|
| Switzerland has it all.
Alpine grandeur reflected in shimmering lakes between verdant
valleys with a scattering of chic cities. It has the Eiger,
Matterhorn, one of the last Alpine peaks to be climbed, and
Piz Palü on the Italian border. It offers a wide range of
winter and summer sports, from easy to exacting. The less
energetic can take Europe's highest mountain railway to the
Jungfraujoch and the only UNESCO World Natural Heritage in
the Alps. This is the ‘Top of Europe’ at 3,454 metres and
offers stunning views as far as the Vosges in France and
Germany’s Black Forest. A trip to this wonderland of snow,
ice and rock is the highlight of any holiday in
Switzerland. |
 |
For skiing and snowboarding, Switzerland has
some of the best resorts in the world and can suit everyone
from Beginners and Families to Expert Skiers. St Luc, for
example, part of the Sierre-Anniviers ski area is a
traditional village 1500m above the Rhone. The skiing is
ideal for Beginners and Intermediate level, and because of
the height of the resort it is possible to ski right down to
the village. A resort more suitable for Expert Skiers and
snowboarders, while still catering well for Intermediate
levels, is Davos in the Riga Park Area. It has pistes above
2500 metres so skiing is possible throughout the season.
Davos is a large town and the lifts can carry 64,400 skiers
an hour! There are over 180 ski resorts in Switzerland, so
there is bound to be one to suit you...
But if skiing is
not your thing, you can still enjoy the Swiss winter on foot.
From Switzerland Tourism you can download to your phone the
Swiss Winter Hike App, which gives access to descriptions of
36 attractive winter hikes, with information about
restaurants along each route. |
This is also culture country and the
Benedictine Abbey in the city of St Gallen, with its
magnificent Stift Library, the oldest in Switzerland and open
to the public every day, are veritable treasure troves.
Medieval castles, fortresses and photogenic palaces abound in
Switzerland. One with a most incredible setting is Tarasp
Castle in the Upper Engadine. Perched on a rock with villages
and a lake below, and snow covered high peaks above, it was
fully restored from an 11th century ruin in 1916 and is now
open to visitors.
Rated top attraction in
Switzerland by tourists is Lake Geneva, a scenic mountain
lake feeding the Rhone river with magnificent views in winter
and summer. Geneva itself is expensive but has numerous
cultural attractions. Among the newest is the CERN particle
physics laboratory, where the visitor to the permanent
exhibitions (open daily except Sundays) can peep into the
fascinating world of the great questions of contemporary
physics, such as the Big Bang Theory.
Switzerland has
many other outstanding cities to visit like Zurich, the
‘metropolis of experiences’ with a view of the Alps; or
Basel on the Rhine and in the corner of the country close to
Germany and France, and therefore traditional and open-minded
at the same time; and Lausanne, a university and convention
town on Lake Geneva.
Old traditions - rustic and
rugged - live side-by-side with top trends and technology.
Yes, there really is chocolate, cheese & cuckoo clocks.
Not to forget the legendary Swiss watch and trains that
actually turn up on time! Oh yes, stunning Switzerland has
all this and much more.
Vacation, Holiday and Travel in
Switzerland.
|
|
