🇨🇭 Canton guide
Glarus: living, going out and working in the canton
Everything about the canton of Glarus: the Landsgemeinde, institutions, tax for cross-border workers (outside the 1983 agreement), transport, the Freulerpalast, the Walensee, Sardona, and an interactive map.
Photo (cropped): Kanton Glarus, Samuel Trümpy Photography, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- residents at the end of 2025 (Federal Statistical Office)
- 42,451
- of the population are foreign nationals (calculated, end of 2025)
- 26.9%
- in Switzerland: the canton is not in the 1983 agreement
- At source
- the Landsgemeinde: first Sunday in May, in the open air (Constitution, Art. 63)
- May
10 sections≈ 13 min readSources checked on November 6, 2026
The interactive map
31 places marked: landmarks, museums, transport, restaurants, nights out and events. Tap a point to learn more.
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Places on the map (31)
Base map © swisstopo · Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors. When the map appears, your browser loads the tiles from the servers of the Swiss Confederation (swisstopo), which can see your IP address.
Glarus is a small alpine canton in eastern Switzerland with 42,451 inhabitants, like an "alpine arena": its valleys open only to the north, onto the Linth plain. It is famous for its Landsgemeinde, the assembly where voters decide in the open air on the first Sunday in May, and, according to its own portrait, it is the most industrialised canton in Switzerland. It is divided into three municipalities (Glarus, Glarus Nord, Glarus Süd). It has no border with France and is not one of the eight cantons of the 1983 agreement: for a French cross-border worker this means being taxed at source in Switzerland, at the ordinary rates, and not in France as in Basel or Neuchâtel.
This page gathers what you need to know to live, go out and work in the canton of Glarus: language, institutions, tax, transport, food and specialities, museums, nature, traditions. The figures come from official sources listed at the bottom of the page. Venues open, close and change their hours: always check with them before you travel. The interactive map further down shows the three municipalities and about thirty places, from Näfels and the Walensee to the Sernftal. The cantonal tourism site (glarnerland.ch) blocks automated reading: we did not read it and rely instead on the canton's portrait, the municipalities' sites, the Glarus Nord region and the institutions.
1. Glarus at a glance
| Marker | What to know |
|---|---|
| Population | 42,451 inhabitants at the end of 2025 (permanent resident population) |
| Foreign nationals | 11,409 people, i.e. 26.9%; 31,042 Swiss |
| Municipalities | Glarus Nord (19,849 inhab., 28.4% foreign), Glarus (12,968, 29.7%), Glarus Süd (9,634, 20.0%) |
| Landsgemeinde | First Sunday in May, in the open air, in Glarus (art. 63) |
| Government | Regierungsrat of 5 full-time members, elected by majority vote (art. 71 and 94) |
| Parliament | Landrat of 60 members, elected by proportional representation (art. 70 and 82) |
| Council of States | Two members, elected by majority vote (art. 72) |
| Industry | More than 40% of employees work in industry (canton portrait) |
| Tax of the French cross-border worker | At source in Switzerland (outside the 1983 agreement) |
| Places that come up often | Näfels, Glarus, Elm, Walensee, Kerenzerberg, Sernftal |
The percentage of foreign nationals is calculated from the figures in the Federal Statistical Office table "Resident population" (2025); the figures by municipality come from the same table. The Constitution is dated 1 May 1988; the version read is the one published as of 1 January 2026.
2. Language
The Constitution we read contains no article on the official language: we therefore do not claim one. The official texts we read (Constitution, state pages, municipal and institution sites) are in German, and the contract, payslip and forms generally are too; Swiss German is spoken. No main-language statistic was read: we therefore give no percentage of French speakers. For formalities, count on German or English; an employer in hospitality may be used to guests of all languages, but this is not a rule.
3. How the canton is governed
| Institution | What the Constitution says |
|---|---|
| Landsgemeinde | Assembly of the canton's voters and supreme body (art. 61), meeting on the first Sunday in May in Glarus (art. 63); an extraordinary assembly if it decides so, if 2,000 voters ask for it or if the Landrat convenes it |
| Procedure | The Landammann chairs it and opens it with a speech (art. 64); anyone can propose, amend, reject, postpone; the Landrat's proposal is approved if no other proposal is made (art. 66); the Landammann estimates the majority by eye and his decision is final (art. 67); voters raise their voting card (official site) |
| Powers | Constitution, laws, treaties, free-to-decide one-off spending of more than CHF 1 million or recurring spending of more than CHF 200,000 a year, land purchases of more than CHF 5 million, the tax rate (art. 69); election of the Landammann and the Landesstatthalter and of judges (art. 68) |
| Right to vote | Swiss citizens living in the canton, from age 16 (art. 56); eligible from age 18 (art. 57) |
| Memorialsantrag | Any voter may submit a proposal to the Landsgemeinde (art. 58); the Landrat rules on admissibility and it is "relevant" if it gets at least ten votes (art. 59) |
| Landrat | 60 members (art. 82), elected at the ballot box by proportional representation (art. 70) |
| Regierungsrat | 5 full-time members (art. 94), elected at the ballot box by majority vote (art. 71) |
| Term of office | Four years; the Landammann and the Landesstatthalter are elected for two years by the Landsgemeinde from among the members of the government (art. 78 and 97) |
A cross-border worker has no right to vote in the canton: they take part in neither the Landsgemeinde, nor elections, nor cantonal ballots.
