Top 10 Campsites in Switzerland
Switzerland's camping network is priced at Swiss levels — expect to pay 35-55 CHF per pitch per night at well-located Alpine sites — but the facilities and settings justify the cost. The TCS (Touring Club Schweiz) camping card provides discounts at affiliated sites and their guide lists the most reliable. Swiss camping is concentrated in the Bernese Oberland (Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, Grindelwald area), the Valais (Zermatt approach valleys, Aletsch glacier area), the Graubünden (Engadine, Bernina), and the pre-Alpine lake shores (Geneva, Lucerne, Zurich). High-altitude wild camping is tolerated above the farm zone but is not formally codified; the practice is less clearly permitted than in Scandinavia.
1. Camping Manor Farm, Interlaken, Bern
On Lake Thun at the edge of Interlaken — the tourist hub for the Bernese Oberland — this TCS-affiliated site has a private lake beach and the full range of motorhome and caravan facilities. The Jungfrau, Mönch, and Eiger triangle — the most recognisable Alpine skyline in the world — is visible from the site on clear mornings. The Jungfraujoch railway (the highest railway station in Europe at 3,454 m) departs from Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, both accessible from here by train.
2. Camping Gletscherdorf, Grindelwald, Bern
At the foot of the Eiger's north face in the Grindelwald valley, this campsite is the most mountain-proximate camping in the Bernese Oberland. The classic Eiger Nordwand is visible from the campsite — the 1,800-metre limestone and ice face that defined European mountaineering in the 1930s. The Männlichen ridge walk, the Bachalpsee lakes, and the First via ferrata are accessible from this base.
3. Camping Aletsch, Mörel-Filet, Valais
In the approach valley to the Aletsch Glacier — the longest glacier in the Alps at 23 km and a UNESCO World Heritage Site — this campsite at altitude provides access to the Riederalp and Bettmeralp car-free resort villages above. The glacier view from the Bettmerhorn at 2,858 metres is one of the Alps' great panoramas. Electric pitches available; cable car to the villages from Mörel.
4. Camping Täsch, Zermatt approach, Valais
At the last point before the car-free zone of Zermatt, Camping Täsch is the practical camping base for the Matterhorn area. Cars are left here; the shuttle train to Zermatt runs frequently. The Matterhorn (4,478 m) is the single most recognisable peak in the Alps; Zermatt's mountaineering infrastructure and the 400 km of summer hiking trails around it are accessible from this base.
5. Camping Paradis, Saillon, Valais
In the Rhône valley at Saillon — one of the most sun-exposed valley floors in Switzerland, which accounts for the Valais wine production that rivals Burgundy in quality — this campsite has thermal spring access and vineyard views. The Saillon thermal baths are a genuine addition to Alpine camping that offsets the cold nights at higher campsites. The Grand Raid Cristalp mountain bike race finishes nearby.
6. Camping Silvaplana, Engadine, Graubünden
On Lake Silvaplana in the Engadine Valley at 1,800 metres altitude — one of the windiest lakes in Europe, which has made it the world capital of kitesurfing. The campsite is TCS-affiliated with full facilities. The Upper Engadine's network of lakes, the Bernina railway (UNESCO listed), and access to the Maloja Pass cycling descent are the primary activities. St Moritz is 8 km north.
7. Camping Val Müstair, Graubünden
Near the Benedictine Convent of St John in Müstair — a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the most complete Carolingian frescoes in existence — this campsite in the remote Val Müstair is at the Swiss National Park boundary. The Swiss National Park, established in 1914, is the oldest national park in Central Europe and operates a strict non-intervention policy — no path maintenance, no wildlife management.
8. Camping Gwatt, Lake Thun, Bern
At Gwatt on the southern shore of Lake Thun, with views across the lake to the Niesen pyramid and the Stockhorn massif. The paddle steamer service that connects the Thunersee villages makes this campsite accessible from multiple lakeshore points. Kayak and paddleboard hire available at the site.
9. Camping Schinznach-Bad, Aargau
On the Aare river in the Aargau, near the thermal baths of Schinznach and the ruins of Habsburg Castle — the original seat of the Habsburg dynasty before it became the ruling family of Austria, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire. The Aare cycling route through Aargau is flat, well-marked, and connects this campsite to Bern (50 km upstream) and Basel (60 km downstream).
10. Camping Delta, Ascona, Ticino
On the shore of Lago Maggiore in the Ticino — the Italian-speaking, Mediterranean-climate canton in southern Switzerland — Delta is the most reliably warm-weather camping in the country. The Ticino's palm trees, Risotto della Certosa, and the Borromean Islands across the lake in Italy create a distinctly non-Alpine character. Magadino plain cycling and the Centovalli railway into northern Italy are day-trip options.
Booking and TCS card
TCS-affiliated Swiss campsites require advance booking for July and August — the popular Bernese Oberland and Valais sites are fully booked months ahead. The TCS camping card provides 10-15% discounts at affiliated sites. Wild camping in Switzerland is in a legal grey zone; the practice is accepted above the permanent snowline and in remote high-alpine terrain but is prohibited in national parks and most cantonal reserves.