|
|
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals, trip reviews, and unique adventure travel ideas monthly.
|
|
ZurichWhile browsing in the elegant boutiques along Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse, one of the most beautiful shopping areas in Europe, you'll notice that the streets may not be paved with gold, but you can be certain that a couple of meters below, unimaginable treasures are lying in underground vaults.
Zurich is the world's banking capital, but as well as being a city of fat cats parading in pin-stripes, glued to their mobile phones and swinging patent leather briefcases, you'll also discover that this is the city that gave birth to the avant-garde Dadaist movement, and where James
Joyce wrote Ulysses. The city's Museum of Fine Arts houses one of Europe's most extensive collections from 15th century religious iconography to the modern art works of Dali, Arp, Hockney, Cezanne, Monet, Gaugin, Munch and Picasso.
Visitors can spend days exploring Zurich's cobbled streets, wandering through its museums, exploring its flea markets or walking away with free gifts from its chocolate factories. The quays, with their promenades, are made for walking, especially along the shores of the lake. With an active café culture, it's ideal for people-watching, and Zurich has a lively, multi-ethnic population to rival any other major European city. The exacting order of the Swiss, with their passion for neatness and precision may create an impression of rather a prim and staid society, but visitors will discover quite the opposite when exploring Zurich's nightlife. With more bars, clubs and restaurants than you can shake a stick at, as well as a calendar packed full of street parades and festivals, Zurich can exhaust even the most energetic party animal.
Getting Around: Zurich is easy to navigate, and a modern, user-friendly network of trams and buses covers the city daily from 5.30am to midnight. Transport works on a zone system, and tickets are valid for an hour. Tickets are transferable but must be bought before boarding and validated immediately; they are also valid on some boats and local city trains. The most useful travel pass is the Tageskarte (one day ticket) that allows travel on all buses and trams for 24 hours. Night buses depart from Bellevue hourly from 1am to 3am on Fridays and Saturdays. Traveling by taxi is expensive even by Swiss standards, but they are safe and convenient and can be hailed on the street, found at taxi ranks or ordered by phone. Getting around by car is not recommended due to congestion and expensive or scarce parking. From May to October, bicycles can be hired free from various stations, though a deposit of one's ID and a small fee is required.
GenevaWith a pleasant setting, green parks, colorful gardens and lakeside promenades, Geneva is considered one of the healthiest places to live in the world. The city sits astride the River Rhône, where it streams into Lake Geneva, and is set against a dramatic backdrop of mountains. At the lake's south shore the Jet d'Eau shoots water 460ft (140m) into the sky from the end of a pier - the city's landmark attraction and Europe's most powerful fountain.
Undoubtedly Switzerland's most cosmopolitan city, Geneva's reputation for religious and political tolerance dates back more than five hundred years. In the 16th century the city spawned the religious teachings of John Calvin, and was where Lenin spent his 'years of recreation'. Little of their Puritanism is left today - stately homes line the banks of the lake, overlooking an armada of luxury yachts. Jewels and designer labels spill out of exclusive boutiques and into chauffer-driven limousines that slide down palatial avenues.
As well as a host of museums and fine galleries, Geneva has a lively cultural calendar. Most notable is the celebration of l'Escalade in December, which involves costumed and torch-lit processions through the town, and the consumption of sickly amounts of chocolate and marzipan.
Geneva is a gateway to Switzerland's luxury ski resorts, an important banking center and home to thousands of international delegates and diplomats. Among the many international organizations based in the city are the United Nations, the International Red Cross and the World Health Organization.
Getting Around: Public transport consists of very dependable trams, buses and trolley buses that service the city quickly and efficiently, but if there is no hurry, it is cheaper and more practical to walk or cycle; from May to October city bicycles can be borrowed from Genev' Roule outside the main train station free of charge. The excellent bus and tram network operates from about 5am to midnight with a night bus service running on weekends. A basic fare costs Sfr2.20 and allows use of the network within Geneva's central zone and unlimited transfers between buses and trams for an hour, or there are cheaper tickets limited to three stops and including a return journey within 30 minutes. Tickets must be pre-purchased and validated on boarding. One-day passes are also available. Beginning in 2007, visitors staying in hotels or youth hostels in the city are entitled to free Geneva Transport Cards, offering unlimited use of public transport with no fees. The cards can be collected upon check-in. Taxis are plentiful but generally an expensive means of transport. Driving in the city is not recommended as parking is very difficult, but to tour around Lake Geneva, hiring a car is the most practical way to get around. A national or international driver's license is required, as well as a credit card, and drivers must be at least 21 years of age.
Swiss AlpsThe Alps contain some of Switzerland's most dramatic landscapes, in a country already well endowed with spectacular scenery and fabulous alpine vistas. Situated at the heart of the Alps, Switzerland shares the mountain range with France, Italy and Austria and provides winter and summer time enjoyment for skiers, snowboarders, walkers and climbers.
