Beautiful Switzerland: From the Matterhorn to Lake Lucerne

The route leads around Lake Zurich. At Wollerau a detour southwards to Einsedeln is worth the trouble. The Benedictine Abbey located in the idyllic foothills of the Alps was one of the leading monasteries during the Middle Ages and contains a monumental baroque church. Near Bad Ragaz you will enter Heidi Land, setting of the famous novel published in 1880 by Johanna Spyri. At Maienfeld you can join numerous other tourists on a walk to "Heidi's House - the Original".

A good place to take a break is Chur. Considered the oldest settlement in Switzerland, the 5,000-year-old city has a well-preserved medieval old town. You will then follow the River Rhine towards its source. Another interesting town along the route is Disentis with its Benedictine Abbey founded in 720. For those wishing to stretch their legs, numerous hiking trails of various length begin at the Abbey.

The short stretch along the Strada del Gottardo to St. Gotthard Pass will give you an impression of the arduous journey this once was for traders crossing the Alps. The hospice at the top of the pass was built in the 14th century and restored in the 19th century. The Gotthard Museum on the same site contains exhibits on the history of the pass, which has been one of the most important trading routes across the Alps since the Middle Ages.

From Locarno you will travel through the romantic Centovalli, reaching the border to Italy near Camedo. The name Centovalli or "100 valleys" refers to the numerous valleys that branch off on all sides from the main one. The route is dotted with picturesque mountain villages dosing in the sun. The route returns to Switzerland and the grand mountains of Valais via Domodossola and the rugged Gondo Gorge.

The route will take you through the upper Rhone Valley to Lake Geneva. Along the way you will pass Sion. The former capital of the canton Valais is tucked in among vineyards and has a quaint old town with a certain French feel to it.

The route leads through the Swiss Jura, the heavily forested, low mountain range in northwest Switzerland. From Yverdon at the southern tip of Lake Neuschâtel you may want to take a detour to Mont Chasseron. The walk to the summit of Mont Chasseron starts at St. Croix and takes about 90 minutes each way. Those who make the effort will be rewarded with breathtaking panoramic views of Lake Neuschâtel, the Jura Mountains and the Alps.

You will pass two towns worth a stop along the way: Solothurn, considered the greatest Baroque city in Switzerland, and Zofingen, one of the richest cities in the land during the Middle Ages, as evidenced by its carefully preserved old town.

You will travel through the gently rolling hills of central Switzerland around Lake Zug and on to the western shore of Lake Zurich.