There’s more to Switzerland than this…

Yes, it has mountains, lakes and postcard views – but don’t forget the luxury spas, polo, African art and Japanese whisky tastings. Chris Leadbeater picks 20 holidays in the country that has it all

It is not unusual for a country to be shaped in the public gaze by some of its most stereotypical aspects. For some, France will always be the Eiffel Tower, a striped T-shirt and a baguette in a bicycle basket. Germany’s image will have something to do with beer and sausages. As for Switzerland, the associations choose themselves: mountains, clocks and, depending on the sweetness of your tooth, either cheese or chocolate.

This, of course, is a caricature. And not necessarily an accurate one. True, if fondue is your thing, then your culinary expectations will definitely be met on a visit to this fabled segment of the central European landscape. And mountains are certainly part of the Swiss package. While Austria and France will roll their eyes at the suggestion, it is Switzerland that offers the most dramatic pieces of the Alpine jigsaw puzzle.

But there is more. Switzerland is complex: a nation of many cultures. It is bordered by five other countries (France to the west, Italy to the south, Germany to the north, Austria and Liechtenstein to the east) – and divided into 26 separate “cantons”. It also speaks four official languages (French, German, Italian and Romansh). A caricature? Not even close.

Derided as boring by those who do not know it, here is a destination that can be wholly exciting – its peaks, passes and paths ideal for adventurous escapes on foot, on skis or in the saddle. It has caught the British imagination of late – 2023 was the strongest year for journeys to Switzerland from the UK in more than a decade, with 1.7 million overnight stays, and the number of hotel bookings soaring sharply in Zurich, Geneva and Lucerne.

The thrill-factor carries over into these cities; hotspots which, far from being dull kernels of banking and bureaucracy (another cliché), are alive with first-rate museums, bright galleries and tasty dining options. Should you have time, you can join them up via the train infrastructure, which brings everything together at a leisurely pace – including the lakes which complement the mountains, perfect for days of relaxation. In fact, one of Switzerland’s great railways has just celebrated its 100th birthday (see overleaf), making 2024 a timely moment for a trip where life passes happily by through a carriage window.

How to do it? Perhaps via one of the 20 holidays suggested here. When to go? Whenever you wish. Spring, summer, autumn or winter – there is no bad season; no inopportune tick of the clock.

And – as we have already established – the Swiss know all about clocks.

City life

Switzerland’s largest city is also perhaps its most slandered. But while Zurich is indeed a major hub of the insurance industry, it is also quietly beautiful, spreading out at the top of the lake of the same name. It offers a range of art hotspots: the Museum Rietberg (rietberg.ch), with its African and Asian works; Kunsthaus Zurich (kunsthaus.ch), with its modern sculptures), and striking views of the water from various angles. A three-night stay at the five-star Renaissance Zurich Tower, flying from Heathrow on April 25, costs from £503 per person with British Airways Holidays (0344 493 0787; ba.com/holidays).

Away in the far west of the country, Geneva feels as much French as Swiss, so close to the border does it lie. Its street names and landmarks bear this out. You will find the 12th-century Saint Pierre Cathedral (part Gothic, part neoclassical), a short walk from Place de la Madeleine; the famous restaurant that serves a single dish (steak) at 26 Rue du Mont-Blanc is the Cafe de Paris (chezboubier.com). Still, there is no confusion about the elegance of Lake Geneva – the Rhone pouring from it, its Jet d’Eau fountain rising 460ft into the air. A three-night stay at the four-star Warwick Geneva, flying from Birmingham on May 3, costs from £539 per person through easyJet (0330 551 5165; easyjet.com).

Basel plays the same game in the north, marking the point where the Rhine becomes French as it flows into Alsace. But there is a discernible Swiss-ness to a city that, its third largest, is often considered the country’s cultural capital. Basel’s own Kunstmuseum (kunstmuseumbasel.ch) has works by Swiss painters Arnold Böcklin and Ferdinand Hodler (as well as Picasso, Van Gogh and Monet); its old town is a mix of narrow lanes and architectural whimsy. A three-night stay at the four-star Märthof Hotel, flying from Heathrow on May 2, costs from £442 per person, with Expedia (020 3024 8211; expedia.co.uk).

Piste of the action

The joys of Switzerland’s many ski resorts need no explanation to winter-sports devotees, but are worth reiterating here. Not least the majesty of Zermatt (zermatt.ch), down by the Italian border in the French-speaking canton of Valais. Not only does this downhill stalwart offer Europe’s highest slopes, reaching a summit elevation of 12,740ft (3,883m) on the Theodul clacier; said glacier makes for year-round skiing, in the shadow of the Matterhorn. A seven-night dash to the four-star Hotel Derby, flying from Manchester on March 23, costs from £1,745 per person – with Crystal

Ski (020 3451 2821; crystalski.co.uk).

