Best Hikes in Switzerland

Part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the Swiss National Park is technically the only national park in the country - the rest of the protected areas in Switzerland are preserves or nature parks.

Doing the entire Via Engiadina trail is a bit of a stretch – the hike extends from Maloja to Samedan, covering 35 kilometers of paths that cross mountain pastures, thick Swiss pine forests, and tiny villages that seem untouched by time.

The Oeschinensee Panorama Hike is an 8.5-kilometer loop that takes you around the deep turquoise waters of Oeschinensee Lake.

Parc Ela is a large stretch of untouched nature in the heart of the canton of Graubünden, the easternmost region of Switzerland. Although there are many hikes here, the Hängebrücke Val Meltger trail is a great place to start. An eight-kilometer, mostly gravel path with a total elevation of almost 400 meters, this hike offers great open views over the valley of Oberhalbstein.

If the idea of hiking the Mattherhorn seems too daunting, Mount Titlis in the Uri Alps is a much more approachable option. Even better, the mountain offers several trails that go from easy one-hour walks to advanced level hikes that can get you to the top of the 3,000-meter-tall mountain - all along a stunning scenery of Alpine flowers and sloping, green meadows.

Just minutes outside Zermatt - one of the most famous mountain resort towns in southern Switzerland - is the Höhbalmen Alpine meadow, a wildflower-covered balcony with a direct view over the Valais Alps. The Höhbalmen-Höhenweg hike, which takes you right past the northern face of the mighty Matterhorn, is perhaps one of the most beautiful hikes in the area - if you're up for the challenge.

Lauterbrunnental is known as the valley with the 12 waterfalls, so a hike here will get you stunning views no matter which way you're heading. This is an excellent destination for quick, easy hikes, as the valley slopes softly, and the green meadows offer good traction and make the terrain comfortable for treks.

The Matterhorn is one of the highest summits in the Alps. For hikers who want to test themselves, it doesn't get much harder than trekking up part of the 4,478 meters of the mountain that sits right on the border between Switzerland and Italy.

The Engelberg Valley has so many trails, you could spend weeks hiking through it and still have corners left to explore. The Brunni Trail is a panoramic path and a great way to help you discover the basics of the valley and the flowering pastures surrounded by towering peaks. This seven-kilometer hike sees little elevation (just under 300 meters total) and shouldn't take more than two-and-a-half hours to complete.

An easy, mostly flat (except for some short steep sections), seven-kilometer hike, the Rigi Panorama Trail offers some of the best views you'll find while hiking Switzerland. Most of the trail is dirt and gravel, but the path is well-maintained to make it easy to maneuver at any time of the year.