Switzerland rewards travelers who go beyond the postcard image. Here are the experiences most worth seeking out.
Jungfraujoch is the highest railway station in Europe, sitting at 3,454 metres in the Bernese Alps. The cogwheel train from Kleine Scheidegg tunnels through the Eiger and Mönch before emerging at the Sphinx Observatory and the Aletsch Glacier. It is expensive and often crowded, but genuinely spectacular. Start early in summer and watch weather forecasts — cloud cover can ruin the view entirely.
The Matterhorn looms above Zermatt in a way that never quite loses its impact, even if you have seen it in a hundred photographs. The car-free village is well set up for visitors, and there are lifts and trails at every level of ambition. You do not need to be a mountaineer to enjoy it.
Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen is the most powerful waterfall in Europe. Late spring or early summer is best when snowmelt fills it to full force. Boat trips get you surprisingly close.
Bernese Oberland — the area around Interlaken, Grindelwald, and Lauterbrunnen — is one of the great alpine landscapes. The valley of Lauterbrunnen with its 72 waterfalls is as dramatic as anything in the Alps, and you can hike between villages at various altitudes.
Ticino is Switzerland's Italian-speaking south, and it genuinely feels Italian: palm trees, piazzas, lakeside promenades, and risotto. Lugano and Locarno are the main towns; both are pleasant bases. The Locarno Film Festival in August is one of the oldest and most respected in the world.
Bern, the federal capital, is often overlooked in favour of Zurich and Geneva but is arguably the most handsome of Switzerland's cities, with its arcaded medieval centre on a meander of the Aare, its bears, its roses, and its unhurried pace.
Basel is a cultured Rhine city with more world-class museums per square kilometre than almost anywhere in Europe. Art Basel, held each June, is the most important art fair in the world.
The Glacier Express from Zermatt to St. Moritz is one of the world's great scenic train journeys: 8 hours, 291 bridges, 91 tunnels, and a crossing of the Oberalp Pass at 2,033 metres. The panoramic windows are designed for the views.