Switzerland Vacations

Considered one of the most emblematic sights in the Swiss Alps, the Jungfrau Region consists of three glacier-encrusted giants—the Eiger, the Monk (or Mönch) and the Jungfrau (the Ogre, the Monk and the Virgin)—that form a massive wall overlooking the Bernese Oberland.

Visitors can find storybook Swiss villages come to life throughout the countryside. Château d’OEx is particularly charming during Balloon Week in January.

Wengen and Mürren, with their steeples and chalet farmsteads snugly nestled above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, are quintessential in their folk beauty.

Described by Mark Twain as “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world,” the Lion Monument in Lucerne is truly touching. Carved into rock face in 1820, the 10-metre-long sculpture of a dying lion pays tribute to Swiss soldiers who perished during the French Revolution.

In the heart of the Swiss Riviera, the Château de Chillon is Switzerland’s most visited historical building. Tourists can look for Lord Byron’s name carved into a dungeon pillar just before he wrote a poem about the castle in 1816.

Travellers can taste their way through the country on an informal cheese tour, sampling Sbrinz in Central Switzerland, Emmental in Bern and Bundner Bergkase in Graubünden. The best fondue is in Fribourg, where Gruyere and Vacherin Fribourgeois are melted together with wine, garlic and Kirsch.