"I Thought This Was a Rollercoaster": The Funniest Swiss Travel Fails of 2026

 

The Tourist & Expat Fails

"I Thought This Was a Rollercoaster": The Funniest Swiss Travel Fails of 2026

As Switzerland hits record tourism numbers in 2026, the gap between "Instagram vs. Reality" is creating some comedic gold. Here are the top fails from visitors who didn't read the manual.

1. The Gelmerbahn "Slow-Motion" Scream

The Gelmerbahn funicular is famous for looking like a vertical rollercoaster in sped-up Reels. In 2026, a group of tourists was filmed screaming at the top of their lungs for the entire 12-minute ascent... despite the train moving at a blistering 2 meters per second.

• The Reality: It’s a scenic crawl, not a thrill ride, making the high-octane screaming look absolutely ridiculous to the locals.

2. The "Free" Water Confidence

A tourist in Lucerne was seen filling their bottle from a decorative fountain, only to realise too late it was the one fountain in the city clearly marked "Kein Trinkwasser" (Not Drinking Water) because it was being treated for algae.

• The Humour: 99.9% of Swiss fountains are mountain-fresh gold; they managed to find the 0.1% that wasn't.

3. The "Sunday Silence" Vacuuming Raid

A new expat in Geneva decided Sunday morning was the perfect time to do some heavy vacuuming and shelf-drilling. Within 15 minutes, three different neighbours had knocked on the door—not to complain, but to "concernedly" ask if there was an emergency, as surely no one would make that much noise on a rest day on purpose.