Schwyz is one of those Swiss names that turns out to be bigger than the town itself. The canton helped give Switzerland its name, and the town still feels close to the country's founding myths: compact, orderly, framed by steep green slopes and the twin Mythen peaks.
The headline sight is the Museum of the Swiss Charters of Confederation, where early federal documents are treated with suitable seriousness. A short walk away, Ibach is home to Victorinox, the Swiss Army Knife maker, while the hills above town lead to Grosser Mythen, Rotenfluh, and the Stoosbahn.
Schwyz is not as postcard-pretty as Lucerne, but it has a stronger local identity. Come for a day of Swiss history and mountain air, or use it as a quieter base for the Mythen region and Lake Lucerne.