Outstanding scenery and historic cities

With its central position in Europe, Switzerland provides a huge variety of magnificent landscapes, cultures, and experiences in a small area.  The German, French and Italien speaking regions are all very different and just over the border the Italian lakes have their own old world charm.  As I used to work as a tour guide I am well qualified to help visitors see the area.

If you fly in to Zurich, I would be pleased to act as driver and guide and show you around. Some of the places well worth a visit are as follows:

In Zurich itself:

Whilst there are no major touristic sights the whole city centre is very attractive, especially in the summer, and it is small enough to walk around. The old town between the main street Bahnhofstrasse (with its top designer shops and watches) and the river is a charming mainly pedestrian area. The banks of the river have walkways, as does the lakeside for a mile or so on either side. There are good art galleries, an interesting National Museum, and an outstandingly animal friendly zoo. There are several places where you can look down on the city, The Sonnenberg and Zur Waid restaurants have great views, as does the Uetliberg mountain peak if you have time to go up there. Surveys show Zurich as globally top ranking in the quality of life it offers.

Lucerne:

About an hour’s drive from Zurich. A very attractive small city in a beautiful lake and mountain setting with a famous 700 year old wooden bridge, and a quaint pedestrianised old town. Close by is the Pilatus Mountain, the summit of which has a magnificant 360 degree panorama and can be reached by various cable cars.

It is possible to see Lucerne and Pilatus on a day trip from Zurich, and if you do, my insider tip is it is probably best to go up Pilatus first and spend the afternoon in the city. If you stay a night or two in Lucerne to see more, cruise on the lake and maybe see the glacier on the Titlis mountain, I recommend the lakeside Palace Hotel.

Interlaken:

Is about 2 hours drive from Zurich, so it is possible to see it in a day trip. You should however not just stop in Interlaken but continue to one of the villages, Grindelwald, Wengen or Murren, which nestle under the Jungfrau Massif. If you have more time, I recommend a stay at the Hotel Victoria Jungfrau in the centre of Interlaken. The top attraction from here is the Jungfraujoch, which at 11,340 feet altitude is accessed via a historic railway that tunnels through the Eiger mountain and looks over Europe’s largest glacier. But there are many other attractions: The Trummelbach waterfalls inside a mountain, glacier gorges, beautiful lakes, and exciting activities like tandem paragliding.

The Rhein Waterfalls:

These are the largest falls in Europe, with up to 1000 tonnes of water per second at times. An awesome way to see them is to take a small boat ride onto the rocky outcrop in the middle of the falls. This is an easy day trip from Zurich, and at the same time you could visit the painted village of Stein am Rhein and Hohenklingen Castle which overlooks it from above the vineyards.

Lugano & Italian Lakes:

South  of the Alps a different climate prevails where palm trees and cypresses abound. A three hour drive (through the 17km Gotthard tunnel), take you to Lugano with its quaint lakeside villages,  Morcote and Gandria which are overlooked by the steep mountains Monte Bré and Mont San Salvatore. Just over the boarder, Italy’s Lake Como has some real old world charm to be best experienced in the village of Bellagio, where Hotel Villa Sebelloni is recommended. Just across the lake from here is the well known leading Hotel Villa D’Este.