National park of Switzerland. What to watch

Travel Company Travel Plan - "DSBW Travel Collection" organizes excursion tours to Switzerland in 2020, which we offer at very competitive prices for mini-groups of up to 12 people, which provide the highest level of comfort in sightseeing travel. We have tours both in Switzerland and in combination with Bavaria, for example tour "Bavaria - Switzerland" or tour "Switzerland Classic". Zurich and Bern, Geneva and Lucerne, Montreux and Vivey, Rhine Falls and medieval Stein am Rhein, Fondue Dinner in Gruyères and much more await you on our tours.

Switzerland is an amazing country that has been spared the wars and hardships of the past century. For many, she is a model of comfort and peace. Switzerland is many-sided and diverse. Get along here different traditions and cultures: German-speaking Zurich and French-speaking Geneva, speaking Italian Ticino - they are all part of a single, but very different country. Sightseeing tours to Switzerland allow our travelers to see all the diversity of the cultural life of this country. You will also find many interesting tours covering three countries at once - Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

Our tours to Switzerland are designed for tourists from different cities of Russia. In each tour, in the "Transport" section, there is information on flights and transfers: from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Tyumen, Kazan, Samara, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk, Vladivostok. We also welcome tourists from other cities.

Switzerland is very interesting in sightseeing and cognitive plan but enough dear country. We have developed our programs in such a way that the cost of traveling in Switzerland would be comparable to tours to other countries and regions of Europe. Having great experience work in Switzerland, we offer a variety of tours both in Switzerland itself and in combination with Bavaria, Austria or Italy. Using our own transport allows us to provide both a high quality of service and guarantee all the declared dates of the tours.

Hiking is one of the most popular leisure activities in the country - more than 50 thousand (!!) kilometers of marked footpaths have been laid across the territory of Switzerland - this is 1.25 times the length of the Earth's equator. For such a small country, the figure is simply incredible, but it will become even more if you take into account about 23 thousand kilometers of specialized mountain routes with more high level complexity, as well as an unimaginable number of trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, dog sledding and horseback riding, as well as about 4 thousand trails for water tourism. All this makes Switzerland one of the the best places in Europe for active rest and ecotourism.

swiss national park

Despite the very modest size of the country, protected areas occupy to some extent up to 14% of its area. And at the same time there is only one full-fledged reserve - the Swiss national park, or Engadine Park (www.nationalpark.ch), created in 1914 in the eastern part of the canton of Graubünden, on the southern slopes of the Engadine valley. This is the first alpine reserve in Central Europe, moreover, created in an area intensively developed by man. In 1979, it was included in the list of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, along with the adjacent Italian Stelvio National Park.

Here, on an area of ​​​​more than 172 square kilometers, the unique natural complexes of the Rhaetian Alps are protected - mountain pine forests, alpine and subalpine meadows, as well as numerous lakes and wastelands, with almost half of this territory being secondary forests recreated after the cessation of human activities. The fauna of the park is very rich - more than 60 species of mammals (including alpine Mountain goat, chamois, stone marten, alpine marmot, lynx, Brown bear and others), about 100 species of birds, as well as about 70 species of amphibians, including the endemic alpine newt. Despite the fact that literally everything is protected here (a fine can be issued even for loud sounds!), 21 hiking trails with a total length of about 80 km have been laid across the territory, which allow you to see the life of the inhabitants of these beautiful places. However, cycling is prohibited within the park.

Entrance to the park is free and free, along its perimeter there are nine such free parking lots for cars, from which most trails and routes depart. The reserve is open to the public from June to October daily, from 8.30 to 18.00, on Thursdays - until 22.00.

You can get to the park by buses running at hourly intervals between the towns of Zernez (1 km east of it is the head office of the park) and Mustair.

