Mountain Paradise: The Best of West Switzerland

The ancient Swiss town lies at the center of four key Alpine passes: the Gotthard Pass to southern Switz­er­land, the Gösch­en­eralp Pass to north-central Switz­er­land, the stunning Furka Pass to the Rhone Valley in the west, and the Oberalp Pass to the Rhine Valley. Many gorgeous Alpine drives of various length and diffi­culty can be taken from Ander­matt. A rela­tively unchal­lenging yet scenic excur­sion is the three-passes pano­ramic drive around the Rhone Glacier, either in your own car or in one of the canary-yellow Post buses. A truly unfor­gettable expe­r­i­ence is a ride on the Furka Steam Train from Realp to Oberwald.

Zermatt's world-wide renown stems from its proximity to the Matter­horn, the mountain of mountains and most famous landmark in the Alps. Anyone who has ever stood before the mighty peak knows that even the most enthu­siastic descrip­tion will fail to capture its true majesty. The mountain was first scaled by a party of Brits using local guides in 1865. In their rush to beat another party to the top one of the climbers slipped and caused three others to fall to their deaths. The trio are buried in the church­yard next to an English chapel in Zermatt set aside for them and the numerous other Brits who subsequently died attempting to scale the mountain. Climbs to the peak of the Matter­horn are almost a matter of course today. About 3,000 mountai­neers attempt the ascent each year, some­times even leading to overcrowding on the main routes. The Gorner Valley south-east of Zermatt boasts the highest cog railway in Europe. The higher you go the more incred­ible the views of the Matter­horn become.
The town of Zermatt is closed to private vehicles. Visitors must leave their cars at the free car park and take the train to the city.

 World history was written in Geneva during the Reforma­tion, when the reformer Calvin introduced a harsh and strict church discip­line in the city. While dancing, drinking and singing were banned, Calvin allowed an interest-based economy, which was forbidden to Chris­tians in Catholic surround­ings at that time. As a result Geneva became an important trade- and banking center. Today, 200 interna­tional orga­ni­za­tions have their head­quar­ters in Geneva. More than 40% of the inhab­i­tants are foreign nationals. Landmarks in Geneva are the lakefront and the Rhone, on whose bank the three-towered cathedral is located.

However, the name “Ober­land” has been retained and today describes the magnif­i­cent landscape south of Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. The high rainfall is all discharged from the Aare, which flows into the Rhine at Koblenz. To the south, the valleys rise steeply to the glaciated main ridge of the Alps, which reaches well over 4000 metres in alti­tude here. The most famous peaks are Eiger (3967 m), Mönch (4107 m) and Jungfrau (4158 m). They form the border with the canton of Valais.

The area around the lake played an important role in the national and polit­ical myths and legends, among others those of the Swiss national hero Wilhelm Tell. Due to the reflec­tion of the Alpine mountains in the water, Lake Lucerne is widely regarded as the most beau­tiful lake in Switz­er­land. The best way to expe­r­i­ence the cross-shaped lake, orig­inally formed by a glacier, is by taking a ride on one of the paddle steamers or cruise boats that connect Lucerne, Brunnen and Flüelen. A number of marked hiking paths of varying length and diffi­culty are located on the southern side of the lake at the foot of the Alps. Highly recom­mended are the cable car or cogwheel railway to one of the view­points on the summits of Mount Pilatus, Rigi or Stanser­horn.