Summer 2024 news.

New for this summer: The Eiger Walk of Fame

Visitors to the Jungfrau Region can now get up close and personal with the famous Eiger North Face and learn about its legendary history on this new themed hiking trail. From the Eigergletscher station, hikers can head down to the first stop to take a selfie with the Eiger North Face in the background, then take in the breath-taking views of Grindelwald. Information panels along the trail convey the colourful history of mountaineers who took on the North Face and daring rescue operations, complete with facts, figures and famous routes. Hikers can then decide whether to follow the circuit (2h30) back up to the Eigergletscher or carry on walking down to Kleine Scheidegg (1h30). jungfrau.ch/en-gb/kleine-scheidegg/eiger-walk-of-fame

Eurotrek’s new ‘All around Bern’ e-biking tour

Time ticks more slowly in the Swiss capital of Bern, which has just launched a leisurely four-day e-biking tour for cyclists of all ages and levels. Heading out of Bern through the quaint streets its UNESCO-listed old town, cyclists then reach the Green Belt, embarking on a scenic cycle that winds through the villages and towns surrounding the city. Highlights include the Frienisberg Scenic Route, the Gantrisch nature park and the peaceful village of Laupen. This tour is available to book online and includes three nights’ accommodation plus breakfasts, daily luggage transfers, fully comprehensive travel documents and a cyclist helpline. bern.com/en/bike/four-day-electric-bike-tour

100 years of the Vigezzina-Centovalli Railway

Industrial developments in Switzerland in the early 20^th century led to the construction of a new railway line linking Locarno in Ticino with Domodossola over the border in Italy, crossing the Centovalli and Vigezzo valleys. Inaugurated on 25 November 1923, the Vigezzina-Centovalli Railway’s narrow-gauge line still represents a masterpiece of civil engineering, spanning 52km as it winds through deep gorges, past rugged mountains, rivers and waterfalls, over 83 bridges and through 31 tunnels in just under two hours. To celebrate its 100^th year, the railway will be organising events and other festivities throughout 2024. vigezzinacentovalli.com/en

Opening in April: The Kunsthaus Baselland

On 13-14 April, the artistic hub of Basel will welcome its newest cultural offering. Designed by Buchner Bründler Architekten, the new Kunsthaus Baselland is a converted champagne warehouse situated in the Dreispitz quarter of the city, a vibrant neighbourhood that is home to various cultural institutions, the Academy of Art and Design (HGK), a number of artists’ studios and manufacturing businesses, and a diverse local community. The inaugural exhibition at the new Kunsthaus Baselland is called Rewilding and will run until 18 August 2024. kunsthausbaselland.ch

Now in summer: FOOD ZURICH, 6-16 June

Europe’s third-largest food festival will take place in the summer for the very first time this year and will feature over 100 events in and around Zurich. The festival’s main themes will be sustainability and the ‘Culinary Future’, with a primary focus on food that both tastes great and has a low carbon footprint. Visitors to the festival can expect a wide range of regional Swiss products that showcase culinary excellence, regional producers, locally sourced ingredients and the latest culinary innovations, and find out first-hand how conscious consumption is essential for a sustainable diet. foodzurich.com/en

New experience: The music of Petite Arvine de Fully

For the first time in Switzerland, music has been composed especially for a Swiss wine, based on the DNA of its grape variety. Fully, a wine-growing hotspot near Martigny has called on musical oenologists to develop the signature music for local white wine, Petite Arvine de Fully. Its colour profile was fed into a computer programme, and visits and tastings took place in Fully’s vineyards to analyse the location and how Petite Arvine interacted with the senses. Visitors can now hear the music and experience this unique tasting experience for themselves at several wineries in Fully. fullytourisme.ch/fr/le-5eme-sens-de-la-petite-arvine

e-TukTuk tours in Geneva

Guided tours are brought to the next level in and around the city of Geneva, where passengers can enjoy a traditional Swiss fondue with a glass of wine onboard an e-TukTuk, while discovering the city on a 90-minute tour of either Geneva’s old town, the picturesque nearby town of Carouge or the shores of Lake Léman. Visitors after a longer experience can also opt for a three-hour e-TukTuk tour of the magnificent vineyards surrounding Geneva, which includes a wine tasting with a local producer. geneve.com/en/attractions

Four new foodie tours in Lausanne

Visitors to Lausanne are invited to experience the city’s finest culinary offerings by joining one of Lausanne Tourism’s new food-themed walking tours. The Trendy Gourmet Tour takes visitors to three of the latest food joints, the Veggie Gourmet Tour explores Lausanne’s plant-based specialities, the Swiss Gourmet Tour is great for anyone wanting to discover traditional Swiss dishes and, finally, the Lausanne Choco Tour visits five of the city’s best chocolatiers. Each of the three gourmet tours starts with an aperitif platter in the morning, a main course at lunchtime and a takeaway dessert in the afternoon. Tours costs £53/€62 pp. lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/offer