Fodor's Essential Switzerland

by Fodor's Travel Publications Inc.

Whether you want to ski in Zermatt, eat fondue in Zürich, hike around Lake Luzern, or buy a luxury watch in Geneva, the local Fodor’s travel experts in Switzerland are here to help! Fodor’s Essential Switzerland guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been fully-redesigned with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos. Fodor’s “Essential” guides have been named by Booklist as the Best Travel Guide Series of 2020!







Fodor’s Essential Switzerland travel guide





AN ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE to the top things to see and do

MULTIPLE ITINERARIES to effectively organize your days and maximize your time

MORE THAN 28 DETAILED MAPS to help you navigate confidently

COLOR PHOTOS throughout to spark your wanderlust!

HONEST RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCALS on the best sights, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, shopping, performing arts, activities, and more

PHOTO-FILLED “BEST OF” FEATURES on “What to Eat and Drink in Switzerland,” “Best Hikes,” “Most Beautiful Villages,” “What to Buy,” and more

TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS including when to go, getting around, beating the crowds, and saving time and money

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS providing rich context on the local people, politics, art, architecture, cuisine, music, geography and more

SPECIAL FEATURES on the country's best scenic train rides, the Bernese Alps, the Vineyards of the Lavaux, Christmas markets, and the Best Swiss Luxury Watch Brands

LOCAL WRITERS to help you find the under-the-radar gems

FRENCH, GERMAN, AND ITALIAN LANGUAGE PRIMERS with useful words and essential phrases

UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE Zürich, Zermatt, Lake Luzern, Geneva, Bern, Basel, the Berner Oberland, Lausanne, Fribourg, Gstaad, the Matterhorn, Montreux, Liechtenstein, and more.



Planning on visiting other destinations in Europe? Check out Fodor’s Essential Italy, Fodor's Essential Germany, and Fodor's Essential France.





*Important note for digital The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images or text included in the physical edition.





ABOUT FODOR'S Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor’s has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup, or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Genres: Travel

560 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 14, 2022

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.