Switzerland Travel
Switzerland Travel: Mountains, Lakes, Food and Grand Hotels
Switzerland is a country I have been fortunate enough to visit many times during my years as a journalist and travel writer, including numerous press trips organised with the help of Switzerland Tourism.
Those journeys have taken me across some of Europe's most spectacular landscapes – from the high peaks of the Swiss Alps to the shores of beautiful lakes, historic cities and famous mountain resorts.
I have travelled through the Engadine and visited glamorous St Moritz, explored Basel and Lucerne, journeyed into the mountains around the Matterhorn and Jungfrau, and discovered the magnificent scenery surrounding Lake Lucerne.
Along the way there have been memorable train journeys, classic Swiss hotels and, of course, plenty of opportunities to explore Switzerland's distinctive food and drink.
One particularly memorable adventure saw me following in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes in the company of dedicated Sherlockians, exploring the Swiss connections to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary detective and the dramatic landscape in which Holmes was famously sent tumbling over the Reichenbach Falls with his arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty.
The articles collected here tell the stories of those journeys and many more, offering my own experiences of travelling through one of Europe's most beautiful and endlessly fascinating countries.
The Swiss Alps and the Matterhorn
Few landscapes are more closely associated with Switzerland than the Alps. Dominating them all in the popular imagination is the unmistakable outline of the Matterhorn, one of the world's most instantly recognisable mountains.
My travels through Switzerland have taken me into these spectacular high landscapes, where mountain railways, walking trails and remarkable engineering make even the most dramatic corners of the Alps surprisingly accessible.
The Jungfrau and the High Alps
The Jungfrau region offers Switzerland on an epic scale – soaring peaks, glaciers, deep valleys and some of Europe's most extraordinary mountain rail journeys.
These are landscapes that demonstrate why travelling around Switzerland can be as memorable as the destination itself, with trains and mountain railways providing constantly changing views of the Alps.
The Engadine and St Moritz
The Engadine is one of Switzerland's most beautiful mountain regions, a high Alpine valley of lakes, traditional villages and magnificent scenery.
At its heart is St Moritz, one of the world's most famous mountain resorts, renowned for its grand hotels, winter sports and long history of welcoming travellers to the Swiss Alps.
Lucerne and Lake Lucerne
With its historic centre and extraordinary setting between lake and mountains, Lucerne is one of Switzerland's most attractive cities.
Lake Lucerne extends deep into the surrounding mountain landscape, making this a wonderful region to explore by boat, train and mountain railway – and a place where Switzerland's cities and spectacular natural scenery come together.
Basel
Sitting on the Rhine close to the borders with France and Germany, Basel offers a very different side of Switzerland.
Known for its art, architecture and cultural life, the city has been another stopping point during my travels through the country and provides a fascinating contrast to Switzerland's Alpine landscapes.
In the Footsteps of Sherlock Holmes
One of my more unusual Swiss journeys involved travelling with a group of Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts – Sherlockians – to explore the connections between Switzerland and the world's most famous fictional detective.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle chose the dramatic Reichenbach Falls near Meiringen as the setting for the apparently fatal confrontation between Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty in The Final Problem.
Following in Holmes's footsteps with people devoted to Conan Doyle's stories made for a memorable journey through a landscape that has become a place of pilgrimage for Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts from around the world.
Swiss Food and Drink
My travels in Switzerland have inevitably involved exploring its food as well as its landscapes.
Swiss cuisine goes far beyond chocolate and cheese, reflecting the country's different regions, languages and traditions. From hearty Alpine cooking to sophisticated hotel dining and regional specialities, food has played an important part in many of my Swiss journeys.
Switzerland's Classic Hotels
Switzerland played a major role in the development of European tourism, and its great hotels remain part of that heritage.
During my travels I have stayed in and visited classic Swiss hotels where grand architecture, traditional hospitality and spectacular locations recall the golden age of Alpine travel.
Explore My Switzerland Travel Stories
The articles gathered on this page span many years of travelling through Switzerland as a journalist and travel writer.
From Sherlock Holmes and the Reichenbach Falls to the Matterhorn, Jungfrau, Engadine, St Moritz, Basel, Lucerne and Lake Lucerne, they offer a personal journey through a country I have been fortunate enough to visit many times.
Explore the stories below to discover more of my travels through Switzerland.
