12+ Free Things to do in Switzerland

1. Stoll through any of the small towns. With minimal traffic or no car zones, the small towns are absolutely beautiful with wooden homes, flowerboxes, balconies, little gardens, firewood stacks, and rustic design.

2. Window shopping: The Swiss are very proud of the products they manufacture. Knives, watches, clothing, chocolate, honey, cheese, and cuckoo clocks just to name a few.

3. Admire the prettiest cemeteries we've ever seen. These dated back to the early 20th century. A gardener for the cemetery had crates of flowers ready to be placed.

4. Hunt for the bees: Along with the plants, the Swiss have mason bee hives all over pollinating their food products. From the city of Zurich to the high alps you can find creatively made mason bee hives. Food production is very important in this region with nearly every home growing their own berries, figs, kohlrabi, apples, pears, potatoes, etc. In addition to the food, the gardens have many flowering plants to attract the pollinators and mason bee hives were all over the place.

5. Talk with the cows: a field of cows (or sheep) are a common site in the Bernese Oberland region. Whether you walk along a trail or hang out at the playground, cows are grazing the healthy vegetation nearby. They may not answer your questions about Switzerland, but they can probably point you to a good brick of cheese.

6. Enjoy a playground: When the work is finished, the Swiss know how to play. From simple materials, they’ve built lively playgrounds for children (and adults) to develop (or maintain) balance, stamina, strength, and muscle memory.

7. Walk the trails: Though some of the major hiking routes cost money, all throughout the region there are free walking trails that are maintained for various ability levels.

8. Picnic: From alpine peaks to river valleys, the views are amazing in this region. So, fill your backpack with cheese, meat, or other delicious treats and carry it to a beautiful nook where you can feel the magic of earth. However, you must be mindful of picnic restrictions and don’t trample the precious wildflowers.

BONUS:

13. Walk along the rivers: the blue color of the lakes and rivers, which are glacier fed, are completely indescribable.

14. Float down the river Burn: A wide, u-shaped, river winds through the UNESCO city of Burn. At the end of the workday in the summer, locals will don their swim gear, jump into the frigid water, and float home with their work clothes in a dry-bag.

9. Watch the paragliders and cliff jumpers: like birds with colorful wings, these adventure seekers can be spotted all over the region as the embrace the air currents from peaks to valleys.

10. Count the waterfalls: With 72 distinct waterfalls in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, there is no shortage admiration for the natural beauty and power of water on this earth. Waterfalls in the spring are mighty and found all over the region.

11. Relax at one of the many wooden lounge chairs all around the region.

12. Listen to the fountains: water is highly important in Switzerland and fountains of all shapes and sizes have been erected to help the people have access to free and clean water. Places in cities and towns of all sizes, this precious resource is delightful to hear day and night. During the heat wave, we even enjoyed watching the children plan in these water fountains. In fact, water play was a theme in many parks too.