Best Small Towns in Switzerland

Zermatt, Switzerland (cc)

Photo: Claus Ableiter

The 10 Best Small Towns in Switzerland

[ Pages of interest: Zürich and Great Castles of Switzerland ]

Zermatt

Location: Canton of Valais

Population: 5,750

Appenzell

Singularly the most picturesque and most Swiss of all Swiss towns and villages. There are the ruins of Castle Clanx to explore, as well as a 16th-century town hall and lovely old buildings in it the village core, housing shops and restaurants, listed as heritage treasures of national significance. The town sits in the verdant green foothills of the Alpstein – a slice of authentic Swiss countryside.

Location: Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden

Population: 5,770

Neuchâtel

French-speaking small Swiss city on Lake Neuchâtel, with stately old buildings and a well-preserved old quarter. Fountains and monuments abound – with more than 140 street fountains in the Old Town alone! – and there's also a French-speaking university, along with well-endowed museums and libraries, a 12th-century early-Gothic church, and ancient stone fortifications of the Château de Neuchâtel.

Location: Canton of Neuchâtel

Population: 33,600

Thun

Thun is an absolutely charming small city in west-central Switzerland, with a well-kept 12th-century castle with turrets and an atmospheric old town with cobbled streets and flower-decked squares. That it sits on the shores of Lake Thun in the Bernese Alps only add to its appeal. Plus, there's no dearth of shops, restaurants and cafés to sate the tourist.

Location: Canton of Bern

Population: 43,800

Sion

Location: Canton of Valais

Population: 30, 700

Andermatt

Location: Canton of Uri

Population: 1,280

Schwyz

Location: Canton of Schwyz

Population: 14,330

Morcote