Switzerland boasts the first ever ski resort, and since then over 200 first class resorts have attracted thousands of Swiss and international downhill and cross-country skiers as well as snowboarders. The tradition of skiing goes back two centuries. Today, with more than 1,700 mountain railways and ski lifts, renowned ski schools and instructors, the best ski equipment in the world, and outstanding slopes and facilities catering for all levels of ability, it deserves to be called 'Europe's winter playground'.
The ideal resort for beginners or families is Grindelwald in the Jungfrau region, while intermediates and snowboarders head for the twin resorts of Davos and Klosters, with miles of excellent ski terrain and acclaimed to be one of the top snowboarding destinations worldwide. Expert skiers can enjoy the challenge of 7,200 ft (2,700m) vertical drops on the Klein Matterhorn at Zermatt, and the ski valley of Verbier is ideal for shoulder-season skiing as its location provides early snow that lingers late into the spring. The stylish resort of St Moritz offers the most energetic and varied nightlife out of all the Swiss resorts. The ideal ski season runs from January to late March, but is most crowded during the Christmas holidays and the month of February.
Climbers and walkers head to the Alps between June and September when the weather is warmer and more settled. There are more than 40,390 miles (65,000km) of well-marked and maintained hiking trails as well as longer treks across the country that will reveal miles and miles of unspoiled beauty. Grindelwald has long been the capital of summer hiking in the Bernese Alps, and more recently added a network of groomed trails for winter hikers. Climbers have long been lured by the challenges of the Matterhorn and there are some memorable hikes up to the cliffs below the summit. The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) is the best source of information on mountaineering.
The most accessible and visited alpine area is the magnificent Bernese Oberland region in the center of the country with classic Swiss scenery - picturesque peaks, quaint wooden chalets and charming mountain villages, green pastures, lakes and the tinkle of cow bells. This is a fabulous area for walking and provides exceptional winter sports.
Bernese OberlandThe magnificent Bernese Oberland region, recognized for the impressive triple-peaks of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau (the ogre, monk and maiden), is a major tourist area with resorts boasting world-class winter and summer activities. It also features one of the most popular tourist excursions in Switzerland, the breathtaking cog railway to the Jungfrau Plateau. From here, the highest station in the world, staggering views and ice caverns within the glacier can be enjoyed.
Bernese Oberland is the most magnificent of the alpine regions, a concentration of the very best of Swiss scenery, with towering snow-capped mountains, glaciers, pristine lakes and waterfalls, meadows of edelweiss, pastures echoing with the tinkle of cowbells, and typical wooden chalets with geranium-filled window boxes.
Gateway to the Bernese Oberland is the popular resort of Interlaken and the main transport hub of the region. An extensive network of roads, mountain railways, funiculars, cable cars and hiking trails link it to the other popular resorts in the area, including the scenic ski village of Wengen, and Grindelwald, the most established skiing and hiking center in the region. Oberland's most glamorous resort and the place for glittering socialites to be seen is the chic town of Gstaad, popular more for its high society than for its skiing.
Although intensely popular during the skiing and hiking seasons, the region is well equipped with a wide range of outdoor activities, from the slopes to scenic lake cruises, and accommodation ranging from fancy hotels to rustic lodges caters for all visitors. The transport network is efficient and extensive integrating easy travel with many panoramic views of the stunning scenery that makes the Bernese Oberland such a celebrated sightseeing area.
LuzernBeing one of the first European cities to capitalize on tourism does not mean that picturesque Luzern, or Lucerne, in the heart of Switzerland has become a crowded Disneyland spectacle of everything archetypically Swiss. It is, indeed, the embodiment of everything that is cute, scenic and stylish about Switzerland, but in a charming way.
Set on the northwestern end of Lake Luzern and surrounded by mountain views, Luzern is split by the River Reuss. On either side of the river lie atmospheric medieval squares, cobbled alleys, quaint frescoed houses, churches and public buildings. Surprisingly the historic setting attracts many young people, who ensure that nightlife is a lively affair. Just outside the city limits the attractions of every Swiss picture postcard beckon, from alpine villages to meadows where lazy cows toll their bells with the backdrop of snow-covered mountains.
There is plenty to enjoy in this tourist city, from taking out a pedalo on the lake, to posing for photographs on the famous wooden Chapel Bridge, exploring museums and admiring the sad Lion Monument carved into a natural rock wall.
While the Swiss may have a reputation for being sedate, Luzern disproves this point with its major annual event, the Luzern Fasnacht, a crazy carnival which erupts for a week leading up to Shrove Tuesday. Revellers in fancy dress and teams of samba bands fill the streets day and night in this week-long extravagant party which is not for the faint-hearted.
No one contemplating a Grand Tour of Europe dare admit they missed out on the traditional tourist spectacle of Luzern, which even enchanted Queen Victoria when she visited, allegedly under an assumed name, to see whether this sublime city lived up to expectations.
Next Page »
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
Related Switzerland Content
The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Switzerland City Guides:
|
|
Switzerland Community:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
