Mansions and private mansions to visit Switzerland

Ital Reding started building the manor house in 1609. In front of the house is a baroque garden, surrounded by two pavilions. But it is inside that the jewels of the residence are to be found: the large garden room on the ground floor, the vaulted cellar and, on the first floor, in accordance with tradition, the rooms decorated with rich wood panelling and ceilings. On a stone base, there is a room decorated with murals, built in the 16th century.

La Maison blanche is the first architectural work created by Le Corbusier alone. For this all-round artist, the house adapts to man. He built it for his parents in 1912, on his return from the Orient. Classified as a monument of national importance, the Maison blanche was brought back to life thanks to the civic commitment of people from all walks of life who created an association. Why white? It comes from its white walls which, thanks to the light, appear to us as white.

This sumptuous hotel, built in 1842, houses faux marble columns (which would have cost more than real marble!), fireplaces and fountains. Many personalities have stayed here: Gounod, Sacha Guitry, Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales to celebrate his 20th birthday..

The Hôtel des Trois Couronnes is one of Vevey's monuments to "visit" to climb the steps of the entrance staircase and look up at the courtyards and interior balconies. In the dining room, the paintings on the walls have been restored and, on one of them, you can still see a tiny square of the painting of the time: it's up to you to find it (by going there to drink a coffee for example)!

The 71 richly decorated rooms, which combine a classic style with more contemporary furniture, are full of historical elegance. The terrace, raised above the lake promenade, offers a magnificent view of the lake and the mountains. To live a majestic moment in this prestigious place, the gastronomic restaurant Les Trois Couronnes is open in the evening, from Tuesday to Saturday, and the restaurant Le 3C opens daily for lunch and dinner for a lighter cuisine.

Sunday brunch is served at the Trois Couronnes restaurant with a buffet of hors d'oeuvres and varied, high-quality dishes.

Puressens Spa. Indoor swimming pool with subdued light, underwater music and curtains allowing a view of the lake, hammam, fitness room and treatments in the most beautiful hotel in Vevey.

Above St. Moritz, you can discover the original alpine hut from the film Heidi. For your information, the adventures of the little alpine girl were set by the author, the Zurich writer Johanna Spyri, on the slopes of the Falknis, near Maienfeld, on the Austrian border. The film was made in 1952 and made the courageous and endearing little Swiss mountain girl famous all over the world.

The Gstaad-Saanenland holiday region is characterized by its typical architecture and the chalet village of Saanen. In 1575, the village was almost completely destroyed by fire. Some of the houses, however, pre-date this reconstruction. The Trachselhaus is the most famous of the village's many wooden houses, typical of the region with their square shapes and wide, canopied roofs. Some date back to the ^16th century. An audioguide is available to take you on a tour of the village.

The Fronwagplatzin Schaffhausen is a must-see. The former market square is very large and houses the Herrenstube, the house of the Schaffhausen noblemen's society, which was rebuilt in the late Baroque style in the 18th century. At No. 3, you will find a beautiful Baroque portal. There is also the Fronwagturm from the same period with its astronomical clock, as well as two colourful fountains, one of which is the Mohrenbrunnen from the 16th century. All around, numerous shops welcome tourists.

Nicknamed the "House of the Knight", this building is remarkable for the paintings on its facade, created in the late ^16th century by local artist Tobias Stimmer. Built in 1492, this bourgeois house owes its name to the knight Hans von Waldkirch, who had it rebuilt a century later. The paintings, some of which are scenes from Homer's Odyssey, are considered to be the most important Renaissance-style frescoes north of the Alps. Discovered in 1935, they have been replaced and preserved in the Tous-les-Saints museum.

A little outside the historic heart, on Alpine Vorstadt, it is a rather pleasant th century construction of late Gothic style.

One of the first buildings built by the famous artist Le Corbusier in his home town in 1917. It was commissioned by Mr. Schwob, a wealthy watchmaker in the city, who did not honour the invoice, which had been exceeded. As a result of this misadventure, the famous architect left the city. The Turkish Villa, in a very refined and daring Moorish style for its time, with a very elaborate interior decoration, was bought by the watchmaking company Ebel.

The Villa Favre-Jacot was the first large-scale commission for Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, the future Le Corbusier, in this neighborhood of the upper middle class, with its neoclassical influence. The building cannot be visited, but remains visible from the outside. It bears witness to Le Corbusier's architectural values, with its interplay of forms, its white, smooth facades that stand out from the era, and its entablature windows... A revolutionary who is recognized as a precursor of model architecture, optimized for its environment.