Zermatt Switzerland

Whether you like skiing or boarding, sledding or hiking... if you like snowsports, you'll find what you are looking for in Zermatt. 394 km of pistes provide a wide variety of skiing in an international ski area situated on the border between Switzerland and Italy. The area is dominated by the stunning scenery of the Matterhorn and Zermatt's pluses can be summarised as follows - awesome scenery; amazing mountain restaurants; fantastic and varied skiing. Because of abundant snowfall, high altitudes and the glacier area of the Klein Matterhorn, Zermatt offers some of the finest skiing in Europe, and glacier skiing can be enjoyed well into the summer. The high and extensive terrain stretches across three individual mountains and mainly caters for intermediate and experienced skiers. The resort is best known for its excellent powder skiing, although off-piste areas and unofficial runs should only be explored with a guide, due to sudden drop-offs and avalanche risk. Intermediate skiers have a wide range of slopes to enjoy around the Zermatt-Matterhorn Ski Area and it is possible to ski across all three mountains in a day.

Klein Matterhorn is reached by the highest aerial cable car in Europe that provides access to a snowboard half pipe and the longest ski run in Europe, an exhilarating slope with breathtaking views that drops all the way down to the village. The easiest slopes are high up on the glacier in the Klein Matterhorn region, but beginners should be aware that trails that start out as novice often end up being intermediate and there are no beginner trails that connect the mountains. Snowboarders share the same exciting terrain. 

 

Lucerne Switzerland

Aside from being the spot where William Tell allegedly demonstrated his archery skills by nearly decapitating his son (and, fortunately, hitting a carefully balanced apple instead), Lucerne has few claims to fame that stretch beyond picturesque, old-world beauty and a truly striking location. In travel, of course, location is everything, and most people who drop in on this town do so with the intention of strapping on their hiking boots or kitting up their mountain bike before heading for the hills. Lucerne has plenty of its own charms, though, most of them in the pure ‘Swiss village-ness’ of it all. The impressive Chapel Bridge has become a symbol of Lucerne, though the version you’ll find now is a replacement for the original, which burnt down in 1993. Inside the delicate wooden struts of the structure you’ll find images of 12th century life in Lucerne, a charming taste of local history.

Elsewhere you’ll find most eyes are on the mountains: Lucerne has its own glacier gardens, alpine flower garden and boat tours that head to the base of the nearby mountains and provide impressive, close up panoramas. Mount Pilatus is so close to the town that it seems to almost hover over the center, and can be ascended by breathtakingly steep cog railway for still more intense panoramas. If you do manage to avoid the draw of the mountains for a day or two, Lucerne’s compact old town is a maze of delicate passageways that seem to have changed little over the years, as well as being home to an artistic bent – many of the walls are coated in color, with local artists depicting anything from rural scenes to offbeat, colorful modern art.

 

Lausanne, Switzerland