Ah, Switzerland! One of the most gorgeous places on Earth and a top destination on many a traveler’s bucket list. However, aside from epic mountains, delish chocolate, and an affinity for clock-making, how much do we really know about the country?

Our team at Bored Panda has compiled a list of impressive photos of the beautiful landscapes, interesting architecture, and culinary delights that you can find in Switzerland, all to give you a fresh perspective on life in the country. Scroll down to check them out, and be sure to upvote your fave pics! However, don’t blame us if you feel inspired to book a flight…

#1 The Cream I Ordered With My Coffee At A Swiss Cafe Was Served Inside Of A Chocolate Treat

Image credits: TexasJoey

#2 Mountain Finder Device In Switzerland

Image credits: TorteDeLini

#3 Dinner In Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Image credits: Mark_dawsom

Yours truly is actually quite a huge fan of Switzerland. I spent a year living there when I was a very small child. I ‘blame’ that wonderful experience for my enduring love for the mountains, hiking, snow, gorgeous landscapes, giant chess sets (hi, Parc des Bastions!), and wild nature. Some of my earliest and most vivid memories are from going on walks in the mountains with my tiny little boots.

So, I genuinely understand the fascination with the country. To me, Switzerland represents freedom, nature, and beauty. But I’m a bit biased!

#4 Entrance Of An Underwater Observatory In Lake Zug (Switzerland). I Took The Photo During The Weekend, Reminds Me The Truman Show

Image credits: DIY_Maxwell

#5 The Cat That Guided Me Down The Mountain When I Got Lost In Grindelwald, Switzerland

Image credits: sc4s2cg

#6 Hiking In Switzerland

Image credits: loulan

Switzerland had a population of around 8.9 million people in 2024 and boasts four official languages (Romansh, French, German, and Italian). The country’s GDP was a jaw-dropping $800.6 billion in 2021, according to the World Bank. Switzerland, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, has a very high-tech economy and a powerful banking sector of world renown.

#7 The Children's Playground At The Airport In Zürich, Switzerland Is A Miniature Airport

Image credits: morbus

#8 The Toiletries At My Hotel In Switzerland Included A Rubber Ducky

Image credits: Shark-Farts

#9 When I Went To Switzerland And Happened To Look Exactly Like This Random Wood Statue

Image credits: Blueskyblonde

Some of us automatically think of high-quality cheese and chocolate, as well as hand-crafted clocks and watches when we think of Switzerland; however, that's only the tip of the iceberg. The country's main exports include machinery, equipment, chemical and pharmaceutical products, watches, textiles, and apparel, as well as raw materials, food, vegetable oils, and fuel.

#10 The Edge Of The Knife In This Swiss Restaurant Was Shaped To Show Off Many Of The Peaks Found In The Swiss Alps

Image credits: TexasJoey

#11 This House In Zurich Is Covered In Solar Panels

Image credits: Milestonebrothers

#12 I'm Visiting Switzerland For The First Time - I Got To Have Dinner With These Two

Image credits: im_joe

Alas! Not everything is great in this Alpine paradise. It’s this same powerful banking sector that has earned Switzerland a reputation for corruption and secrecy. It's a reputation that the Swiss have been trying to shake off for a while now.

A 2018 study conducted by the Tax Justice Network, an independent international advocacy group, found that the country was the most corrupt in the entire world, with the United States coming in second place.

#13 So There's A Giant Fork In The Middle Of Lake Geneva

Image credits: JiveMonkey

#14 My Wife And I Are In Murren, Switzerland. One Of The Most Stunning Mountain Ranges I’ve Ever Visited

Image credits: cwesttheperson

#15 Recently Drove Through Southern Switzerland, From Geneva To Zurich, After Seeing A Picture Of The Lauterbrunnen Valley. Here Are A Few Pictures From The Trip

Image credits: benmuzz

A few years after that, in 2022, the Tax Justice Network changed its ranking. The US rose to first place in the financial secrecy index, with Switzerland taking the silver. In third place that year you'd find Singapore, followed by Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Japan, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, the British Virgin Islands, as well as Guernsey.

