Chur’s main industry is tourism, but it is also a significant trading centre, especially for Valtelline wines. Metalworking, food processing, and the production of machinery are important. The population is mainly German speaking with a small Protestant majority.

Chur looks back on 5000 years of settlement history, which also makes it Switzerland’s oldest town. This lively small bishop’s town has developed to become the cultural and economic centre of the Grisons, thanks to its excellent location on key transport routes through the Alps.

To help find the most important witnesses to the town’s history, two discovery trails marked by red and green footprints lead through the town. Examples include the Gothic old town dating from the 15th and 16th century, where the influences of the neighbouring countries remain visible today and attest to the skills of the Italian master builders, and the 800-year-old cathedral with its wonderful, three-sided carved altar dating from the 15th century. Visits to the Rhaetian Museum with its cultural-historical and folk art collection, as well as the Art Museum with its Grisons’ paintings and sculptures from the 18th – 20th century, are particularly rewarding.

500 shops and over 100 restaurants and hostelries offer visitors a wealth of possible purchases. The town’s many annual events as well as concerts, theatres and cinemas make the southern ambience of Chur noticeable. What’s more, Chur also has a zoo and leisure park.

A regional mountain – the ‘Brambrüesch’ – means that Chur also has its own winter and summer sports region. In summer, Chur is the ideal spot from which to set off on walks and visits to vineyards in the ‘Bündner Herrschaft’ winemaking region. Chur is the gateway to the Grisons mountains: 26 holiday and spa resorts can be reached in less than an hour from Chur.

Panorama trains travel from Chur into the Grisons Alps, e.g. the Bernina Express to St. Moritz and Tirano along the Albula route which has been much praised as a masterpiece of railway construction, the Glacier Express to the Matterhorn, the Arosa Express to the renowned climatic spa resort, and the Heidi Express to Davos.

Chur is the centre of the Chur Rhine valley, which reaches from the “Bündner Herrschaft” wine-growing region to the spectacular gorge of the Viamala. Whilst the “Bündner Herrschaft” with its centre of Maienfeld once inspired Johanna Spyri to pen her Heidi book and today produces outstanding Pinot Noir wines, Grüsch-Danusa, best known as a winter sports region, lies at the valley entrance to the Prättigau. To the west of Chur lies the Domleschg, the most castle-populated region of Switzerland and directly to the south of this Thusis, at the entrance to the steep Viamala gorge.

Highlights

• Chur old town – Gothic old town dating from the 15th and 16th century, where the influences of the neighbouring countries remain visible today and attest to the skills of the Italian master builders.
• Grisons Art Museum – houses a collection of works by Angelika Kaufmann, Giovanni Segantini, Ferdinand Hodler, Giovanni, August and Alberto Giacometti as well as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.
• Giger Bar – a bar themed and modelled by the surrealist and “Alien” creator H.R. Giger, whose home town is Chur.
• Rhaetian Railway – Chur is the junction of world-renowned railway lines such as the Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano (Italy) via St. Moritz and the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Chur, Davos and St. Moritz.
• Culinary delights – the gateway to the Grisons holiday region offers the largest selection of Grisons specialities and wines from the “Bündner Herrschaft”.

Top Events

• Chur town festival – held on the streets and squares of the Chur old town, with many delicacies from different cuisines and music from all genres (August).
• Open-air cinema – summer cinematic enjoyment in the open under starry skies in Fontana park (August).
• Alpine Beard Get-Together on the Brambrüesch – the wearers of Europe’s most rustic beards meet up annually to elect their grand master (August).
• Chur hit parade – music fans travel to the Grisons metropolis to meet up with the big stars from the world of hit music (September).

Situated on the main railway from Lausanne to Bern and a junction of lines to Murten and Payerne, the city is also a centre for bus and postal road services. There are breweries, a foundry, and factories for chocolate, cardboard boxes, machinery, electrical equipment, wood products, clothing, and chemicals. The population is primarily French speaking.