4. Working in Glarus as a cross-border worker
| Point | What we read |
|---|---|
| 1983 agreement | The Federal Council signed it on behalf of Bern, Solothurn, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Vaud, Valais, Neuchâtel and Jura: Glarus is not one of them |
| Fribourg tax office | According to its instructions, the agreement "concerns only" these eight cantons |
| Aargau | Its tax office describes the situation of a canton outside the agreement: French cross-border workers taxed at the ordinary rates (A, B, C, H), with a tax credit in France |
| Glarus tax administration | "Hauptabteilung Steuern": counter open without appointment on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; telephone Monday to Friday 8 am to 12 noon and 1:30 pm to 5 pm (Thursday until 5:30 pm) |
| eQst.GL online statement | For employers: 2% collection commission on the tax paid for an electronic statement; since 1 January 2025, 1% for a paper statement, allowed until 31 August 2026 (art. 36 of the Digital Administration Act); "Changes 2026" document |
| Telework | A factsheet from another canton (Lucerne) states that the additional agreement of 27 June 2023 to the 1966 Franco-Swiss convention applies to the whole of Switzerland; no Glarus page on the subject was read |
| Cantonal minimum wage | Not read; check the collective agreement of your sector (see our guide on the CCNT) |
| Number of cross-border workers | Not read |
The detail of your case (tax scale, deduction, 45 days, telework, health insurance) depends on your situation: follow our guides rather than this page.
5. Getting around
| Means | What we read |
|---|---|
| S25 from Zurich | Every hour, directly from Zurich to the Glarnerland; from Zurich airport, 60 to 80 minutes with one change at Zurich HB |
| Glarnerbus | The train and the Glarnerbus serve "every corner" of the canton |
| Free transport | The Glarus Nord region announces free public transport for all overnight guests in the Glarnerland; a cross-border worker who goes home in the evening normally does not qualify |
| Car | A3 motorway, exit 44 (Niederurnen) from Zurich or Chur |
| Freulerpalast | Via Ziegelbrücke station to Näfels-Mollis, then bus 511 or 512 to the Freulerpalast stop or a 7-minute walk |
| Walensee | Mühlehorn boat station, behind the railway station; seasonal trips to Quinten, the Seerenbach falls and Walenstadt |
| Mountain lifts | Filzbach – Habergschwänd chairlift (20 minutes), Niederurnen – Morgenholz cable car, Schilt ski lift in winter |
We did not read a detailed line map, timetables or fares. Check your journey on the SBB website before choosing where to live.
6. Eating and drinking
| Place | What we read |
|---|---|
| House of Läderach (Grabenstrasse 4, Bilten) | Home of the chocolatier Läderach, which welcomes visitors from the region and from around the world |
| Berghotel Obersee (Aeschen 69, Näfels) | Mountain hotel by the lake, with a restaurant and a playground |
| Restaurant Hirzli | Mountain restaurant in the Niederurner Täli, mentioned for its fondue; reached via the Niederurnen cable car |
| Glarner Schabziger | Lean cheese with a history of more than a thousand years; GESKA AG is its exclusive producer |
| Specialities | Zigerhöreli and Netzbraten on the menus of mountain restaurants; Glarner Kalberwurst, the only sausage that may be mixed with bread |
The Glarus Nord tourist board also cites the Bergbeizen (mountain inns) as hiking stops. No list of restaurants was read: we give only the addresses whose page we read.
