Explore Altdorf with Switzerland Tour: William Tell Monument, Capuchin Monastery

Altdorf, which is translated from German as “Old Village”, is the capital of the Swiss canton of Uri. It is a famous social, political and business center.

This tiny town has much to offer to the tourists from its old to the new distinctive features that remind us about the story of Switzerland’s origin.

While walking down of the Altdorf's squares and the narrow streets, you can clearly notice the impact of the nearby south of the Swiss Alps. In the center of the village stands the prominent William Tell Monument. It takes all the visitors back to 19th century when William Tell shot the apple from his son's head on the orders of Hapsburg's regional governor - Gessler.

According to the legend, this happened right in the market place, where later the fine historical bronze statue of Tell and his son was set up.

In 1899, the people built a theatre near to the central town in order to perform Friedrich Schiller's well-known play of William Tell.

No other famous person in Switzerland is so celebrated as William Tell. However, there is still doubt whether he has ever lived at all. By the way, his portrait can be seen on the back of the five Swiss Francs coins.

Another symbolic building in Altdorf is the Capuchin Monastery, right on the north side of the Swiss Alps. It is the oldest medieval tower in Switzerland dating back to 1581, which is also known as the House of Silence. Nowadays, it hosts cultural events, like music shows, stone sculpture and other variety of options.

Altdorf had the honour to win the award of the Swiss Heritage Society’s Wakker in 2007. The reasons for the victory were its amazing landscape-compatible development, as well as the numerous new buildings, and the effective renovations.

In summer, Altdorf offers endless leisure possibilities of water sports, like swimming, surfing, sailing, rowing or fishing.

Those who want to discover the real beauty of the surroundings can take a guide and go for a hiking or mountain climbing tours on extremely hiking trails among the unspoiled nature. Especially the trails in Schachental, which are highly recommended, and leave a lasting impression. For swimming, the best place is the outdoor and indoor Pool Complex of Altdorf. It offers a paddling pool, wide entertaining slides and restaurant with sunny terrace.

Winter holidays in Altdorf remind of a fairy-tale when it wears a white snowy dress and offers plenty of joyful options. Such as skiing, snowboarding, toboggan slopes and many other exciting activities.

Upon your visit to the dreamland of Altdorf, among the must-do list here is to taste the famous Altdorf bean soup. It is the traditional dish for over 100 years, which warms you in the cold winter days.

Likewise, Altdorf is organizing its annual music festivals, such as the Tonart Festival, Folk Music Festival, Alpine Sounds and the famous Tell Festival, which is dedicated to the Swiss national hero.

You could literally lose your breath and even not resist the overwhelming beauty that you will see in Altdorf. It is straight out of a fairy-tale. Thus, AlpExcursion is at your disposal to give you the best of this wonderland during a private tour in order to delve into this attracting part of Switzerland.