The Old Town of Fribourg (German: Freiburg im Üechtland) is one of the finest examples of medieval architecture in Europe. It has preserved its medieval charms into modern times, with over 200 Gothic facades dating from the 15th century. There has always been a lively crossover of cultures in this bilingual town.
Fribourg, founded in 1157 by the Dukes of Zähringen, is the capital of the canton of the same name, and is at the interface between German and French cultural influences. The medieval town centre, classified as a historical monument, with its narrow alleyways, picturesque squares and fountains with statues, is situated on a rocky outcrop high above the River Saane (Sarine). The fortifications, with 14 towers and a city wall, are intact and unique.

The most striking feature on the town’s skyline is the 76 metre high, unfinished tower of the St. Nicolas Cathedral. The cathedral can look back over 600 years of history, and houses famous masterpieces such as the incomparable stained glass windows by Jozef Mehoffer and Alfred Manessier and an organ by Aloys Mooser. From the tower, there is a wonderful view over the roofs of the town towards the Fribourg Pre-Alps.

Another good viewpoint is the Italian-style early Baroque Loreto Chapel. From the Neuveville district (in the Lower Town), a funicular railway takes you up to the pedestrianised area of the Upper Town. Fribourg is a lively university town, with many students from all over the world, making this a cosmopolitan, multi-faceted mini-metropolis. In the narrow alleyways are tightly packed rows of little boutiques, antique shops, student cafés and restaurants, offering local and foreign specialities.

One of the favourite destinations for art-lovers is the “Espace Jean Tinguely et Niki de Saint Phalle”, housed in a former tram depot. More works by the two artists can be found on the Sculpture Trail through the town centre. Modern art is on display in the Fri-Art Gallery. Children will love the Puppet Museum or the highly educational Natural History Museum.

It is worth making an excursion to Hauterive Abbey, a Cistercian abbey founded in 1137, and once a stopping place on the pilgrims’ route to Santiago de Compostela.

Highlights

• Fribourg Old Town – Gothic facades, pretty fountains, cosy cafés and inns, full of the charm of bygone days.
• Espace Jean Tinguely et Niki de Saint Phalle – this museum is dedicated to the sculptor Jean Tinguely and his wife, the artist Niki de Saint Phalle.
• St. Nicolas Cathedral – started according to German construction plans and finished to meet French wishes, with magnificent stained glass windows.
• Gruyères/Greyerz – not far from Fribourg is the village of Gruyères /Greyerz, where you can see the famous cheese of the same name being produced in a show cheesery.
• Murten – this little medieval town on the south-east bank of Lake Murten has a complete town wall and a pleasant promenade beside the lake, where there is a wide range of water sports available.

Top Events

• Belluard Bollwerk International – this cultural event for contemporary arts takes place in a medieval fortress (June/July).
• International Folklore Festival – music from around the world on the squares and stages of Fribourg (August).
• St. Niklaus Festival – at dusk, Saint Nikolaus, the town’s patron saint, goes on a donkey at the head of a procession through the Old Town (December).
• Christmas Market – at Christmas, you can buy mulled wine and various regional products at the market (December).

How to get there

Public Transport: Direct train connections to major Swiss cities (Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel, Zürich).
By car: Direct link to the national Autobahn network. Situated on the Autobahn axis Geneva-Zürich and Basel-Bern-Lausanne (A1/E5 and A2/E27)
Other/Air: Fribourg, situated between Geneva and Zürich, offers easy connections between the airports of Zürich-Kloten (160 km), Geneva-Cointrin (140 km), Basel-Mulhouse (140 km) and Bern-Belp (40 km).

The Protestant Münster, or cathedral (consecrated 1103), formerly the church of the All Saints monastery, has a bell (cast in 1486) inscribed “vivos voco, mortuos plango, fulgura frango” (“I call the living, I toll the dead, I break lightning bolts”), which is said to have inspired Friedrich Schiller’s famous poem “Das Lied von der Glocke” (“The Lay of the Bell”). The former monastery now houses the municipal museum. Other notable landmarks are the round, massive Munot Fort (1564–85), the parish church (1460–1517), the old (1382–1412) and new (1617) town halls, and the Haus zum Ritter, or the Knight’s House (1485), with frescoes by Tobias Stimmer.

