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By Oh-hyeon Choung Created: 2026-05-01 Last updated: 2026-05-01

Oh-hyeon's Swiss Guide 🇨🇭

A disclaimer first: this is just my personal take, treat it as suggestions and do whatever you want. I’m not responsible for anything.

You decided to travel to Switzerland, so I’ll assume you expect beautiful nature. First of all, come in summer (mid-July to early September), unless you’re visiting in winter (December to March) for skiing. Thanks to (?) climate change, this year’s spring (April 2026) has been very sunny and beautiful, but it’s usually quite rainy in spring and autumn.

My preferred way of traveling in Switzerland is to take public transportation 🚆 on a sunny day 🌞 and then go for a hike ⛰.

  • Public transportation 🚆 in Switzerland is more than just great. You can get almost anywhere, and most of the time, it’s on time. Google Maps works fine, but the SBB app is better.
  • Mountain weather â›… changes quickly, so check MeteoSwiss or MeteoBlue.
  • There are also many nationally maintained hiking trails 🥾, check them out on the SwitzerlandMobility app.

Must-have Apps

SBB app Public transportation: SBB
Weather: Meteo Swiss or Meteo Blue
Switzerland Mobility Official hiking paths: Switzerland Mobility

Hiking rules

hiking rules

Photo credit ChatGPT, generated on 1st May 2026

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  • Stay on marked trails unless clearly allowed otherwise.
  • Respect private property, farms, and grazing animals.
  • Take all trash with you (“leave no trace”).
  • Wild camping is restricted in many areas, check local rules.
  • Dogs may need to be leashed, especially near livestock/wildlife.
  • Do not disturb wildlife or pick protected plants.
  • Give way appropriately: uphill hikers usually have priority.
  • Emergency number in Switzerland: 144 (ambulance and rescue services).

How to pick a hiking trail

There are hiking trails in almost every spot in Switzerland. Here are some signs you will see, and more in details:

Sign Difficulty Notes
Yellow diamond yellow diamond Easy Mostly family-friendly
White-red-white strap red trail Intermediate Some exposed sections
White-blue-white strap blue trail Alpine Self-securing gear may be needed; hike at your own risk
No marking (off-road) — Avoid

Photo credit, and more: link

Let's say, you visited the top of Europe, Junfraujoch, spent a fortune, and now want to do a hike nearby. Here’s how to check whether a trail is suitable:

  1. Open the Switzerland Mobility app, and select the Hiking in Switzerland tab.

hiking tab

2. Look for green highlighted hiking trails, these are well-maintained. Select a trail (here: the Eiger Trail). Read the description carefully and check whether it matches your fitness level. If you are new to mountain hiking, I'd avoid trails with more than 1200 m elevation gain or longer than 6 hours. But ultimately, it's your call.
hiking trails
3. If you are not prepared for snow, check conditions first. Tap the layers button in the top-right corner and enable the snow depth layer.
layers button snow layer
4. The snow depth is now overlaid on the map. Uh-oh, the Eiger Trail is still covered in snow. Time to pick another trail!
snow on the map

Please keep in mind that snow line could be around 2000m even in mid July 🏔.

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