‌Villas ‌‌in‌ Switzerland‌

Table of Contents

• At a glance: What should you know about renting a villa in Switzerland?
• Villas in Switzerland: find your perfect retreat
• Exploring Switzerland: our top recommendations
• Activities: What are the top things to do and see in Switzerland?

• Spacious alpine stays: Switzerland’s self-catering stock leans towards roomy chalets, converted maiensäss huts and holiday houses, so expect mountain character rather than Mediterranean-style villas.
• Lakes, not coastline: The country is landlocked, so the water story is Lake Geneva, Lake Lucerne, Lake Thun and Lake Maggiore rather than any sea.
• Where to base yourself: Zermatt suits skiers, Interlaken lake-lovers, Lucerne old-town wanderers, Zurich culture and Lugano a warmer Italian-speaking pace.
• Guest favourites score high: Our top-rated Swiss stays of the past year all sit at 10.0+, spread across Grisons and the Lucerne lakes.
• Year-round appeal: Summer brings hiking and lake swimming, autumn quieter trails and vineyards, winter skiing and Christmas markets.

Switzerland’s holiday-let stock is dominated by mountain architecture rather than grand villas, so alongside the occasional large detached house you will mostly find timber chalets, self-catering apartments in resort villages and characterful cottages converted from farm buildings. Most sleep four to eight and come with a balcony or garden. Look for these features when you compare:

• Balconies or terraces facing the Alps or a lake
• Wood-burning stoves, common in rustic log cabins
• Drying rooms and ski storage in winter-sports villages
• Well-equipped kitchens, useful where eating out is pricey
• Wi-Fi strong enough for a working holiday

Book early for February half-term and the July hiking peak, when the best-placed properties go quickly.

What are the best areas to stay in Switzerland?

For a first visit, the Bernese Oberland balances lakes, mountains and easy rail links better than anywhere else. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Swiss stays consistently earn some of the highest scores on Holidu, and the reasons repeat: hosts who leave local tips, kitchens stocked for a proper self-catering week, and views that guests say photographs never quite capture. Reviewers also single out how quiet these properties are, with several noting they heard nothing but cowbells. The three below all sit at 10.0+ over the past year.

Here are our top-rated places to stay in Switzerland from the past year:

1. Maiensäss Tegia Cucagna - 10.0+: A converted alpine hut for six in Rueun, Grisons, praised for its seclusion, wood-fired warmth and valley views.
2. Maiensäss Larasch - 10.0+: A six-person rustic retreat in Muntogna da Schons, Grisons, singled out for its peace and walking straight from the door.
3. Ferienspycher Durrer-Röthlin - 10.0+: A four-person house in Giswil near Lake Lucerne, with a balcony, lake views and a warm welcome from the hosts.

A landlocked country at the heart of the Alps, Switzerland packs glaciers, deep lakes and medieval old towns into an area smaller than Scotland and Wales combined.

🥗Where to eat in Switzerland?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, Zeughauskeller is the best rated restaurant in Switzerland. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests’ recommendation: Our guest traveller Charlotte recommends the Kronenhalle in Switzerland: a grand Zurich dining room hung with modern art, ideal when a big group wants one properly memorable meal together.

1. Ride up to the Gornergrat
2. Chase waterfalls in Lauterbrunnen
3. Cross Lucerne’s Chapel Bridge
4. Stand above the Rhine Falls
5. Tour Chillon Castle
6. Wander medieval Bern
7. Swim in Lake Lugano

1. Ride up to the Gornergrat

   The cogwheel railway out of Zermatt climbs to 3,089 metres in around 33 minutes, ending on a ridge with a full sweep of the Matterhorn and more than twenty other four-thousand-metre peaks. Go early, when the light is cleanest and the summit terrace is still quiet. In summer the Five Lakes Walk starts a short ride below and takes about two and a half hours downhill, with the Matterhorn mirrored in Stellisee on a still morning. Buy tickets the evening before in peak season.

2. Chase waterfalls in Lauterbrunnen

   Seventy-two waterfalls drop into this glacial valley near Interlaken, and the Trümmelbach Falls are the ones to prioritise: a lift carries you inside the mountain to see ten glacier-fed cascades roaring through the rock. Above the valley floor, a funicular reaches the car-free village of Mürren, all timber houses and balconies facing the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. The valley walk from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg is flat, well signposted and takes roughly an hour.

3. Cross Lucerne’s Chapel Bridge

   The 14th-century Kapellbrücke is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, its rafters painted with scenes from the city’s history and its water tower a favourite photograph. On either side, Lucerne’s old town spreads out in painted facades, small squares and the sombre Lion Monument carved into a rock face. Lake steamers leave from the quay for Vitznau and Weggis, and the cable car to Mount Pilatus makes an easy half-day trip from the centre.

4. Stand above the Rhine Falls

   Near Schaffhausen in the north, the Rhine Falls are the largest waterfall in central Europe: 150 metres wide, 23 metres high and loud enough to drown out conversation. Viewing platforms run right down to the spray, and small boats ferry visitors to the rock stranded mid-torrent, which you can climb for the best angle. Combine it with the walled town of Stein am Rhein, twenty minutes away, whose painted houses line the riverfront.

5. Tour Chillon Castle

   Built on a rocky islet in Lake Geneva near Montreux, Château de Chillon dates back to the 10th century and rewards a good two hours inside. The route runs through vaulted cellars, the great halls, the chapel and the dungeon that inspired Byron, all remarkably well preserved. Climb the keep for lake and mountain views, then walk the shoreline path towards Montreux past the vineyards of the Lavaux terraces.

6. Wander medieval Bern

   The Swiss capital’s old town sits in a loop of the River Aare and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with six kilometres of arcaded shopping streets sheltered from the weather. Start at the Rosengarten viewpoint for the classic panorama of tiled roofs, then work down to the astronomical Zytglogge clock and the Gothic cathedral, whose tower is the tallest in the country. In summer locals float down the Aare on warm afternoons.

7. Swim in Lake Lugano

   Southern Ticino feels closer to Italy than to the Alps, with palm trees along the promenade and water that warms nicely by July. Lugano has free lakeside lidos, and the funicular up Monte Brè opens out over the whole basin. Nearby, the village of Morcote is one of the prettiest in the country, and a boat ride away Lake Maggiore adds Ascona and Locarno to an easy day out. Grotti serve risotto and local merlot in the shade.