A busy rail junction and tourist centre, it manufactures metal products, textiles, and watches. Important hydroelectric plants are nearby on the Rhine, there noted for its magnificent Rhine Falls, 2 mi (3 km) southwest. There is an aluminum plant in the industrial suburb of Neuhausen am Rheinfall. The population is German speaking and largely Protestant.

Over the mediaeval Old Town of Schaffhausen looms the imposing Munot fortress. The houses of the Old Town are richly decorated with oriel windows and lavishly painted facades. The town, located on the Upper Rhine between the Black Forest and Lake Constance, and surrounded by vineyards, is a popular destination for holidays and day-trips.

The town of Schaffhausen is in the northernmost corner of Switzerland, in the “knee” of the Rhine in Eastern Switzerland on the border with Germany. It owes its origins to the Rheinfall waterfall: the settlement arose where shippers needed somewhere to unload and stack their goods when avoiding the rapids that were impassable for ships.

The traffic-free Old Town of Schaffhausen is considered one of the prettiest in Switzerland, on account of its many oriel windows and lavishly painted facades. Many of the fine guildhouses and merchant’s houses date from Gothic and Baroque times. The lively Old Town is very good for shopping. The town began with the street market in what is now the Vordergasse. This is also where you will find the High Gothic St. Johann church with its remarkable acoustics.

The emblem of the town, the Munot fortress, can be seen for miles. The ring-shaped stronghold was built between 1564 and 1589 to a design by Albrecht Dürer. You can see far and wide from the battlements. Every evening at 9 p.m., the Munot guard who lives in the tower rings the Munot bell, which used to be a sign that the town gates and inns should close.

In the area to the north of Schaffhausen, in the hilly region of the Randen, and on the vine-clad slopes of the Klettgau, there are lovely walks and cycle rides and you can enjoy a tasty drop of Pinot Noir. Learn about how the wine is made during a one-hour walk along the Trasadingen Wine Trail or in the Museum of Viticulture in Hallau.

The riverside landscape along the Rhine is a lovely area for cycling, walking and boating. The popular Untersee Lake-Rhine boat trip from Schaffhausen to Kreuzlingen is nearly 50 km long. The section of river between Schaffhausen and the well-preserved little mediaeval town of Stein am Rhein, with its frescos and painted houses, is particularly charming. The Benedictine monastery of St. Georgen now houses the monastery museum. Over the town towers the castle of Hohenklingen.

Highlights

• Old Town – one of the most delightful Old Towns in Switzerland, with wonderful Baroque houses and 170 oriel windows, which were a status symbol on the houses of rich merchants.
• Rheinfall at Schaffhausen – Europe’s largest and most powerful waterfall, where the water crashes down 21 metres, across a width of 150 metres. The natural spectacle is at its best in July when water levels are highest.
• Boat trip on the Rhine from Schaffhausen to Stein am Rhein and on across the Untersee to Konstanz and Kreuzlingen – one of the finest river trips in Europe.
• Former Benedictine abbey of Allerheiligen – the monastery church with its 11th century cloisters is an important Romanesque historic building, with a herb garden and museum about the town’s history and industry.
• Modern Art Gallery – a former textile factory houses large installations by internationally renowned artists.

Top Events

• International Bach Festival – Music by J. S. Bach is played to the highest standard throughout Schaffhausen (May every three years, 2009 etc.).
• Schaffhausen Jazz Festival – most important showcase for Swiss jazz, current work in jazz and improvised music in the “Kammgarn” cultural centre (May).
• Grape Blossom Festival in Schaffhausen – the grape blossom festival is celebrated in all 20 wine-growing districts of the region, with cellar visits and tasting sessions (June).
• Museum night at Hegau-Schaffhausen – many museums in the region are open until late evening (September).
• Trottenfeste in Pinot Noir country – various autumn festivals in the wine-growing areas around Schaffhausen (September).
• Chlaus- und Kunsthandwerkermarkt – Christmas craft market in the historic “Lower Town”, decorated for the festive season. Procession with cow bells etc. (December).

