87 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Switzerland - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in Switzerland

Gruyères, Switzerland

H.R. Giger Museum

The bizarre visions of H.R. Giger, tucked away in a Swiss medieval city.

Added by danomar

Bern, Switzerland

The Child Eater of Bern

A nearly 500 year old sculpture depicts a man eating a sack of babies, and no one is sure why.

Ennetbürgen, Switzerland

Hammetschwand Elevator

The tallest outdoor elevator in Europe rockets passengers on a dizzyingly precarious ride to the top of a mountain.

JEmerling

Added by JEmerling

Neuheim, Switzerland

Hell Grottoes

These spooky and unusual stone formations create an underworldly landscape.

Added by Megsandbacon

Beatenberg, Switzerland

St. Beatus Cave

Caves famous for the dragon-slaying saint who lived there.

michelle

Added by michelle

Gadmen, Switzerland

Trift Bridge

This amazing pedestrian suspension bridge in the Swiss Alps would give Indiana Jones nightmares.

Boudry, Switzerland

Saut de Brot

This lovely little bridge hidden in a Switzerland gorge is essentially a fairytale.

David W

Added by David W

Lucerne, Switzerland

Lion of Lucerne

This memorial commemorating fallen soldiers of the French Revolution has been called the saddest stone in the world.

Added by ectoman3

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Unique
Food & Drink
in Switzerland

Poire Williams

Gastro Obscura

Poire Williams

Before they're filled with brandy, these bottles get attached to trees so pears can grow inside.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Ruby Chocolate

Gastro Obscura

Ruby Chocolate

The first natural shade to join dark, milk, and white in 80 years.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

Maggi Seasoning

Gastro Obscura

Ingredients & Condiments

Maggi Seasoning

This condiment proves that what the world considers delicious is (nearly) universal.

Gastro Obscura

paulamejia

Added by paulamejia

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Stories
About Switzerland

Guests enjoy a Bénichon meal at an event photographed by the region's tourism board.

The Swiss Festival That Starts When the Cows Come Home

Six courses, eight hours, and foods you won’t find anywhere else.

by Molly Harris

December 11, 2018

A bottle of absinthe tucked away in the woods.

The Absinthe Enthusiasts Hiding Bottles in the Swiss Woods

In the Val-de-Travers valley, people never stopped distilling the spirit.

by Camille von Kaenel

November 08, 2018

Only at very high altitudes, such as in the Monte Rosa area (southern Valais), did some of the large amounts of winter snow survive the summer.

European Glaciers Have Been Coming and Going for Thousands of Years, But Now They’re Just Going

2018 was a terrible year for Swiss glaciers.

November 06, 2018

The author taking notes approximately 10,000 feet above sea level.

7 Hours in the Air With Some Record-Breaking Swiss Balloonists

Up, up, and away over the Alps.

by Kristen Cosby

October 12, 2018

The papyrus before conservation.

A 2,000-Year-Old Mystery Papyrus Reveals Its Secrets

For centuries, no one could read it.

by Sarah Laskow

A bison rests on the pasture.

How North American Bison Ended Up in the Swiss Alps

The mammals in Geneva’s outskirts are now iconic in the country.

by Lina Zeldovich

Not the $10,000 dram.

The $10,000 Whisky Dram That Turned Out to Be Worthless

A refund was involved.

by Natasha Frost

November 02, 2017

In Switzerland, they just throw this stuff away.

There's Gold in Switzerland's Sewage

Also, a whole lot of silver.

by Sarah Laskow

October 11, 2017