Ela Park

The largest and youngest regional natural Park Switzerland - Ela (Parc Ela, www.parc-ela.ch) starts just 18 km from the northwestern border of the Swiss national park. It was created in 2006 as a territory protecting the untouched world of a vast mountain range between the peaks of Ela (Piz Ela, 3339 m) and Kesch (Kesch, 3417 m). The area of ​​the reserve is 600 square kilometers, which is 3.5 times more area Engadine National Park, and here economic activity human is allowed to a limited extent. This leads to the fact that in Ela Park, in addition to exploring the magnificent nature of the northern slopes of the Engadine, you can ride on the Rhaetische Bahn railway included in the List world heritage UNESCO (55 bridges and 39 tunnels over 63 km of the length of the park, there is nothing to say about the beauty of the landscapes!), go skiing on the slopes of Savognin, Samedan, Celerina, Pontresina or St. Moritz (all these resorts lie literally within 15- 20 minutes by car from the most beautiful places in the park), relax on the shores of Lake Marmorera (Lai da Marmorera) or visit the highest pilgrimage site in Europe - the Ziteil Sanctuary (Ziteil, founded in 1580, height - 2434 meters above sea level) near Salouf.

Entlebuch

Well, the country's most easily accessible reserve is the Entlebuch Biosphere Reserve (www.biosphaere.ch), located in the canton of Lucerne, just 20 km southwest of its capital. This is the first and only park of its kind in central Switzerland. Here, on the most picturesque slopes of the Kleine Emme valley (Kleine Emme, Kleine Emme), on an area of ​​395 square kilometers, landscapes quite unusual for the country are presented - endless peat bogs and moorlands, idyllic alpine pastures and forests, rocky karst formations and picturesque wild mountains. These regions are often figuratively called the "Wild West of Lucerne" - so diverse and beautiful are the local natural complexes. And at the same time, there is a huge selection of facilities, hotels and mountain chalets, many old churches and monasteries, about 75 km of hiking trails and even therapeutic mud baths at local thermal springs.

Jura National Park

Green slopes stretch from Le Sentier to Nyon on the shores of Lake Geneva Jura National Park(Parc naturel régional Jura vaudois) www.parc-jurassien.ch - the second in the country in terms of size and richness of flora. Despite the dense population of these places, it was possible to preserve many local natural complexes characteristic of the low Jura Mountains and the famous Joux Valley (Vallée de Joux), considered one of the most beautiful in Switzerland. Among the beauties of these places are beautiful mountain woodlands(by the composition of the flora - one of the richest in the region - more than 320 species), ancient swamps, limestone cliffs, secluded glades and mountain pastures. More than 90 species of mammals and 160 species of birds live here, and the picturesque Zhu Lake has almost 50 species of fish. Since there is an excellent network of hiking and skiing trails with a total length of 523 km (!!), there are many colorful alpine cheese factories and vineyards, restaurants and chalets, the park is extremely popular with fans of hiking, horseback riding and cycling, and in winter it becomes one of the best centers mountain recreation- it is quite obvious that he focuses not on skiers, but on fans of snowshoes and flat skiing.

You can get to the park in literally a dozen ways, since it is located next to the main transport arteries of the country. By rail, the easiest way to get there from Nyon is by train Nyon - St-Cergue with stops at Bassins, Arzier, St-Cergue and Givrine or by train Nyon - Gimel with stops at Bassins, Vaud, Marchissy, Longirod, St-George and Gimel . When departing from Vallorbe (Vallorbe) - by train to Brassus, from Morges (Morges) - by train BAM to Bière et l "Isle with a stop in Montricher. The options for traveling by public transport from all major cities of the canton of Vaud are just as diverse.

In the Engadine Valley, which belongs to Switzerland, is the Swiss National Park. This reserve was founded in 1914 and covered an area of ​​172.4 km2. The park includes an area covered by the Alps, the height of which, in this area, ranges from 1400 to 3174 meters above sea level.