#16 Spotted On A Walk. I've Never Seen This Kind Of Thing Before. A Pflanzenhotel (Plant Hotel) In Switzerland. People Bring All Their Big Outdoor Plants To Enormous Greenhouses For The Winter

Image credits: richard_littler

#17 Only In Switzerland

Image credits: k.zrh.ch

#18 Swiss Cliché

The thing with Switzerland is that it actually, truly looks like that. It's not like there's the postcard shot and the rest of the place is completely different.

Image credits: Bobwindy

According to the Tax Justice Network, Switzerland “supplies 3.43% of the world's financial secrecy.” Meanwhile, Transparency International notes that “for decades, corrupt elites from across the world have used Swiss financial intermediaries and service providers to take advantage of legal loopholes that allow them to hide and launder their ill-gotten wealth.” However, the Swiss government is taking steps to tackle these issues.

#19 The Suspicion In That Look, Like Y’all Stole Something

Image credits: ndkirschmann

#20 The View From Our Balcony In Switzerland

Image credits: bojevic

#21 Breakfast In Switzerland

Image credits: crumbbelly

"The analysis of past cases sheds light on the role of Switzerland as an important hub where corrupt foreign elites can easily find intermediaries to create and manage companies and trusts for them," Transparency International wrote in early 2024.

#22 I Got The All-Clear To Travel Within Switzerland - An Empty Train With A Great View

Image credits: Swissconnie

#23 In My Gymnasium There Are Period Products For Free, I’m Not Concerned By That But I Think It’s A Good Thing

Image credits: boDesu

#24 I Saw This Church In Switzerland

Image credits: WartimeHotTot

"For far too long, Swiss lawyers have been able to do so without due diligence and reporting duties to detect money laundering. Last year, the Swiss government proposed new legislation to extend anti-money laundering obligations to lawyers and other professionals and, while there is much room for improvement, this is welcome."

#25 German: Fast Food On The Train Is Not Possible. Swiss: Hold My Hash Browns

Image credits: kallekowalski

#26 A Public Refrigerator Where People Can Put Food Or Their Leftovers For Others. In Lucerne, Switzerland

Image credits: Timo_bu

#27 The Family Coach On A Swiss Train, They Are Equipped With A Small Play Area (A Slide On This One)

Image credits: SteO153

In this particular case, this won't be the first time that the Swiss authorities have tried to reform the system.

"This is not the first attempt to bring much-needed regulation to the sector. In 2021, following lobbying by the industry, the parliament watered down amendments to the anti-money laundering legislation during their final deliberations. As a result, lawyers and notaries were able to escape regulation," Transparency International stated.

#28 Switzerland Uses Hand Motives For Its Banknotes

Image credits: joking_around

#29 This Cigarette Disposal Asks You To Vote Between Raclette And Fondue - Switzerland's Two Most Famous Cheese Dishes

Image credits: Discoaddict1986

#30 Some Houses In The Southern Part Of Switzerland (Ticino) Have Their Own Cable Car/Cog Railroad To Get Up The Steep Hills From The Street-Level Parking

Image credits: CompetitiveOven69

Have you ever been to Switzerland, dear Pandas? How was your experience? If you still haven’t traveled there, do you have plans to visit in the near future? What do you look forward to doing the most? We’d love to hear all of your thoughts on Swiss life, so if you have a moment, tell us all about it in the comments!

#31 Two Rivers Meet And Mix In Geneva, Switzerland

Image credits: Simple_Candidate

#32 A Normal Day In The Countryside Of Switzerland

Image credits: zakuria44

#33 Large Ice Crystals In Switzerland

Image credits: simplywing

#34 Swiss Rail Police Just Gave Me A Biscuit For Pushing My Bike On A Platform Rather Than Riding It. I’m Enjoying This Initiative

Image credits: Swisskommando

#35 Vending Machines In Switzerland Sell Pregnancy Tests Called "Maybe Baby"

Image credits: saugoof

#36 I Saw Some Posts From This Rainbow, So I Thought I'd Share The View From Merlischachen (Close To Lucerne)