How to get there

Public Transport: Schaffhausen is easily and comfortably reached by rail. It is located on the internationally important Stuttgart – Schaffhausen – Zürich – Milan route. This intersects in Schaffhausen with the Basel – Schaffhausen – Lindau line of the German Rail, guaranteeing ideal accessibility from all directions. Rail pass, schedule of the Swiss Federal Railroad; schedule of the German Federal Railroad.
By car: Schaffhausen is well connected to both the German and the Swiss Autobahn networks. It is situated on the direct Stuttgart – Zürich axis.
Other/Air: Coming from Zürich Airport, where direct flights from almost every international metropolis arrive and depart, you can reach Schaffhausen in 30 minutes by car. You will reach Schaffhausen in less than one hour by public transportation.

The town of Zug, with its attractive location by Lake Zug, its picturesque Old Town and culinary specialities, is an attractive destination for holidays or excursions in Central Switzerland. Zug is also highly rated by business people: because of the low rates of taxation, the canton of Zug is a popular place to do business, and many international companies have settled here.

In the Middle Ages, the town belonged in succession to the noble families of the Lenzburgs, the Kyburgs and the Habsburgs. The charming Old Town, dating from the time of the Kyburgs, has a number of impressive historical buildings. The emblem of the historic centre around the Kolinplatz square is the Zytturm. The house, dating from the 16th century, is a popular meeting place. The quayside in Zug, the promenade along the lake, is a popular place for a stroll, from where you can see the famous mountains of central Switzerland such as the Rigi, Pilatus, and Bürgenstock, and on a clear day even the peaks of the Bernese Alps.

The modern part of the town of Zug between the Old Town and the station is an inviting place for window-shopping along its arcades. Specially noteworthy are the Zug Art Museum, giving an interesting overview of the art of the 20th century, the History Museum in the castle, an Africa Museum, a Fishing Museum and a Museum of Prehistoric Times.

You should not leave Zug without tasting its gastronomic specialities: “Zuger Kirschtorte” – Zug is famous for its Kirsch liqueur, distilled from the region’s wonderful fruits – and “Zuger Rötel”, a particularly delicious type of fish from the lake.

Thanks to free bike hire from May to October, it’s easy to explore the town and the surrounding area on two wheels. There is an extensive network of footpaths, with several walks along the shores of the lake and over the Zugerberg or the gently rolling moraine landscape of the region. As an alternative to walking, try the paths for cycling or skating along the side of the lake. A popular biking route goes over the Zugerberg to Lake Ägeri and through the Lorzentobel valley back to Zug. On a hot summer’s day, the shady, romantic gorge of the Lorze is an attractive way to hike to the caves, complete with stalactites and stalagmites.

Thanks to its central location between Zurich and Lucerne, and good infrastructure, Zug is, of course, an excellent starting point for excursions.

Highlights

• Old Town – an impressive Old Town building from the late Gothic period, emblem of the historic centre, is the 52 m high Zytturm, rising above the other ancient towers.
• Art Museum – six annual exhibitions of modern art, artists are invited to help create the exhibition.
• Zug station – a light installation by the American light artist James Turrell has turned Zug station into a trendy work of art.
• Lake Zug – organise a boat ride or enjoy a romantic sunset from the lakeside promenade.
• Baar Caves – especially fine cave with stalactites and stalagmites in the deep, shadowy Lorzentobel valley.
• Chapel of former Cistercian abbey – impressive early Gothic monastery church near Zug, dating from the 13th/14th century, with fine choir stalls and stained glass windows.

Top Events

• Carnival – the traditional Carnival figures in Zug include Greth Schell, who carries her husband home in a basket on her back after he has had too much to drink in the inn (February/March).
• Zuger Seenachtsfest – a cheerful summer festival with fireworks (June).
• “Märlisunntig Zug” – old and young listen with rapt attention to the tales of storytellers in more than 30 fairy-telling sessions (December).
• Zug Christmas Market – an aroma of cinnamon, mulled wine and fir trees, streets full of Christmas music and stalls selling handicrafts (December).

How to get there

Public Transport:

Canton Zug is easily reached by train. The Intercity trains of the Gotthard line and Zürich-Lucerne line stop at the city of Zug. Moreover, Zug is connected to the S-Bahn network (rapid transit trains) of Canton Zürich. Besides Zug, the villages of Baar, Cham, Rotkreuz, Steinhausen, Walchwil are connected to the SBB system. Driving time from Zürich: 30 minutes.

