Switzerland

The Swiss Alps are the definition of mountain perfection — the Matterhorn, Jungfrau, and Eiger tower above pristine valleys of wildflower meadows, crystal lakes, and picturesque villages. Scenic train journeys (Glacier Express, Bernina Express) connect it all, and the infrastructure for hiking, skiing, and paragliding is world-class. Expensive but extraordinary.

Switzerland's alpine adventure capital sits between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, with the Jungfrau region rising behind town. Base for Jungfraujoch's Top of Europe railway (3,454m), paragliders launching over Höhematte meadow, Lauterbrunnen's 72 waterfalls (inspiration for Rivendell), and Mürren's car-free clifftop perch. Expect Swiss prices.

Switzerland's largest city — banking capital, Lake Zürich anchor, and (consistently) one of the world's two or three highest-quality-of-life cities. Altstadt's medieval lanes climb to the twin towers of the Grossmünster (where Zwingli launched the Swiss Reformation in 1519); Bahnhofstrasse runs from the Hauptbahnhof to the lake; the Kunsthaus holds Switzerland's finest art collection. The Uetliberg's panorama trail and the lake's swim baths (Frauenbad, Männerbad, Seebad Enge) are the locals' summer rituals. Expensive — but the trains run on the dot.

The picture-postcard alpine lake city in central Switzerland — Europe's oldest covered wooden bridge (the 1333 Chapel Bridge) crosses the Reuss river, the 1821 Lion Monument commemorates the Swiss Guards killed defending Louis XVI, and Mount Pilatus (2,128m) and Mount Rigi (1,797m) loom across Lake Lucerne with the world's steepest cogwheel railway and Europe's oldest mountain railway respectively. The 21st-century Elbphilharmonie-rivalling Elbphilharmonie-equivalent here is the KKL concert hall hosting the world-class Lucerne Festival. Genuinely expensive — Switzerland is among Europe's priciest, with CHF 4 city bus rides and CHF 25+ basic restaurant mains.

Car-free Alpine village of 5,800 residents pinned beneath the 4,478 m Matterhorn — the most photographed mountain in Switzerland and arguably the world. The 1898 Gornergrat cog railway climbs to 3,089 m for the classic frontal Matterhorn view, and the Klein Matterhorn cable car tops out at 3,883 m, the highest cable-car station in Europe. Only electric taxis are allowed in town; everyone arrives by train through Visp. Year-round skiing on the Theodul Glacier and 400 km of summer hiking trails make this Switzerland's signature mountain resort.

Switzerland's French-speaking diplomatic capital on the western tip of Lake Geneva, home to the UN's European headquarters, the Red Cross, the WHO, the WTO, and roughly 40 percent of Geneva's residents being foreign nationals. The 140 m Jet d'Eau plumes from the lake's edge as the city's signature image, the medieval Old Town climbs to St. Pierre Cathedral where Calvin preached, and CERN sits 8 km west on the French border. Expensive even by Swiss standards, with a watch-and-chocolate shopping district that rivals Zurich's.

Switzerland's federal capital — not Zurich, despite the common assumption — wrapped in a horseshoe bend of the turquoise Aare river. The medieval old town gained UNESCO status in 1983 for its 6 km of continuous sandstone arcades, the 1530 Zytglogge astronomical clock that still chimes on the hour, and the Bundeshaus where the Federal Council meets. Albert Einstein wrote his 1905 papers here while working at the patent office. In summer, locals float the Aare straight through the old town with a waterproof bag for their clothes.

Switzerland's second-largest French-speaking city, terraced steeply down the north shore of Lake Geneva — the Olympic capital of the world since the IOC moved its headquarters here in 1915. The Olympic Museum at Ouchy on the lakefront draws 250,000 visitors a year, the Notre-Dame Cathedral crowns the upper old town as Switzerland's finest Gothic building, and the Lavaux UNESCO vineyard terraces begin a 15-minute train ride east. The EHL hotel-management school and university give the city an energetic student population that softens the formality of Geneva 60 km west.