Switzerland

Europe's most iconic mountain — the 4,478-metre pyramidal peak that has been the symbol of the Alps since Edward Whymper's first ascent in 1865 — looms above the car-free village of Zermatt in a landscape of glaciers, moraines, and mountain railways. The Klein Matterhorn cable car, rising to 3,883 metres, provides the highest viewing platform in the Alps accessible without mountaineering experience. In winter, Zermatt offers skiing linked to the Italian resort of Cervinia, making it one of the largest ski areas in Europe.

The most dramatic concentration of alpine scenery in Switzerland, the Bernese Oberland contains the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau — the three peaks that define the skyline of the Swiss alps — above the valley towns of Grindelwald, Wengen, and Mürren. The Jungfraujoch railway station, at 3,454 metres the highest in Europe, provides access to the Aletsch Glacier — the longest in the Alps — and views from the top of Europe that are, on a clear day, incomparable.

The world's slowest express train, the Glacier Express runs eight hours from Zermatt to St Moritz (or Davos) through 91 tunnels, across 291 bridges, and over the Oberalp Pass at 2,033 metres in panoramic carriages designed to maximise the view of the alpine landscape. The journey traverses virtually every type of Swiss landscape — the Rhône valley, the Surselva, the Engadine — and is rightly considered one of the great train journeys in the world.

The largest lake in Western Europe, shared with France, Lake Geneva's northern shore is one of the most beautiful in Europe — the Lavaux vineyard terraces, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, drop steeply to the lake from above Lausanne and Vevey in a landscape of extraordinary precision and beauty. The lakeside towns — Lausanne, Montreux, Vevey, and the medieval Château de Chillon on its rocky promontory — reward slow exploration on foot, by bike, or by private boat on the lake's glassy surface.

Switzerland's highest resort, at 1,856 metres in the Upper Engadine valley, St Moritz has hosted two Winter Olympics and is the origin of bobsleigh, alpine skiing, and the Cresta Run — all invented or popularised here in the 19th century. The resort's combination of mountain sport, grand hotel tradition, and a genuinely international clientele gives it a sophistication that other alpine resorts imitate but rarely match. In summer, the Engadine's lakes, glacier walks, and mountain bike trails are extraordinary.

The most photogenic city in Switzerland, Lucerne is built around a medieval wooden bridge crossing the Reuss as it leaves Lake Lucerne, with the snow-capped peaks of Mount Pilatus and Mount Rigi rising directly behind the old town. The Lion Monument, the Swiss Transport Museum, and the perfectly preserved old town walls are supplemented by lake steamer access to the rural heartland of central Switzerland — the meadows, farmhouses, and mountain pastures of a landscape essentially unchanged since the Middle Ages.