Finding beauty

What are the most exquisite destinations on the planet? Travel writers tell all.

Beauty may well be in the eye of the beholder, and philosophers have puzzled over just what beauty is, and whether it is universal since Plato first scratched his head in the agora. Since then, our perceptions of beauty have changed over the centuries, providing rich layers of art and architecture, and shifting cultural attitudes to the great outdoors and how to appreciate it.

Yet somehow, it isn’t that hard to reach a consensus among travellers. Surely we all know beauty when we see it in a building, a landscape or even an entire country. We recognise what provokes pleasure and happiness, and set off down the road to find it. The only serious argument is over choosing which destinations have the best looks of all.

We’ve challenged our top travel writers to come up with some answers, and think you’ll find it’s a wonderful world.

COUNTRY THE PLACE Switzerland THE LOOKS Hard to believe the Alps were once viewed as dangerous and misshapen until the Romantic poets came along with their gushing and gambolling. You’d be a strange creature not to be awed by Switzerland’s beauty, whether you’re flying over its pavlova panoramas, taking a train along vine-clad lake shores or hiking through flower-filled meadows where happy cows munch.

DON’T MISS The Route des Vignerons (Winemakers’ Road) between Lausanne and Montreux will really smack your gob. It takes you through World Heritage-listed vineyards teetering above Lake Geneva, across which the French Alps are majestic under epaulettes of snow. See lavaux-unesco.ch; lake-geneva-region.ch.

ESSENTIALS Spring and autumn have cooler weather free of summer haze, revealing splendid alpine views; for scenery on skis, try January or February. See myswitzerland.com.