Holiday destinations in Switzerland

Avers/Juf is the highest settlement in Europe, occupied all year round. Here, a few stalwart mountain dwellers defy the frosty temperatures of the long winter at an impressive 2126 m.a.s.l., holding out in front of the stove until the cold, white apparition has passed, and looking forward to the few short weeks of the mountain summer.

Imposing mountains and any number of leisure activities combined with a wide range of accommodation make the Jungfrau Region, with the resorts of Grindelwald, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen and Mürren, an outstanding holiday destination.

Typical old fishing village with promenade below arcades of historical buildings. Souvenir shops, typical restaurants serving Ticino specialities. Access by boat or Post Bus from Lugano.

It could hardly be more impressive: the monumental former abbey church, dating from the 11th century, that dominates the medieval centre of Payerne.

The poet hit the nail on the head: "Saillon... that warrior's helmet abandoned on the plain". You will come across this market town as you travel up the Rhône valley between Martigny and Sion, and will instantly be reminded of its fabulous past.

Davos in Grisons is a place of superlatives: the holiday destination with an international ambience is the largest resort in the Alps for mountain holidays, sport and conferences, at 1560 m the highest town in the Alps and a high-altitude health resort with a long tradition.

The holiday region of Obersaxen-Mundaun / Ilanz / Val Lumnezia stretches from Ilanz in the valley in Surselva in Grisons in one direction up to the holiday region of Obersaxen on a high plateau overlooking the upper reaches of the Anterior Rhine and, in the other, to the Val Lumnezia. Common to both areas is the long chain of the Mundaun mountains in between, a popular region for hiking and skiing.

Sweet-smelling pine and larch forests surround the Engadine resort and spa town of Pontresina (1820 m) in the highest side valley of the Upper Engadine. The long drawn-out village is a popular centre for hiking and climbing.

The unspoilt alpine village of Bergün lies at the foot of the Albula Pass at the gateway to the Engadine. You do not have to be a railway historian to be amazed by the Albula railway line, which is still maintained in its entirety in almost its original condition, 100 years after its construction. In winter, the resort of Bergün is a mecca for sledgers.

The quiet holiday region of Disentis/Sedrun in Grisons is in the upper part of the valley of the Anterior Rhine, the Surselva. Special features of the region are the large Benedictine monastery at Disentis and the source of the Rhine in the idyllic Tomasee.