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Jim Langley & Paul Gannon. Oxford Alpine Club, 2nd edition (2021)
From Alpenwild guide, Jim Langley, a highly readable and informative guide to the nature, geology, and hiking in our favorite mountains—the Alps.
Diccon Bewes, Nicholas Brealey Publishing (2014). Follows the route of Thomas Cook's first international tour to Switzerland in 1863 to discover what's changed and what hasn't. An engaging and well-researched historical account made all the more enjoyable by the author's entertaining observations.
Switzerland. How an Alpine Pass Became a Country
Joëlle Kuntz. Historiator Editions (2008). A lively and engaging historical primer for English-speaking visitors.
Swiss Watching: Inside Europe's Landlocked Island
Diccon Bewes, Nicholas Brealey Publishing (2010). A fascinating journey around Switzerland. Filled with fun and unusual facts and observations. Full of surprises.
Switzerland - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
Kendall Maycock. (2006). Full of useful, fascinating, and entertaining tips on how to avoid that embarrassing faux pas.
Jonathan Steinberg. Cambridge University Press, 2nd edition (1994). A scholarly treatise on Switzerland and what makes it both unique and essential in today's world.
Xenophobe's Guide to the Swiss
Paul Bilton. Oval Books (2008). A witty and irreverent introduction to the Swiss people.
La Place de la Concorde Suisse
John McPhee. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (1994). A fascinating and lighthearted look into the Swiss Army and how a country that has not fought a war in 500 years plans to keep it that way.
The Alps, A Human History from Hannibal to Heidi and Beyond
Stephen O'Shea. W.W. Norton & Co. (2017). An engaging and colorful travel narrative, with plenty of fascinating history and charming stories.
Lonely Planet (2013). The best of the general travel guides to Switzerland. Full of insider tips and off-the-beaten-path finds.
Cicerone Press has produced a wonderful series of pocket-size hiking guidebooks for the Alps, including many written by our favorite guidebook author, Kev Reynolds. The following come highly recommended for use by self-guided hikers:
Chamonix to Zermatt: The Classic Walker's Haute Route
Kev Reynolds. Cicerone Press, 4th edition (2007). The essential guide for hiking the Haute Route.
Kev Reynolds. Cicerone Press, (1992). Selected walks in the Lepontines, the alpine region of the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino.
Kev Reynolds. Cicerone Press, 2nd edition (2005). A comprehenisive guide to the best hikes in the Engadine and Val Bregaglia.
Trekking the Swiss Via Alpina: 19 stages East to West across Switzerland, plus parts of the Alpine Pass Route
Kev Reynolds and Jonathan Williams. (2024). This guidebook presents the stunning Alpine Pass Route, now fully waymarked as Via Alpina 1. The 360km trail traverses Switzerland from east to west, from Sargans near the Liechtenstein border to Montreux on Lac Léman (Lake Geneva).
The Bernese Alps: A Walking Guide
Kev Reynolds. Cicerone Press, 3rd edition (2005). The essential guide to hiking in the Bernese Alps.
Trekking the Tour du Mont Blanc
Kev Reynolds, Jonathan Williams, and Lesley Williams. Cicerone Press, 6th edition (2024). A guidebook to hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB), a spectacular circuit around Mont Blanc.
Along with Swiss Topo maps, Alpenwild stocks many of these titles. Call today to place your order. In addition to these favorite books, you'll find articles about Switzerland and hiking in the Alps.
