Visit Switzerland

Switzerland is the perfect example of an invigorating, exciting and intoxicating country. It is dotted with beautiful snow covered mountains, glistening lakes, and lush forests. The architectural allure of the country with its medieval castles, cathedrals and museums is a bliss for sore eyes. Thinking of Switzerland, many images are evoked in our mind, such as banks, skiing, chocolates, cheese, breathtaking mountains, green fields, sparkling lakes, cowbells, Heidi and many, many more. Switzerland offers you a variety of thrilling adventures and amazing opportunities that you can never find anywhere else in the world.

Switzerland is also known by a Latin name, Helvetia, used since Roman times. Switzerland consists of 26 political units called cantons. And along the Swiss border lie Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy, and France. Interlaken, Bern, Rapperswil, Geneva, Basel, Zürich, Grindelwald, Heldi, Fribourg, Lucerne, Neuchatel, Thun, Winterthur, St Gallen, Schwyz are the most important towns of Switzerland full of culture and history. Every town has its own distinctive characteristics. Switzerland is the quintessential example of beauty which has attracted hordes of tourists from all over the world. The mesmerizing beauty of Switzerland emanates from every nook and corner of the country. More than 60 percent of the country is mountainous and a quarter of it is covered with forests.

Despite its small size, Switzerland is a land of contrasting scenery including the inspiring Alpine peaks, tranquil lakes, and charming valleys. Switzerland’s dominant physical features, in the northeast-southwest, are the Alps, the Jura Mountains, and the Swiss Plateau. The Alps cover about three-fifths of Switzerland. In most areas, except the northern foothills, they are high and rugged, with ice and snow covering the peaks. Deep, scenic valleys created by glaciers during the last Ice Age are also characteristic in nature. The mountains of southeastern Switzerland, including the Glarus, Lepontine, Rhaetian, and Bernina Alps, are just as rugged. Just as the country, the people too are diverse, mainly forming three groups, German, French and Italian.

The geography of Switzerland is such that, the climate varies from one region to another greatly. Switzerland is well known for its Alps, as they host about 20% of the entire European Alps. Most of Switzerland’s population lives on the rolling hills, valleys and plains. Switzerland is famous for its alpine passes as well. These passes are extremely important pathways between the northern and the southern part of Europe. The entire beauty of Switzerland is that you can find so much, so close together. On a 2 – 3 hour trip, you can easily see entirely different landscapes, such as glaciers, mountains, lakes, forests, fields and orchards; which is why Switzerland’s tourism is so well known.

Some interesting facts about Switzerland

● Its tallest peak is the Dufourspitze at 15,203 ft (4,634 m) on the Swiss side of the Italian border, one of 10 summits of the Monte Rosa massif.

● The tallest peak in all of the Alps, Mont Blanc (15,771 ft; 4,807 m), is actually in France.

● There really is no lake named: Lake Geneva. It’s real name is Lake Leman.

● The most popular alcoholic drink in Switzerland is wine.

● Switzerland’s population is about 7.4 million.

● The four official languages are German, French, Romansh and Italian.

In the next few pages, let us sample the very best of the bountiful natural riches that Switzerland offers every visitor.