Zurich

Regularly voted as one of the world’s best cities for quality of life, Zurich is a place that deserves to be known as more than just Switzerland’s financial center. The shopping along Bahnhofstrasse is enough to get your credit card smoking, while the National Museum is a great place to spend a cultural afternoon. At the port of Enge, you can sit astounded by the mountain views reflected in Lake Zurich.

For a taste of traditional Switzerland, stroll among the mansions of the Zürichberg district and the churches of the old town, then take the cogwheel train up to Grand Hotel Dolder for a hot chocolate and some breathtaking views of the city, lake and towering Alps. The university quarter is a good place for a coffee and a visit to the art museum if the weather turns bad

Excursions from Zurich include the sporting center of Interlaken, whose mountain-thronged views offer innumerable ways to get out of breath. The Rhine Falls, Mount Rigi and the medieval castle of Laufen are just short trips away, or you might consider a day in nearby Lucerne. Lucerne’s old town is worth a trip in itself, but the surrounding scenery is even more tempting. Take the cable car up to Mt Titlis for the Alpine panorama and test your nerve on the world’s highest suspension footbridge.