Switzerland · HISTORICAL TOURS
The good historical tours fill weeks ahead and the best go first. Below: the 12 to book early, what each includes, and how they differ once you look past the photograph.
Lucerne’s night watchman guides a 1.5 hour walk through medieval streets, law and war stories, ending with the Dance of Death.
“This was such a fun and informative tour. I wished it lasted longer!”
A 90-minute guided walk through Basel Old Town’s top landmarks, from the Roothus and Minster views to the opera house and Swiss sweets.
“Fabulous tour. Our guide Ray was outstanding. Extremely knowledgeable and accomodating! One of the best guided tours during our trip.”
2-hour small-group walk in Zurich Old Town with Einstein and Lenin stops, Fraumünster Chagall windows, cloisters, fountains, plus a quick Polybahn ride.
“The tour visited the significant historical sites of Zurich. The guide pointed out many details and her explanations were good. The tour is strenuous with hills and many steps. Our guide's pace was too fast (several people in our small group complained) and that made the walk more strenuous than necessary. If one stopped to take photos, you had to hurry to catch up because the guide kept going. We joked that she wanted to finish early to go home and, indeed, the "2 hour" tour was 1 3/4 hours. An extra 15 minutes of walking at a slower pace to enjoy the view would have made this tour better.”
A 1.5-hour guided walk through Basel’s old town, hitting the Münster, Roothus, Romanesque passageways, and the opera area.
“I had a really nice and interesting tour in Basel. The city is beautiful, and the tour made it even better. The guide, Gina, was super nice, explained everything really well, and made the experience fun and engaging. She was super cool and easy to listen to. Definitely recommend this tour if you want to learn more about Basel in a relaxed and enjoyable way!”
Geneva dark history quest: a self-guided phone game visiting Saint-Pierre, the Reformation Wall, prison, shelters, and ending at Sissi.
“This gave a real purpose to walking round geneva and we learned some interesting facts and historical stories. Much better than dry information read online. Loved it!”
Zurich chocolate-and-art walking tour with 10+ tastings at top chocolatiers, Old Town stories, art stops, and a chocolate gift in 2 hours.
“Vasi was a wonderful guide, full of informative stories, history, and facts about Switzerland and Zurich. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him and a multitude of chocolates!”
Visit the Forum of Swiss History Schwyz for hands-on medieval fun, multilingual exhibits, and a family trail. One-day ticket from $17.
2-hour guided old town walk in Chur, Switzerland, tracing 11,000 years of history through St. Martin, the cathedral, Arcas, and city walls.
“Guide weiss shr viel. Koordination der Erklärungen an den Standorten könnte harmonischer sein.”
Join an English-led 3-hour walk through Lausanne’s landmarks, squares, and cathedral, with a cafe stop and insider city stories.
“Liliane our tourguide showed us all the secrets of Lausanne. It was an amazing experience.”
Full-day Geneva to Gruyères for castle rooms, Gruyère cheese making, and Cailler chocolate tastings, all in English.
“The trip was very enjoyable and informational as well. If you’re a chocolate and cheese lover, this trip is definitely for you. If not, you will still learn something from this trip. My tour driver John was very friendly and engaging as he shared a good history of the places we visited. He made the entire trip interesting so there was not a boring moment.”
A private 2-hour Geneva walk linking art, the cathedral, the Reformation Wall, opera, and L'Usine, in English with free admissions.
“Shiva was INCREDIBLE! She showed us so many amazing things in Geneva and recommended so many fantastic experiences to explore on our own! We even had to reschedule because of an illness and she was incredibly accommodating. Highly recommend. You will learn a lot and find things to do on your own this way. I recommend taking this tour first day in Geneva so that you have time to explore more after.”
A private 2-3 hour Lucerne history walk with a local, focused on Chapel Bridge and key landmarks, plus tailored tips for your day.
“Manuela was exceptional. Punctual, very respectful of what we wanted to see and learn, great pace, highly professional and extremely friendly and welcoming. I recommend her as highly as I possibly can. She was perfect.”
Pick a mountain, a factory, a lake or a train.