By car:

By car from St. Gotthard on Autobahn A2 and A14 via Lucerne on t A4 via Arth-Goldau, with exits in Rotkreuz, Cham, Zug-West and Baar. From Zürich you can drive via A3 up to exit Hirzel and then to Sihlbrugg/Baar, or via cantonal road 4 through the Sihl forest up to Sihlbrugg/Baar.
Other/Air: The nearest airport is Zürich-Kloten. From Zürich-Kloten there are half-hourly train connections to Zug. Driving time: 53 minutes

Labels such as Cultural Capital of Switzerland or University City can only be seen as an attempt to give the city, with its wealth of cultural, historical, leisure and enjoyment experiences, a single overarching name.

The Cathedral

With its red sandstone walls, multicoloured roof tiles and twin towers, the Cathedral is a dominant feature of the city. The crypt, the choir, the tomb of Erasmus of Rotterdam, the Galluspforte and the two cloisters are a testimony to the eventful history of its construction over a period of several centuries.

Opening hours
Summer, Easter Saturday till the 15th of October
Monday – Friday 10 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.
Sunday and holidays 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Winter, 16th of October till Good Friday
Monday – Saturday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday and holidays 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.

The Cathedral is closed on the following days: 1st January, Good Friday, 1st May, 1st August, 24th and 25th December

The Pfalz

The Basler Pfalz offers a magnificent view over the Old Town and far out into the Three-Countries Corner.
The word «Pfalz» is derived from «palatium» = palace. The terrace high above the Rhine behind the Cathedral is called the Pfalz because the residence of the Bishop of Basel was in the immediate vicinity.

Stairs lead down from the Pfalz to the landing stage of the Münsterfähre (Cathedral Ferry). The ferry is attached to a wire rope stretched across the Rhine, and is propelled across the broad river purely by the force of the current. There are three other ferries in Basel, and all of them are a popular attraction for both young and old.
Through a narrow gate one passes from the terrace into the quiet cloister of Basel Cathedral. Here one finds richly ornamented gravestones of members of well-known Basel families dating from the 16th to the 19th century.

Marktplatz & Town Hall

Every day except Sunday, fresh vegetables, fruit and flowers are on sale here. The Marktplatz is dominated by the Town Hall (Rathaus), the seat of the government of the Canton of Basel-City which at the same time functions as the city council.

Particularly worth seeing are the Council Chambers, the atmospheric Inner Courtyard, the romantic arcades and the imposing tower.

At the time of the transition from historicism to the Art Nouveau style, almost all the old burghers’ houses around the Marktplatz were replaced by larger buildings. One surviving building in the Renaissance style is the house of the vintners’ guild, known as the Geltenzunft, whose members were wine merchants and taverners. They were held in high esteem, for wine, like bread, was one of the most important daily foods and the vintners supervised its quality.

Mittlere Brücke / Schifflände

The first bridge across the Rhine was opened in Basel in 1226. Its builder was Prince-Bishop Heinrich von Thun. As protection for the bridge in which so much money had been invested, he established the fortified town of Kleinbasel (Lesser Basel) on the right bank of the Rhine.
The bridge initially served mainly local traffic, but in the 14th century, when the road over the St. Gotthard pass attained international significance, it became an important Rhine crossing for long-distance trade.

After the introduction of the electric tram, it became necessary to replace the old bridge with the new Mittlere Brücke dating from 1905. A copy of the old bridge chapel, the «Käppelijoch», still reminds us of the original structure.

Today, at the Schifflände, is a landing stage for the pleasure boats of the Basler Personenschiffahrt, which offers interesting excursions on the Rhine.

Basel’s Old Town

Travel through time as you explore Basel on foot. Basel’s Old Town remains as untouched and beautiful as any other in Europe.

In few other cities you will find buildings dating back to the 15th century contrasting with and yet complementing the modern works of internationally renowned architects.

Tinguely Fountain

In the place where the stage of the old Town Theatre formerly stood, in 1977 Jean Tinguely placed amusing machine sculptures in an enormous pool of water. They now create action in place of the actors, singers and dancers.

With this fountain the artist, whose work enjoys great popularity in Basel, endowed the town with a new symbol of its identity.