Switzerland Travel Guide

Awe Inspiring Scenery

The cows really do wear bells in Switzerland, you really can feast on chocolate and fondue (or chocolate fondue!) and best of all if you’ve over-indulged you can still reach the summit of a Swiss alp with no effort at all. Switzerland is synonymous with mountains and although you can get to the top the hard way, part of the charm of this landlocked nation is to reach the summit by other means. The world’s steepest cog railway will take you all the way to the peak of Mt Pilatus, or watch awe-inspiring scenery slip by on a train journey between Zermatt and St Moritz. In Zermatt board one of the highest cable car rides in Europe and then an elevator trip to the summit of Little Matterhorn – on a clear day you can see more than 40 peaks over 4000 metres high and even gaze across to Italy and France.

Then there’s the Jungfrau Railway in the spectacular Bernese Oberland and the incredible trip to the highest train station in the world at 3454 metres - a journey of tunnels, glaciers and icy grottos.

Back closer to sea level Switzerland is a patchwork of cultures with its four official  languages of Swiss German, French, Italian and Romansch. Its cities too are distinctively different – lakeside Lucerne has its iconic covered bridge; cosmopolitan Geneva has the United Nations in residence; Zürich, famed for its bankers, is surprisingly trendy, and of course where could be more fashionable than Montreux and St Moritz?

Cheese lovers will want to make a pilgrimage to Gruyère perhaps, but there are many other villages to explore too, such as picture postcard perfect Appenzell and Andermatt or Morcote on the shores of Lake Lugano.

Zurich Highlights
Fraumünster Church - this 13th century church is most well known for the stunning stained glass windows created by Marc Chagall in 1967.

Limmatquai - the street in Zürich’s old town, along the waterfront of the River Limmat. It passes by the Grossmünster & the Water Church as well as many of Zürich’s Guildhalls and the Rathaus, Zürich’s Parliament building. A must do wander.

Lindenhof - the hill & square in the heart of the old town, and one time Roman fort, has magnificent views over the old town.

Kunsthaus - this Museum of Fine Arts is home to an amazing collection of Alberto Giacometti stick-figure sculptures, Monets, Van Goghs, Rodin sculptures and other 19th and 20th century art.

Bürkliterrasse - this is a long lakefront esplanade that is an ideal spot to sit and relax under the trees. In clear weather you can enjoy marvellous views across the lake to the Alps.

Niederdorf - this historic neighbourhood is perfect for strolling by day, it is a pedestrian area and a shopper’s paradise with lots of boutiques hidden away in alleys. At night it turns into party central.

Fondue - (melted cheese in a central pot) and Raclette (cheese melted in small portions, served with potatoes and pickles) are a Swiss delicacy and you’ll find plenty of places specialising in these, especially in the old town.