Aargau

Aargau is often seen as a place to pass through on the way between Zurich, Basel, and Bern – but that does it an injustice. If you take a trip to Aargau, you'll discover more than 30 castles and palaces, thermal springs that the Romans already used, and the "Water Castle of Switzerland," where three major rivers meet.

Rivers, the Jura, and the Central Plateau

Near Brugg, the Aare, Reuss, and Limmat rivers join within just a few kilometers; the floodplain landscape there is known as the Wasserschloss and is a nature reserve with beaver tracks and riverside trails. The north of the canton is formed by the Rhine and the Fricktal, which lies in the Jura and is known for its cherry trees. The south belongs to the Central Plateau, with Lake Hallwil, the Reuss Valley, and the Freiamt around Bremgarten, whose old town sits on a bend in the Reuss.

Towns and Cities in Aargau

Aarau briefly served as the first capital of the Helvetic Republic in 1798. The old town is known for its painted eaves, the "Dachhimmel" (roof skies), and the Aargauer Kunsthaus holds a significant collection of Swiss art. Baden on the Limmat is Switzerland's most storied thermal spa town: since 2021, the FORTYSEVEN thermal bath by Mario Botta has been welcoming visitors, and you can use the outdoor pools in the spa quarter free of charge. Neighboring Wettingen has a Cistercian monastery with stained-glass paintings. Lenzburg is dominated by an imposing castle, Zofingen has a beautifully preserved old town, and in Rheinfelden on the Rhine, the Feldschlösschen brewery brews beer in a castle-like building.

Away from the larger towns, small places are well worth a visit, such as Kaiserstuhl with its tower above the Rhine, Laufenburg, whose old town shares a bridge with its German counterpart, and Mellingen on the Reuss. Bremgarten, with its covered wooden bridge and half-timbered houses, is especially popular during Advent, when one of Switzerland's largest Christmas markets takes place here.

Sights in Aargau

Hallwyl Castle is a moated castle on two islands in Lake Hallwil and one of the loveliest sights in Aargau. Habsburg Castle near Brugg is the ancestral seat of the dynasty that later became an imperial house, Königsfelden Monastery in Windisch has medieval stained-glass windows, and right next door lay the Roman legionary camp of Vindonissa, which you can experience along the Legionnaires' Trail. Other castles such as Wildegg and Brunegg are only a few kilometers apart and are easy to combine on a bike ride.

Families are drawn to the Roggenhausen Animal Park near Aarau or to Bad Zurzach, another thermal spa town on the Rhine, whose springs were only drilled in 1955. The canton is also known for its power plants on the Aare and the Rhine and for the Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen, a major research center.

Food and Drink

The Aargauer Rüeblitorte, a moist carrot cake topped with marzipan carrots, is the region's culinary calling card. In the Fricktal, cherries are distilled into kirsch, asparagus is grown in the Freiamt, and wines such as Riesling-Sylvaner grow on the slopes of the Limmat Valley. Many country inns serve fish from Lake Hallwil and the Rhine.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Aargau lies on the main axis of the Swiss rail network: it's 15 minutes from Zurich to Baden and half an hour to Aarau. Zurich Airport is close by. The best time to visit is from April to October, when the castles are open and swimming in the Aare and Rhine is possible.