The terrain of the Swiss National Park is quite diverse, because it includes forests, meadows, mountains, water covers. Also rich enough is animal world reserve. The local nature develops on its own, because human hands do not touch it. There are at least 650 different plants in this area. Among them, typical representatives of the protected area are alpine edelweiss, which people have been collecting in baskets for centuries. This perennial herb with white upper leaves, spreads on limestone mountain slopes. High enough in the mountains one can see the alpine poppy, which with its roots strengthens the local loose soil. Tourists are very attracted to the plant, which grows up to 40 cm and has a yellowish-orange color. This is a local wormwood ragwort, whose home is Mountain landscape in the east, near the river Inn.

The mountain forest cover in this area plays a very important role in nature, because it not only purifies the air of the park, but also protects the area from avalanches. The forest in this area is represented by such tree species as: pine, cedar, larch, and spruce.

The local alpine meadows simply fascinate with a variety of blooming flowers. It is impossible to count the varieties of these wild plants, including buttercups, edelweiss, gentian.

The highlands of the Swiss national park are characterized by dry climatic conditions and poor soil. In this area it is difficult to adapt to the life of plants and animals, due to constant winds, soil erosion, as well as low air temperature.

In the Swiss National Nature Reserve, you can see animals from a fairly close distance. Goats, deer, hares, marmots and many other quadrupeds are common here. The silence in the park is broken by the singing of birds, which are quite diverse in these lands.

Tourists who have visited the reserve in Switzerland are offered a walk along a specially designed hiking trail. But here it is strictly forbidden to make fires, put up tents, ride bicycles and generally leave behind any traces of your stay. For each offense, you will have to pay a fine.

A walk in the park will surely delight you with its virgin natural beauty, no matter what period you get here. But, nevertheless, the trip will be more exciting in the spring-summer season, when the local mountains are covered with carpets of wild flowers.

Switzerland is a small country by European standards, so it is not surprising that there is only one national natural park here. By the way, that's what it's called: the Swiss National Park. At the beginning of the 20th century, the territory of today's park was subjected to the so-called industrialization.

This term, translated into normal language, means the total production natural resources. And after the latter were almost completely used, someone came up with the idea: "Why don't we create here, all of ourselves, a national natural park."

And since this idea absolutely did not contradict the democratic principles of building society, it fell on fertile ground and is still there. In any case, in 1914, economic activity was completely prohibited on its territory.

And after some time, the creation of a national park was announced. And the reason for the creation of the park was announced: the need to study the ability of nature to restore.

The park is located in the Engadine Valley region and its total area is 172.4 square kilometers. Moreover, all of it is located within the height range from 1400 meters above sea level to 3174 meters.

Its second name is: Engodin Park, due to the fact that it occupies the southern slopes of the valley of the same name. This park was the first alpine reserve in Europe, created in a place actively developed by man.

What to watch.

Since human economic activity in the park is prohibited in any field of activity, this fact has a very favorable effect on the animal world of the park. In any case, not everyone nature reserve can today boast the presence of more than 60 species of mammals.

Among the latter there are such rare species today as the alpine ibex, chamois, alpine marten, lynx, brown bear and a considerable number of others, among which there is even an endemic alpine newt.

It is clear that such types of illegal fishing as poaching are unacceptable here. Moreover, there are many prohibitions in the park, which are not very easy to explain with Slavic logic.

In particular, it is forbidden to ride a bicycle in the park, make loud noises and spend the night in tents. Moreover, the fines here are issued not by the human traffic police, but by the strict and incorruptible park security service.

But the most important asset in the park are 21 hiking trails. Their total length is 80 kilometers and they fully represent the opportunity to admire the beauties of these places and see the local inhabitants in their natural conditions.

It is also interesting that the entrance to the park is absolutely free, which is quite rare in Switzerland. In addition, there are 9 parking lots along its perimeter, which are also free and have their own routes departing from them.

The park is open from June to October, so everyone, please hurry up, otherwise it will be a long one economic crisis can make its not very good amendments to such a prosperous and cheap location.

