Switzerland Travel Guide

At roughly 126 metres, Prime Tower was Switzerland's tallest building when it opened in 2011 and remains the emblem of Zurich West's reinvention. Standing beside Hardbrcke station on former industrial land, its slender glass-and-steel shaft gleams above the viaducts, with shops and lobbies at its base. The draw for travellers is the Clouds restaurant and bar high up, where floor-to-ceiling windows take in the old town, the Limmat and the lake. Arriving at dusk for a drink as the sky reddens toward the Alps is one of the city's best-value viewing experiences, and a lesson in how Zurich turned factories into creative quarters.

Geneva's Botanical Garden and Conservatory stretches across roughly 28 hectares beside the lake and the international district, having moved to its present site in the early twentieth century. It is one of Europe's significant botanical institutions and, being free, a favourite backyard for Genevans. Ancient trees shade lawns where peacocks wander freely, while the rock garden specialises in alpine plants and the glasshouses gather tropical and arid-world oddities; a small zoo adds to the family appeal. From the gates you can walk straight to the lakefront and the international organisations, pairing naturally with the Broken Chair for a refreshing half day.

The Promenade de la Treille runs atop the old city ramparts on Geneva's southern edge and is famous for what is claimed to be the longest wooden bench in the world, a serpentine seat stretching more than a hundred metres. Beside it stands a row of chestnut trees, one of them the city's official herald of spring: when its first buds appear, Geneva formally declares the season open, a tradition dating back over a century. From the parapet you look down on the Parc des Bastions and across toward France's Saleve, which is why locals call this the balcony of Geneva. Free, quiet and always open, it is an easy, charming stop on any old-town stroll.

Entlebuch, in the south-west of canton Lucerne, became Switzerland's first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2001, celebrated for vast moorlands and a karst upland that feel like the Alps' wilder, quieter cousin. Across roughly 400 square kilometres, raised bogs, hay meadows and limestone pavements interleave, with trails and alpine pastures stitching together villages such as Flhli and Srenberg. Traditional cheesemaking survives here, and the dark skies rank among Switzerland's best for stargazing, while the biosphere centre's interactive displays unpack the moorland ecology. Whether for a half-day hike or a slow overnight, it delivers Swiss countryside every bit as rewarding as the famous peaks.

The Baur Foundation owes its holdings to the lifelong collecting of Swiss connoisseur Alfred Baur (1865-1951) and opened to the public in 1964, tucked within two linked townhouses at the edge of Geneva's old town. It ranks among Europe's finest small museums of Far Eastern art. The Chinese galleries trace a clear line through ceramics, from celadons and blue-and-white to imperial porcelains, complemented by jades, snuff bottles and scholar's objects, while the Japanese rooms gather ukiyo-e prints, netsuke and sword fittings of breathtaking refinement. Hushed lighting and careful labelling make it a connoisseur's delight for a quiet afternoon.

Mont Saleve rises just across the French border south of Geneva, its crest about 1,380 metres high, and is affectionately called the city's balcony for its easy cable car and sweeping views. A ride on the lift, operating since 1932, whisks you a thousand metres upward in minutes to take in Lake Geneva, the city and the snowy Alps beyond, with the Mont Blanc region visible on clear days. The mountain is a paragliding mecca, launches happening beside the cable car station, and its Jurassic limestone cliffs and ridge paths draw hikers and climbers alike. Remember the Saleve is in France, so carry your passport.