Switzerland's lakeside towns 

Find Switzerland’s most popular lakeside towns

My personal preferred lakeside towns

If you like to stay on a lake, I think you should consider these options too:

1. Arno and I like Weggis on Lake Lucerne a lot. When we stayed there for a couple of weeks, we had an apartment with wonderful views over the lake toward Bürgenstock and Pilatus. Find out more in my Lake Lucerne guide.
2. Spiez on Lake Thun is a great base town for tourists, but it’s often overlooked. The village has a wonderful marina with a castle and panoramic views to the mountain ridges of the Niederhorn. Spiez is located very centrally, with excellent train connections to many Swiss regions. Please see my Bernese Oberland guide for more details.
3. Bönigen on Lake Brienz is very close to Interlaken. But whereas Interlaken isn’t directly on one of the lakes, Bönigen is. You’ll be able to find accommodation with lake views and quick bus connections to Interlaken here.
4. Rapperswil is a charming village on Lake Zurich. If you mainly want to visit Zurich, I don’t think it’s the best base town. That’s because a single train ride takes 35-40 minutes. But if you like a smaller lakeside town, and are interested in the area east of Zurich as well (St. Gallen, for example), I can definitely recommend it.
5. Sils and Silvaplana in the Engadine are lakeside gems close to St. Moritz. Sils isn’t directly on a lake, but on a plain right between two lakes and very close to both. It offers outstanding views. Read more about these villages in our Engadine guide.
6. We stayed in Corseaux on Lake Geneva and we loved it. The panoramic lakeside views are amazing. It’s a good base to visit Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux and the scenic villages of the Lavaux wine area.
7. Lutry on Lake Geneva, right in the heart of the Lavaux, is a very charming village too.
8. Walenstadt is on the Walensee (“Lake Walen”) in north-east Switzerland, roughly between Zurich and Chur in Graubünden. The Walensee is a lesser-known but attractive holiday region, with several cable cars up in the mountains and lots of hiking options.
9. Zug is a nice historic town on Lake Zug, close to Lake Lucerne. You can quickly reach Zurich, Lucerne, Arth-Goldau and Rigi, and make boat trips over the lake.
10. Sarnern and Lungen are on smaller lakes between Lucerne and Brienz, on the northern section of the GoldenPass train line. They make for a good base if you’re interested in both the Lake Lucerne area and the Bernese Oberland. We’d favor Sarnen, as it’s a bit larger and offers more facilities.
11. Biel, Murten, Neuchâtel, and Yverdon-les-Bains are all beautiful lakeside towns in the Three-Lake district in north-western Switzerland, close to the Jura mountains. I’ve included this area in my all-season car itinerary.

Isn’t Interlaken on a lake as well?

The tourist resort of Interlaken is located between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. Although both lakes are close by, the town can’t be classified as “lakeside”. Consider nearby villages such as Bönigen and Ringgenberg (on Lake Brienz), or Unterseen, Därligen, and Leissigen (on Lake Thun) if you’re looking for lakeside accommodation.

All info about boat trips on Swiss lakes