Few places invite self-indulgence quite as much as Switzerland. Whether you’re into Alpine action, cool urban cities, lakeside pursuits, or hiking through green fields, you’ll find a way to treat yourself here. Roam its charming castles and villages, soak in mountain spa waters, pause for a schnapps or hot chocolate in a chalet strewn with geranium boxes, admire the views on a mountain train between pine wood and glacial peak, or glide silently on skis around the pyramid-shaped Matterhorn. This small, landlocked country of four languages was an essential stop on every 18th-century Grand Tour. It was the place where winter tourism was born and where Golden Age mountaineers scaled new heights, and it has continued to captivate travelers ever since.
