Motorhome tour of Switzerland: The Grand Tour

The most beautiful landscapes alternate in the Grand Tour of Switzerland. On this 1643 km long route, you will encounter all the highlights of the country. You will pass 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as the Old Town of Bern, and there are 22 lakes in total. From turquoise blue lakes to lakes with mountains as a backdrop: every lake is different. So you'll never be bored here. In about 9 days, you will travel with your motorhome across Switzerland and see the most beautiful places of the country. We highlight the most beautiful and special locations along the route for you.

The route is divided into the following 9 stages:

Basel-Neuchâtel: 160 kilometres
Neuchâtel-Bern: 250 kilometres
Bern-Luzern: 180 kilometres
Lucerne-Zürich: 135 kilometres
Zürich-Maenfeld: 260 kilometres
Maïenfeld-Bellinzona: 270 kilometres
Bellinzona (Chiasso)-Lugano-Zermatt: 300 kilometres
Zermatt-St. George/Geneva: 215 kilometres
Geneva-Neuchâtel: 190 kilometres

It's time for the first highlight of your motorhome tour of Switzerland: the wine region of Lavaux. Lavaux is the largest wine-growing region in Switzerland. In this area, the conditions for grapes are perfect due to the sun, the stone walls that give off heat at night and the reflection of Lake Geneva. Between the vineyards, there are several hiking trails that take you from vineyard to vineyard, with authentic wine villages in between. It is also advisable to take a nice bottle of wine home with you, as the majority of the wine (99%) is destined for the interior. This means that only 1% goes abroad! At several vineyards, you can buy the most delicious wines, help the winemakers with their daily work on the land or in the cellar, see how the wine-making process works or attend a wine-tasting.

Spend the night near Lavaux at the Vidy camperstop in Lausanne.

The three castles of Bellinzona are on the UNESCO World Heritage List for a reason: these are some of the best preserved castles in the country! The oldest castle is Castelgrande. The castle houses a museum where you will learn everything about the history of the beautiful buildings. In addition, you have a beautiful view of the surroundings from here. Montebello, the second castle, is part of the city's fortifications and Sasso Corbaro, the third castle, is built on a beautiful rock. Montebello and Sasso Corbaro can be reached not only on foot, but also with the tourist train Artú. The train will drop you off at every place of interest so that you can visit them at your leisure. Don't forget to visit the old city centre where you can admire the beautiful medieval architecture.

In Bellinzona you will find the Centro Sportivo.

Number three on the UNESCO list is the untouched biosphere Entlebuch. In a biosphere park, it is paramount that both nature and culture are well preserved. In the area, you will find extensive peat landscapes and karst rocks. The latter is limestone on the surface that dissolves, for example, by the acid in rainwater. The best way to explore the area is on foot. For example, from Sörenberg and Marbach, two mountain villages. In both villages, there is a gondola lift that takes you up into the mountains. From here, there are several beautiful walks for every level!

In Sörenberg you will spend the night in the biosphere at Wohnmobil Stellplatz Sörenberg Platz.

Driving clockwise

Due to motorway exits or cities with one-way traffic, it is recommended to drive the route clockwise. The route is signposted.

In the Bernese Oberland, you will find the sky-blue Lake Brienzer, one of the highlights of your motorhome journey. Take a boat trip here while admiring the beautiful surrounding mountains, perhaps from the special Lötschberg boat. This boat was built in 1914 and its appearance has not changed in the meantime. This nostalgic atmosphere makes the boat trip even more special. Apart from this boat, there are several other liners and they all take you along the most beautiful places of the lake. Think of the Giessbachfälle, a beautiful waterfall. There is a walk around the waterfall where you even walk behind the waterfalls. Or visit the Grandhotel Giessbach, which you will also encounter on the hike. Both sights can also be reached by Europe's oldest funicular, the Giessbach Railway.

At Lake Brienzer you will find the camperstops Aaregg and TCS Camping Böningen.

Welcome to Fribourg, one of your last stops on this Grand Tour. In the medieval city of Fribourg (Freiburg in German), you can admire beautiful historical buildings and discover the equally beautiful surroundings. In the city you will find as many as 11 old fountains with special names, such as Treue -faithfulness- and Tapferkeit -dapperness. In addition, you can admire many beautiful facades from the 15th century during a city walk, and the cathedral is worth a visit with its mosaic. If you climb to the top via the 365 steps, you will have a beautiful view of the surroundings. You can also visit the city wall, which has been largely preserved. You can admire this defensive work during a walk over this 2 kilometre long wall. Around the city there are also several beautiful hiking trails where you will encounter special caves and typical Swiss wooden houses. After all these wonderful highlights, one thing is certain: a Grand Tour!

Spend the night near Fribourg at Payerne or Romont.

Restrictions

You may encounter restrictions on some of the stages. For example, the motorhome may be just too big to access a certain road. Download the exact restrictions at myswitzerland.com. An alternative route will be provided at the same time.