Switzerland knows how to do ski resorts. Excellent ski lifts, many miles of pistes, great hotels and wonderful facilities - coming to Switzerland to ski guarantees you a smooth trip. You’ll find all manner of accommodation from family pensions to large, luxurious hotels, from youth hostels to chalets.
A couple of the best-known European ski resorts are situated in Switzerland. St. Moritz has to be among them - this international centre of sports and fashion is renowned for its superb ski resorts and untouched alpine environment. For a great view of - and possibly hike up - the 4,478m-high Matterhorn, Zermatt is a favourite, helped by its car-free status and also its year-round skiing, with 25km of pistes remaining open throughout the summer. If you’re feeling adventurous, try Saas Fee, where you can not only ski but try snowshoeing, canyon climbing and ice climbing - not to mention the great nightlife available after a strenuous day. Or for a touch of history with extensive slopes, there’s the large resort of Davos, which built a railway up to the Parsenn area of the slopes in 1931, one of the first ever built for skiers, and which hosts seven Swiss sites of national importance.
Switzerland also has a few excursions that visitors to the Alps shouldn’t miss. Mount Rigi has the oldest railway in Europe, dating back to 1871; Mount Pilatus has the steepest cogwheel railway winding its way up the slopes; and the Stanserhorn mountain has a revolving restaurant on top. If you’re feeling more inclined towards pop culture than history, head for the Schilthorn Peak, where the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was filmed and try out that famous revolving restaurant, Piz Gloria.