Elsewhere in Valais, the Crans-Montana ski area (crans-montana.ch) repeats the trick. Here, the Plaine Morte glacier guarantees (cross-country) skiing under summer skies – while 87 miles of pistes ensure plenty of speedy descents during winter. A seven-night pre-Christmas escape to the five-star Hotel Crans Ambassador, flying out on December 14, costs from £2,445 per person, with Ski Solutions (020 3944 6089; skisolutions.com).

Over in easterly Graubünden, meanwhile, Laax (flimslaax.com) is something of a haven for keen snowboarders – although its 133 miles of slopes provide plenty of space, however you want to tackle the hill. A seven-night dash to the four-star Signina Hotel, flying out on March 31, costs from £1,295 per person, with Ski Safari (01273 920499; skisafari.com).

Adventure and activity

The Swiss Alps can also be a brilliant basis for holidays where you quest uphill as well as race down. Especially if you dream of attacking a series of fearsome gradients in Lycra.

For example, Marmot Tours (01373 830409; marmot-tours.co.uk) offers five-day group assaults on some of the country’s most feted mountain roads. These include the high-rise Furka Pass (as seen in 1964 Bond classic Goldfinger), which reaches 7,969ft (2,429m) as it connects Gletsch in Valais with Realp in the Uri canton. The itinerary also features the Tremola San Gottardo – a serpentine, and in part, cobbled legend of an ascent up into the Saint-Gotthard Massif, in south-easterly, Italian-speaking Ticino. Three departures are in the diary for this summer (July 14 and 21, plus August 31), from £1,950 per person (flights extra).

If that sounds far too much like serious effort, you might prefer a summer spell in the westerly pastures of the Bernese Oberland. The picturesque village of Kandersteg is the foundation stone to the Walking and E-Biking in the Swiss Alps trip offered by Exodus Adventure Travels (020 3553 9960; exodus.co.uk). This eight-day self-guided affair settles into a single hotel (the three-star Alfa Soleil) for a week of hiking (along the Lotschberger-Sudrampe rail trail; around the Blausee) and assisted cycling (through the Gasterntal Valley; along the Gemmi Pass), and costs from £1,819 per person, with flights.

If even this sounds too energetic, then the Lucerne’s Lakes and Mountains Short Break organised by Macs Adventure (0141 530 1185; macsadventure.com) may be better suited to your needs. Here, participants walk just 22 miles over the course of five days, most of them within sight of Lake Lucerne, in the central canton of the same name. The holiday costs from £1,095 per person, excluding flights.

Lakeside life

Lake Lucerne is, of course, just one of the many such water features that decorate the Swiss landmass. Each or any of them can be a backdrop to an unhurried summer holiday.

Lake Neuchâtel is the largest lake set entirely on Swiss soil. And yet, it remains one of the least known to those who don’t know Switzerland well, shimmering in the west of the country, (largely) within the canton with which it shares its name. No matter. Its 91 miles of shoreline, dotted with small towns, provides numerous options for gentle weeks in the sunshine.

Vrbo (020 8827 1971; vrbo.com) offers the two-bedroom La Lezardiere (ref: 8240796), which sits just in from the waterfront near Cortaillod, on the north-west bank. The property is still available for the week beginning August 23, for £1,076; flights extra.

That caveat that Lake Neuchâtel is the “largest in Switzerland” should be a clue that there are bigger lakes in the vicinity; just that the Swiss have to share them. One, famously, is lake Maggiore, which qualifies as the longest of the Italian lakes, all 40 miles of it – though the upper 12 miles lie north of the border, in Ticino. Here, Locarno and Ascona provide enough urban buzz for long lunches at the lakeside. Try Ristorante Debarcadero (ristorantedebarcadero.swiss) in the former – and the apartment (ref: 1698472) offered by Tui Villas (020 3529 8455; tuivillas.com) in the latter. This two-bedroom retreat, which comes with a leafy garden, is available in the week of August 10 for £1,288; flights extra.

