wide range of winter sports options in the birthplace of skiing. Features on Swiss wineries and the Bernese Alps guide travels to the best lakeside vineyards and mountaintop views. Shorter spotlight features highlight the country's top lakes and culinary flavors. •INDISPENSABLE TRIP PLANNING Each chapter in the guide has a planning section to help travelers plan their time and get around easily. Train travel times provide an overview of how long it takes to get from point to point in Switzerland. Neighborhood comparison charts for Zurich and Geneva help travelers choose the best places to stay and eat for every budget and taste. •DISCERNING Fodor's Switzerland offers savvy advice and recommendations from expert and local writers to help travelers make the most of their time. Fodor's Choice designates our best picks, from hotels to nightlife. • Zurich, Geneva, Bern, Basel, the Berner Oberland, Lausanne, Fribourg, Ticino,Liechtenstein, Luzern, Zermatt, and more.

Genres: Travel

543 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 12, 2018

About the author

Fodor's Travel Publications is a United States-based producer of English-language travel guides and online tourism information. It was founded by Hungarian Eugene Fodor in 1936.
Fodor’s was acquired by Random House in 1986 and sold to Internet Brands in 2016.

Reviews

[Claire Binkley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep vowing "Some day I'm going to make it..." And what I liked the most was how one of the authors' noted at the end that in this country people actually pronounce her name right. I have had problems in the past with how a lot of people around me don't do my name justice, either, so maybe in this country some day they might treat it well, too. (They tend to spell my name wrong, which can get upsetting.)

For years and years before I read this book, probably since I was sixteen, I have wanted to go visit Switzerland, you have no idea. My mother had told me the most about Bern in particular, which makes sense since she had learned the most German, but plenty of the other cities seem accessible by rail. I liked most in this book the diagram it had where it pointed out where each language was most frequently spoken. It makes sense where each one is since, for example, many people speak Italian who are close to Italy.
It also identifies that Switzerland is next-door to Lichtenstein. I researched that it is a German-speaking area.

So I liked the ideas for future opportunities this book had!

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful travel guide to Switzerland. Includes detailed (but not cumbersome) descriptions, and lots of money saving tips. The layout made it very easy to use, as well.

[Hurricane_ReD · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great start, but it loses a star for not mentioning what makes Basel Fasnacht unique among all of the other celebrations - it lasts for 72 hours, and it's the largest Protestant Carnival celebration in the world! It also closes nearly every single attraction in the city, so it's really important for travelers to Basel to know before they go! We fell into that confusion when we went on our honeymoon in 2011, & the guidebooks that were available during that time didn't explain it either, so we'd planned to visit many places that ended up being closed for the duration of the event.

This book is a great resource, but it also has mistakes in it, & is impractical for taking with you TO Europe, because it's very heavy.

[Laurie Byro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a booking that had to be changed due to covid, Zurich, but the hotels rated etc were right on, so this is a good guide to use for future. All the Fodors are good and entertaining to read about places on your list.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great guide

I start with Rick Steves for most trips, but turn to Fodor’s for an alternative POV and details on areas Rick does not cover.

[AliqueMalakian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing guidebook! I used it extensively to plan my trip to the Bernese Oberland and Valais. Highly recommend

[Madi McNew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I partially read 3 travel guides, so one should count for my yearly book total, right? It's hard to rate a travel guide, but it did its job.