The most interesting thing is that opposite the southern slopes of the Engadine valley are the northern slopes. So, on these slopes there is also a nature reserve, created in 2006. Its name is Ela Regional Park.

It covers the territory of the local mountain range between the peaks of Ela and Kesh. Its area is 600 square kilometers and here human economic activity is allowed on a limited scale.

Its last feature, in particular, allows you to ride on the Rhaetische Bahn railway, which is included in the UNESCO lists. Its length is 63 kilometers. It would seem that it is, if not for 55 bridges and 39 tunnels, which are also included in the route.

And actually there is nothing to say about the views of the Engadine mountains, because it must be seen. In addition, there is ski resorts on which the fashion for skiing does not pass from year to year.

There is another popular Jura natural park in Switzerland. They named him apparently in honor of the first cosmonaut of the Earth. It is located along the shores of Lake Geneva from Le Sentier to Nyon. The Jura Mountains and one of the most beautiful valleys in Switzerland, the Joux Valley, are considered the pearls of the park.

Despite the rather populated area, there is a very rich world of flora and fauna. And in Lake Zhu there are over 50 species of fish. As elsewhere in Switzerland, there is an excellent network of hiking and skiing trails. Their total length is 523 kilometers.

And the local catering sector in the form of restaurants and cafes will add color. There are also cycling routes here, which are of great interest to lovers of two-wheeled vehicles with a foot drive. Search for cheap hotels.

How to get there.

The best option for an active holiday in the Engadine National Park is a stop in St. Moritz. This area has a very developed infrastructure and anyone suffering from natural spectacles will feel comfortable here.

The main mode of transport for arriving at the resort of St. Moritz is Railway. The most convenient train from Zurich, which goes every hour to Chur (Chur). In the latter, a transfer is made to St. Moritz. From Chur trains leave once an hour, starting at 13.58 and ending at 17.58.

swiss national park (Schweizerischer Nationalpark) is the only national park in the south. It is located in the Engadine Valley region (engadin), and is located at altitudes from 1400 to 3200 meters above sea level. It covers over 170 square kilometers and is also the oldest national park in the Alps.

it amazing place primeval nature, where everyone can enjoy alpine meadows, forests, mountain slopes and simply picturesque views. It is home to many species of wild animals and birds. For every connoisseur of nature in the national park, many hiking trails and sightseeing routes have been developed. This place is definitely worth a visit if you are traveling in Switzerland.

Swiss National Park: How to get there

The most convenient way to get to the commune of Zernez (Zernez), where the main entrance to the Swiss National Park is located. In addition, it is highly recommended to use public transport in order to preserve the purity of the nature of the park.

Automobile. The distance between Zurich and Zernets is about 178 kilometers. The road will take you about 2.5 hours along the highway "A3" and No. 28. The car will need to be parked.

Next you need to get to the information center (Nationalparkzentrum) where is the main entrance to the park. It is located at Urtatsch 2, Zernez 7530, Switzerland. You can go by car or take a taxi.

Swiss National Park: Life Hacks

From the very beginning of exploring the Swiss National Park, it is worth visiting the information center (Nationalparkzentrum), where there is also a museum, exhibitions, and you can order sightseeing tour. There you will get acquainted with information for tourists, and visiting the museum, you will have the opportunity to learn the history of the national park, its features and learn about its inhabitants. The entrance ticket costs 7 EUR for adults, 3 EUR for children 6-16 years old, and free of charge for children under 6 years old. It is possible to take a family ticket for 15 EUR. Information about prices for tours, the museum, as well as contacts and descriptions can be found on the official website of the Swiss National Park.

Then you can take a walk through the park itself. You can order a guided tour or take a walk on your own. About 80 kilometers of hiking trails and 21 routes will be available for you. You also need to prepare in advance and take sunscreen and goggles, a raincoat, a change of clothes and shoes, food and water. There are also some rules that must be strictly observed. For example, you can not pick mushrooms and flowers, use a bicycle or bring your pets with you.