I just learned that all of the excellent Swiss Topo maps are available online, see this part of the Switzerland Mobility website. You can zoom in all the way down to 1:25,000 (i.e., you can see every building and small hiking path marked) and can print sections of the map at any scale you choose. All of Switzerland is included, plus the closer parts of the surrounding countries. You can also add overlays of the national cycling, hiking, and other routes.

I'm surprised that this is all available for free, normally you have to pay for this kind of information. I've previously used the SwissGeo website for this purpose, but this Switzerland Mobility one shows much more of the map at a time, the control interface is much better, and the printing function seems great. It still might not be a good idea to use this to replace a real, paper map, but I've used the SwissGeo website in the past to add more detail to sections of my 1:100,000 maps where I was planning to hike and wanted to know where all of the trails were, rather than just the major ones marked on my larger-scale map.

If anyone knows of more websites with topographic maps (i.e., that show contours, altitudes, and hiking trails), then please post the links here. Of course, the Google maps satellite and terrain views are also nice to look at, but they do not give the detailed information that a topographical map does.

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Cycling in Switzerland | Photo blog (mostly travel pics from Switzerland)

Good site, but would be much better if track coordinates were available for download.

I've always found that a decent topographical map combined with the excellent Swiss signage and a smidge of navigational sense is all that I ever need. Having a GPS with saved co-ordinates would seem to take part of the fun out of exploring and getting to know new places.

This is the same map and interface as the Veloland Schweiz and Wanderland Schweiz maps that have been mentioned in Longbyt's hiking threads before.

I agree, I tend not to use GPS purely down to the fact that if you can navigate without you are in a much better position to alter your course if needs be. You can also tell the terrain you are entering into much better from a paper map then you can from even the best GPS topomaps. I see too many people in the mountains blindly following GPX tracks. I think this is highly dangerous.

A GPS should always only be an aid to navigating not your only means of navigation.

Also, if you don't have a map, and don't know how to use it then you're pretty screwed if your GPS batteries go flat or you drop the thing.

The only time I found a GPS really useful in the mountains was after a friend fell 600ft in the Pyrennes.

I called up the rescue services on a mobile and when they asked, "Where are you?", I gave them the exact position with the GPS and a helicopter was there five minutes later.

This is true, but being able to say 500m to the south east of Schwarzhorn at an altitude of 2300m will still get them there just as fast.

Thats me being pedantic though. I agree that they can be a useful tool in emergencies. Its just a lot of people now are dependent on them and actually creating danger for themselves in my opinion.

Anyway we've gone OT now, sorry Chris.

I find the Swiss signage to be pretty ropey. Maybe I need to change my specs.

I suppose we're different people. I like my gadgets and you like your folding paper. Vive la difference.

As for Eire, I think I'm talking about a different thing - I'm talking about a pleasant afternoon cycling, skating or hiking on marked tracks, with that being the goal, rather than the navigation. I'm not climbing the north face of the Eiger. If my batteries go flat, I change them. If I drop my gadget, I have a 2nd one. If I drop that, I use my map. If my map blows away, I call the wife and she picks me up in the car!

For me, my goal is to go for a nice walk/skate/hike. I don't go for the sake of navigation, so the less time spent on it the better. It'd be nice to download coordinates and I'm quite surprised these aren't more readily available. I've used Swissgeo, by the way, but it's not much better than a map.

There are two other free topo maps available:

http://www.yabadu.de/de/maps/index.php
You can enroll (free), draw a trail and create the GPS-track.

http://www.mapplus.ch/
with lots of overlays as hiking lines, accommodation, public transports, huts...

Canton Zurich GIS (Geographical Info System)
http://www.giszh.zh.ch/internet/bd/a...s_browser.html
More than 40 different map types: e.g. transport, taxes, road noise levels, air quality, historic, agricultural, etc.

Anyone know of another jurisdiction with this quality and quantity of geographical info?

Topographical maps for ZH
http://www.gis.zh.ch/gb4/bluevari/gb.asp