DISCOVER SWITZERLAND
Nature or culture? Historic city or mountain village? Wine or watches? Relaxation or extreme sports? Don’t choose. Do it all in Switzerland.
No matter where you begin in Switzerland, you finish with a memorable adventure.
If you start at the top – in the Swiss Alps – you’ll find more than two dozen peaks over 13,000 feet high – with almost as many ways to explore them. Ride the century-old Jungfrau railroad to the “Top of Europe” to mix with skiers or begin a summertime walk. Take in views of the legendary Eiger from a revolving gondola. Hike to the Randa suspension foot bridge – the longest in the world. Travel by panoramic train to St. Moritz, home of lavish après ski or relax in the luxury resorts and spas in car-free Zermatt after skiing the legendary Matterhorn.
No matter how far you wander in the hills, you’re never far from historic town centers and modern cities. Shop luxury boutiques in Zurich or visit the place where Einstein came up with E = mc2 in the Swiss capital of Bern. In Geneva, see how diplomats run the world at the United Nations and how scientists probe the structure of the universe at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research). Or visit watchmakers at the Patek Philippe factory. Hobnob with the world’s leading galleries during Art Basel in that northern city. Listen to music on the Swiss Riviera at the Montreaux Jazz Festival. When the weather turns cold choose a town and enjoy the ambiance at a Christmas market, complete with vin chaud or glühwein and gingerbread. During Fasnacht, the Swiss version of Carnival, watch the relatively quiet country get wild with outlandish nonstop celebrations in small towns and cities across the country.
If you’re more inclined to follow your taste buds for adventure, you’re in luck. Go to the source of namesake cheese: cycle the cheese route to Emmental or drive to Gruyeres in the mountains between Bern and Geneva. If you’d rather, discover the 260 red and white wines grown on the Lavaux terrace vineyards on the shores of Lake Geneva, some not marketed outside Swiss borders.
From Swiss-German-speaking Basel with its 40 museums, to the French-speaking wine regions of Valais and Vaud, to the Italian-influenced southern region with palm trees, piazzas and pristine lakeside beaches – no matter where you begin, you won’t ever want your Swiss vacation to end.