Introducing Switzerland
If you could travel through only one European country, which might you choose? Italy? France? Germany? How about a taste of three in one? That can only mean Switzerland!
Known as a summer and winter sports paradise (just look at those glistening white 4000m-plus Alpine peaks and glittering lakes), Switzerland is where people first skied for fun. Illustrious names evoke all the romance and glamorous drama of the mountain high life: Zermatt, St Moritz, Interlaken, Gstaad, the Jungfrau, Verbier and more. Cities like Geneva (the most cosmopolitan), Zürich (the most outrageous), Basel and Lausanne heave with heady artistic activity and sometimes incendiary nightlife.
Beyond the après-ski chic, edelweiss and Heidi lies a complex country of cohabiting cultures. It not only has four languages (Swiss German, French, Italian and Romansch), but the cultural variety to match. You could be chomping on sausages over beer in an oom-pah-pah Stübli one day and pasta over a glass of merlot in a granite grotto the next. And if over-indulgence becomes a problem try one of the country's thermal baths, from Yverdon-les-Bains to Scuol.
The grandeur of the finest churches, such as the cathedrals in Lausanne and Bern, contrasts with sparkling but lesser-known treasures like the frescoes of Müstair or the abbey complex of St Gallen (both World Heritage sites).
The list of enchanting towns is endless: from Lucerne with its covered bridge to Neuchâtel and its fountains; from Gruyères with its cheese, and Grimentz with its traditional timber houses to the sgraffito-blazoned buildings of Engadine towns like Scuol and Zuoz.
Whether visiting the remotest Ticino villages or sampling the finest of Valais wines, you'll find Switzerland a chocolate box bursting with unexpected flavours.
Ready to go?
These tours & activities make it easy:
Sights in Switzerland
Activities in Switzerland
Geneva
World cuisine, luxury shopping and alternative clubs mingle in this international hub.
Tours in Switzerland
Zürich
Zürich is a city whose reputation precedes it - and does it a complete disservice, trashes its name, gives it a good kicking.
Switzerland destination guides
Central Switzerland
Welcome to the fairy-tale alpine creation they call the Berner Oberland, a place so silver-screen perfect you’ll think you’re conjuring it up.
Hotels in Switzerland
Budget Hotels & Hostels in Switzerland
Guesthouses and B&Bs in Switzerland
Apartments in Switzerland
Bern
You won't spend long in Bern without hearing or reading the name Unesco.
Entertainment in Switzerland
Lake Geneva & Vaud
East of Geneva, Western Europe's biggest lake stretches like a giant liquid mirror between French-speaking Canton de Vaud (pronounced Voh; Waadt in German) on its northern shore and France to the south.
Shopping in Switzerland