Image credits: reddit.com

#37 The Last Thing I Thought I Would See While Exploring The Canton Of Jura

Image credits: Moar_Donuts

#38 Police Car In Zermatt

Image credits: Soemmi

#39 The Skill Of Swiss (Especially Ticinesi) PostAuto Drivers Is Impressive

Image credits: thisothernameth

#40 Glowing Matterhorn, Switzerland

Image credits: randumchicken

#41 Swiss Police Saving A Swan That Was On The Highway

Image credits: TheBlackCom

#42 The Police In Switzerland Are Teaching Children How To Cross A Roundabout

Image credits: apanteli

#43 Swiss Porta Johns Are Wooden

Image credits: Southernz

#44 You Know You're In Switzerland When Your "Going Home Drunk" Meal Is A Block Of Gruyère, Bought In A Vending Machine

Image credits: Bjor88

#45 Cows By A Lake In Switzerland

Image credits: aliederman

#46 Only In Ticino: Cows And Palm Trees

Image credits: iam_silvia

#47 This Mailbox Is In Ticino

Image credits: Savings_Fun3164

#48 Stairway To Heaven?

Image credits: kaurismus

#49 You Know You're In Switzerland When Your Dishwasher Has A Fondue/Raclette Mode

Image credits: Wookai

#50 Drinking Water Facility For Dogs In Public Places In Switzerland

Image credits: QurbanZardaree

#51 Switzerland Has Tiny Traffic Lights For The Bicycle Lane

Image credits: Suzuyaoi

#52 Rainbows In Switzerland

Image credits: defr0std

#53 In Switzerland There Are Sockets That Fit 3 Plugs At A Time

Image credits: thegibsongirl03

#54 Police In Switzerland Distribute Free Water Due To The Heatwave

Image credits: crashwinston

#55 One Word: Switzerland

Image credits: cdnexpat_ch

#56 Went To Switzerland And It Is The Best Country I’ve Ever Been. This Lindt Museum Was So Good. That Lake And Houses. You Guys Have A Really Good Country

Image credits: NNC9Music

#57 A Cheese Vending Machine In A Mountain Village In Switzerland

Image credits: SuspiciousLizardo

#58 Every Swiss Soldier Gets A Little Sewing Kit With Various Strings So We Can Fix Our Own Clothes

Image credits: Xz313

#59 I Live In Switzerland. This Is The Train I Commute To School With

Image credits: DonLeon1423

#60 Only In Bern

Image credits: kepanooo

#61 This Candy Shop's Entrance In Bern, Switzerland

Image credits: WendyIsMyBias

#62 At The Zurich Opera House, We (Singers) Have Free Ricolas On Stage Behind The Curtain

Image credits: Envelki

#63 The First Thing You See Getting Off The Train In Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland

Image credits: CARDTRICKSTER

#64 I Bought A Zero-Value Euro For $3.25 From Switzerland

Image credits: Zypherdose

#65 Hiking In The Swiss Alps, I Just Found A Trust-Based Self-Service Cheese Fridge In The Middle Of A Trail

Image credits: julesie

#66 I Found The End Of The Map (Moiry Dam)

Image credits: Tomdol

#67 Trying To Get Some Work Done While On Vacation In The Swiss Alps. Needless To Say, I Didn't Accomplish Much

Image credits: dhol604

#68 3 Highliners At Fronalpstock, Stoos. Lake Of Luzern In The Background

Image credits: --can

#69 Congratulations

Image credits: dicconb

#70 A Friend Of Mine Went To Switzerland, I Received An Appropriate Picture

Image credits: wirelesslanny

#71 This Is Getting Out Of Hand. Aromat Is A Food Seasoning And Now An Ice Cream Flavor

Image credits: Steex33

#72 The University Of Lausanne Rewarded Jacques Dubochet With A Bike Spot For Winning A Nobel Prize

Image credits: menchon

#73 In Lausanne, We Had To Figure Out A Way To Keep Ourselves Out Of The Sun's Rays