There are many one day hikes you can do in Switzerland and they all vary in length, duration and intensity. Here are our top three beautiful Switzerland hikes you can do in one day. In this article we’ll show our top three longer hikes we did, that take a full day and some respectable elevation. These are doable for anyone that has the mental strength to spend a full day in the mountains.
In terms of the best hikes you could do, as this is something rather subjective, this it’s our top three and we hope you find something that will take you out of your comfort zone. These are also not the most popular hikes from Switzerland, so you might find something new here. Each hike has a link to it’s dedicated blog post, in case you want to find out more details or to see more pictures.
Just to get a feel on the complexity, the average length of the hikes below is between 15 and 21 km, with an elevation gain / loss of 900 to 1200 meters. There is plenty of time for breaks during each of these routes but in the end it adds up to a decent amount of kilometers and elevation on the legs for one day. All routes are white/ red marked.
1. Tanzbodeli loop hike from Gimmelwald
Located in the Lauterbrunnen region, a place that offers great hikes with amazing views towards the 4.000m (13.100 ft) peaks from the Jungfrau region, such and Eiger, Mönch or Jungfrau. We spent two days in the region and the hike towards Tanzbodeli summit is the first one we did.
- Ascent /descent: 1.280 m (7.000 ft), if starting / ending in Gimmelwald village
- Distance: 16.6 km (10,3 miles)
If you want to find out more details about the hike, technical details, getting there and so on, feel free to check the dedicated Tanzbodeli hike blog post here.
2. Harder Kulm to Augstmatthorn ridge hike
Augstmatthorn summit is spectacular, offering great Ridgeline views and also views towards Lake Brienz (Brienzersee). You can reach Augstmatthorn in various ways but we choose the popular route, beginning at Harder Kulm, however ending the hike on the other side of the mountain.
- Ascent: 940 m (3.083 feet), Descent: 1.350 m (4.430 feet)
- Distance: 17 km (10.5 miles)
If you want to find out more details about the hike, technical details, getting there and so on, feel free to check the dedicated blog post: Hiking from Harder Kulm to Augstmatthorn
3. Braunwald and Oberblegisee hike
We planned for a while to visit Braunwald region and do the Panorama Hike knowing it offers amazing views over the southern part of the Glanerland, towards the Tödi and Ortstock mountains.
- Ascent/ descent: 1.200 m/ 3.937 ft., (without the Oberblegi Lake visit, it’s only a 500m ascend/descent)
- Distance: 21.5 km/ 13.35 miles (if you skip Oberblegi Lake visit and end hike at Braunwald Grotzenbüel, distance is only 9 km)
If you want to find out more details about the hike, technical details, getting there and so on, feel free to check the dedicated blog post: Great Braunwald and Oberblegisee hike
