Switzerland

A pyramid cut away on every side, identifiable from any direction. Zermatt bars petrol vehicles, so you change to a train at the valley station below.

The train tunnels up into the middle of a glacier, with an ice palace and viewing terraces at the top. Tickets are expensive, so watch the forecast and go on a clear day.

Eight hours across the Alps over hundreds of bridges and through as many tunnels. The panorama carriages with glass roofs need a separate seat reservation.

A covered timber bridge first laid in the fourteenth century, with paintings set into the roof beams. Lake steamers leave from beside it toward the mountains across the water.

Not tall, but wide enough that the noise is overwhelming. A boat will put you on the rock in the middle of the falls.

Terraces cut into the slope between water and mountain, running for tens of kilometres. Well-marked paths link the villages, which makes for a fine half-day walk.

A mountain region containing the longest glacier in the Alps. The Jungfraujoch terrace sits in the middle of it.

Inscribed for how it gains height using spiral tunnels and viaducts. The Bernina Express runs this stretch.

Terraces shaped by monasteries from the Middle Ages and still worked today. Stations along the route mean you can turn back from anywhere.

A medieval grid surviving on a peninsula the river wraps on three sides. Six kilometres of arcades keep you dry in the rain.

A lake and a river run through the centre, with galleries and shopping within walking distance. The airport is barely ten minutes from the main station by train.

Boats and cog railways for Rigi and Pilatus leave from here. The city itself is small enough for half a day.

Named for sitting between two lakes. It is where the routes to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen divide, so most people stay here.

No combustion vehicles, only electric carts and horse carriages. Glacier skiing runs even in summer, and the hiking network is dense.

French-speaking, with the lake fountain as its emblem. Close to Chamonix in France, so it works as a way over to Mont Blanc.

Lugano and Locarno sit on lakeshores lined with palms, which feels like a different country. The climate changes the moment you pass the Gotthard tunnel.

The lowlands flower while high paths and passes are still closed. It is also the cheapest time.

Every trail and cable car is running and the days are long. Rooms and trains are at their most expensive, so book ahead.

Colour and clear skies together, with the crowds gone. Mountain facilities do start closing for maintenance.

Ski season pushes mountain prices back up. Even if you do not ski, most viewpoints and mountain railways keep running.

Switzerland is not in the European Union but is inside the Schengen area. It is outside the customs union, so goods may be checked at the border.

Some places accept euros but give change in francs at a poor rate. Cards work almost everywhere.

Period passes bundle trains, boats and city transport, and halve the fare on some mountain railways. Work out how many journeys you will actually make before buying.

The official language changes by region, and place names change with it. English is well understood at stations and tourist sites.

The stone fountains in towns and villages are almost all drinking water. The exceptions are signed.

112 reaches police, ambulance and fire. Helicopter rescue in the mountains has its own number, 1414.