Switzerland also goes halves – or, in this case, thirds – on lake Constance, whose other name, “Bodensee”, is a reminder that Germany and Austria also call it their own. But whichever word you use, this significant water feature – whose Swiss section abuts the cantons of St Gallen, Schaffhausen and Thurgau – is an ideal location for a getaway with children. Such as, perhaps, the self-guided Family Lake Constance Bike Tour offered by Freedom Treks (01273 977981; freedomtreks.co.uk), which trundles through all three countries over the course of a week. It costs from £621 per person (from £803 in August), flights not included.

Stay on track

If you have no desire to spend your holiday riding a bike, but still wish to see a decent cross-section of Swiss scenery, the train is an obvious alternative. Switzerland is rightly lauded for its rail infrastructure – tracks arcing through majestic valleys, or inching up steep mountainsides. The most notable of these, perhaps, is the Jungfrau Railway (jungfrau.ch), which slices up through the Bernese Alps as the highest train line in Europe – hitting 11,332ft (3,454m) near the top of the Jungfrau (having sliced through neighbouring mountains, the Eiger and Monch, en route). Great Rail (01904 521 936; greatrail. com) uses it as the inevitable centrepiece to its Jungfrau Express holiday; a nine-day all-inclusive escorted odyssey which makes the entire return journey from London by train. There is still space on the October 1 departure, from £3,495 per person.

Then there is the Glacier Express (glacierexpress.ch), which races 181 miles between Zermatt and St Moritz (in Graubünden), passing through a third ski hotspot, Andermatt, en route. “Express” is a misleading word here, as the full A-to-B takes eight hours, but the track’s encounters with 291 bridges, 91 tunnels and the high terrain of the Oberalp Pass – as well as its being bookended by the Matterhorn and the 13,283ft (4,049m) mountain giant Piz Bernina – make for a journey to be savoured. It features in the 14-day Mountain Railways of Switzerland escorted tour offered by Ffestiniog Travel (01766 512400; ffestiniogtravel. com). The next edition departs September 11-24, from £3,475 per person.

But as with its lakes, Switzerland’s foremost train rides are not always wholly its own. So it proves with the Centovallina, which forges 32 miles

Lake Lucerne is just one of the many such water features that decorate the Swiss landmass

from Locarno to Domodossola, crossing the Italian border as it goes. Nor are the “100 Valleys” inherent in its name the only pertinent century. Inaugurated at the tail end of 1923, the Centovallina is currently revelling in its centenary year, with a flurry of celebrations to match (see vigezzinacentovalli.com). The trip only takes two – breathtaking – hours, but provides the spine of the six-day Centovalli Express itinerary offered by Expressions Holidays (01392 441245; expressionsholidays.co.uk). It costs from £1,895pp including all transport.

Lap of luxury

It is only natural that a country known for gold-plated bank accounts should also be an oasis of luxury for those who crave such creature comforts. Sophisticated hotels abound – not least in mountain resorts, which can be oases of summer style as much as winter sport.

High up amid the peaks of Bern canton, Gstaad is a case in point. The Gstaad Palace has been its hotel standard-bearer since 1913, and is as elegant in the warm months as the cold – August (22-25) will see it devote itself to the horseplay of the polo Gold Cup, and to the classic cars of the Gstaad Palace Challenge rally (August 30-September 1). Double rooms start at £804 (palace.ch); a smidgeon less than at the rival Alpina Gstaad (from £990 a night; thealpinagstaad.ch), where July indolence can involve mornings in the Six Senses spa, fine dining at restaurant Swiss Stübli, and tipples at the Japanese Whisky Bar.

Equally, you might decide to head east to Graubünden and swish St Moritz, where Badrutt’s Palace (badruttspalace.com) has been a hive of upmarket gentility since 1896. A fournight stay here costs from £3,762 per person, including flights, private transfers and breakfast – through luxury specialist Scott Dunn (020 3773 8616; scottdunn.com).

And if one glamorous location doesn’t sound chic enough, why not do several? Black Tomato (020 7426 9888; blacktomato.com) offers a 12-night Luxury Holiday in the Alps, Lakes and Coast that visits various salubrious Swiss places – including St Moritz and Zermatt – before slipping over the Italian border. It costs from £10,950 per person, flights extra.

It is only natural that a country known for gold-plated bank accounts should also be an oasis of luxury

i Switzerland as we know it: Thun, in the canton of Bern, with the Alps and Thunersee lake as a backdrop

g Get in the swing of things: Lake Ascona has ‘enough urban buzz for long lunches at the lakeside’

i Get a fresh perspective on Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city, from a motor launch on the lake of the same name

i Swiss misnomer: the Glacier Expresss races 181 miles between Zermatt and St Moritz – but it takes eight hours

i Ski in Zermatt, which has Europe’s highest slopes