7. What to see and do
Näfels, Glarus and the Sernftal
| Place | What we read |
|---|---|
| Freulerpalast (Näfels) | One of the most splendid Swiss residential buildings of the 17th century, built from 1642 to 1648 for the guard colonel Kaspar Freuler; the canton's museum since 1946; open Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 5 pm |
| Näfels | Village of the 1388 battle, which stayed Catholic in the Reformation; Kloster Mariaburg founded in 1674 on the hill |
| Zaunplatz (Glarus) | Site of the Landsgemeinde; stands for spectators |
| Kunsthaus Glarus (Im Volksgarten) | Contemporary art; 19 September to 22 November 2026, Phoebe Collings-James, Luna Mahoux and "Conspiracies, or Flowers for Venus" |
| Anna Göldi Museum (Ennenda) | Cited by the canton among its cultural institutions (site not read) |
| Landesplattenberg (Engi) | Historic slate mine, first mentioned in 1565; guided tours |
| Schiefertafelfabrik (Elm) | "The last slate-tablet factory still in operation in the world" |
| Besucherzentrum Sardona (Elm) | Centre of the Tectonic Arena Sardona World Heritage site, where older rocks lie on top of younger ones |
| Linthwerk | The Linth correction, begun in 1807, Switzerland's first national work |
Nature and the mountains
| Place | What we read |
|---|---|
| Obersee (Näfels) | Clear mountain lake, fishing, a 3 km stroll or a 10.7 km loop |
| Klöntalersee | Mountain lake of the Klöntal, "so beautiful that no dream can guess it" (Carl Spitteler) |
| Mullern-Fronalp | Plateau at 1,200 m: a panorama from the Tödi to the Black Forest |
| Lochsite (Sool) | Famous geological site, key to understanding the thrusting of mountain nappes |
| Hirzli | The "viewing mountain" of the Glarner Unterland; wooden-sculpture trail |
| Kerenzerberg | Between the Walensee and the Churfirsten; Filzbach and its seminar hotels |
| Tödi | The first hut of the Swiss Alpine Club, built in the canton |
| Braunwald, Elm | Snow-sport resorts cited by the canton |
8. Nights out and entertainment
| Place | What we read |
|---|---|
| Kulturforum Brandluft (Filzbach) | The association enlivens cultural life in Glarus Nord: well-known artists, readings, talks, guided tours |
| Freulerpalast Konzerte | Concert series announced at the Näfels museum (programme not read) |
| Kunsthaus Glarus | "Sonntag im Kunsthaus" on 8 November 2026, 10 am to 5 pm, with a family workshop and a tour of the exhibitions |
| lintharena (Näfels) | Sports centre with an indoor pool, a sauna and a steam bath, two climbing halls |
No list of bars or clubs was read for this canton, and no nightlife opening hours either: we kept only the venues whose site we read. If you are after the nightlife of a big city, the S25 links Zurich every hour.
9. Traditions and highlights
| Event | When | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Landsgemeinde | First Sunday in May (2 May 2027, deduced) | Open-air vote on the Zaunplatz, by show of cards; "no anonymous voting" |
| Näfelser Fahrt | April, date not read | Commemoration of an unexpected victory (the battle of 1388) |
| Fridolinsfüür | St Fridolin's Day, date not read | Fires in honour of the canton's patron saint; on that day children are allowed to smoke, says the tourist board |
| Alpabzüge | End of the alpine summer | Decorated cows come down from the alpine pastures; farming families in costume |
| Schellnen / Klausschellnern | Dates not read | Bell customs, cited by the Glarus Nord tourist board |
| Geo-Höck | 21 November 2026 | Meeting on the theme of minerals, organised by the Sardona World Heritage association; venue not read |
| ESAF 2025 Glarnerland+ | Already past (2025) | Three-day Swiss wrestling festival ("Schwingfest") in the canton, mentioned by the Schabziger producer |
Sources
- Constitution of the canton of Glarus (I A/1/1): version of 1 January 2026; art. 1, 56 to 59, 61, 63 to 72, 78, 82, 94, 97. Text in German.
- Federal Statistical Office: resident population (table px-x-0102010000_101, 2025): population, foreign nationals, municipalities.
- Agreement of 11 April 1983 on the taxation of cross-border workers; Fribourg tax office: "source tax" instructions; Aargau tax office: memo on the taxation of cross-border workers.
- Canton of Glarus: tax administration; eQst.GL statement; Lucerne factsheet on telework of French cross-border workers.
- Site guides, checked against official sources: G permit, contract and salary (CCNT).
- Portrait of the canton of Glarus; Landsgemeinde of the canton of Glarus; municipalities of Glarus, Glarus Nord, Glarus Süd, Näfels.
- Institutions and regions: Freulerpalast; Kunsthaus Glarus; Landesplattenberg; Sardona; Glarusnord-Walensee; GESKA, Schabziger.
- Map coordinates: © OpenStreetMap contributors; base map © swisstopo.
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