• E-mail to a Friend
  • Print Print
  • RSS RSS
  • AddThis

Don’t Miss Swiss Destinatins

Return to main article

Although the country is diminutive—you can drive from border to border in six hours—Switzerland packs in a dramatic range of landscapes, cities, languages, and cultures. These four locales are particularly lovely, and, like every place in Switzerland, welcome children. Note that most hotel rooms are priced for two people; kids over six are an additional charge.

Ascona

This charming resort town is tucked into a sunny bay on Lake Maggiore, in the canton of Ticino, the country’s Italian-speaking region. Steep walkways and stone staircases crisscross the medieval center, where you can stop for an Italian meal at a garden restaurant (order the daily menu). Check in at the palazzo-like Hotel Eden Roc (16 Via Albarelle; 41-91/785-7171; www.edenroc.ch; doubles from $405), decorated in clear blues, yellows, and greens and offering kids’ activities on land and water. A popular time to come is during the town’s famous jazz festival (www.jazzascona.com)—this year from June 21–July 1, right on the lakeshore. You can also hike up the Maggia valley and swim in the Maggia River, with its huge boulders and hidden swimming holes.

Lausanne

Along the northern shore of Lake Geneva, the hilly city is Switzerland’s answer to San Francisco—and a counterpoint to business-oriented Geneva. Take a walking tour of the narrow streets of the Old Town, visit the vineyards north of Lausanne by train or bicycle, and explore the banquet halls and prison of the 12th-century Château de Chillon (www.chillon.ch), in a nearby village. The staff of the Beau-Rivage Palace (17–19 Place du Port; 41-21/613-3333; www.brp.ch; doubles from $388), a sumptuous 19th-century hotel, will arrange treasure hunts in the halls and kid-size lessons with the pastry chef.

Zermatt

The Matterhorn is the platonic ideal of a mountain, and in its shadow is the ridiculously picturesque village of Zermatt, where cars are banned and horse-drawn carriages roam the streets. Zermatt is a perfect base for hiking and glacier viewing; a gondola ferries visitors up the mountain. Riffelalp Resort (41-27/966-0555; doubles from $354) is a classic Alpine lodge, all wood paneling and floral brocades, with a spa and indoor pool.

Zurich

Compact and walkable, cosmopolitan Zurich is at its peak in summertime. See it on wheels: you can pick up free bikes, scooters, and skateboards at several locations around the city (www.zuerirollt.ch). Jump into the lake at Tiefenbrunnen, a strand with grassy lawns, changing rooms, a waterslide, and pedal-boat rentals. Among the slick shops along the Bahnhofstrasse is, at No. 62, the Franz Carl Weber toy store— one of the best anywhere. The stately, opulent Hotel Baur au Lac (1 Talstrasse; 41-44/ 220-5030; www.bauraulac.ch; doubles from $645) is a Zurich landmark and has long been a watering hole for the European artistocracy (Wagner premiered Die Walküre there). Its shady garden is the perfect place for a late afternoon lemonade.

For comprehensive travel information, see www.myswitzerland.com, a site run with Swiss precision by the national tourism office.

Copyright © 2008, American Express Publishing. All rights reserved.