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 Switzerland
is one of Europe's most visited countries, but one of its least
understood. Pass through for a day or two, as most people do, and you'll
get the quaint stereotype of Switzerland that the locals deem suitable
for public consumption - the Alpine idyll of cheese and chocolate, Heidi
and the Matterhorn. Stay longer though and another Switzerland will
emerge, the one which the Swiss inhabit, and one which can be an
infinitely more rewarding place to explore. Sights are breathtaking,
transport links are excellent, costs are no higher than in Britain or
Germany, and the locals are unfailingly courteous. Almost everyone
speaks some English along with at least one of the official Swiss
languages (German, French, Italian, or, in the southeast, Romansh).
Notoriously placid these days, Switzerland nonetheless spent the first
five hundred years of its existence rent by conflict, and fought a civil
war as recently as 1847. The Swiss Confederation (abbreviated in Latin
to " CH ") dates back to 1291, when Alpine peasants formed an alliance
to defend themselves against the Hapsburgs. By the early 1500s, the
Confederation had grown into a military superpower feared throughout
Europe. It was only with the Reformation that the Swiss began to earn
their reputation for neutrality, a reputation which served them well
right through into the boom years after World War II. In the 1990s, the
country's image was tainted, as exposιs uncovered Swiss banks' dubious
wartime collusion with the Nazis. Public soul-searching in the aftermath
of the scandal is heralding Switzerland's first tentative steps towards
ending its dogged isolation and joining the EU and the UN.
As for where to go , Switzerland invented tourism: the country's
breathtaking scenery has drawn travellers since the early 1800s. The
most visited Alpine area is the central Bernese Oberland , which has the
highest concentration of picturesque peaks and mountainside villages,
although the loftiest Alps are further south, where the small but
crowded resort of Zermatt provides access to the country's most
distinctive mountain, the Toblerone-peaked Matterhorn . In the
southeastern corner of the country, wild, thickly forested mountain
slopes provide the setting for the world-famous resorts of St Moritz and
Davos . Of the northern German-speaking cities, Zόrich has a wealth of
sightseeing and nightlife possibilities and provides easy access to the
tiny independent principality of Liechtenstein overlooking the Rhine.
Basel and especially the capital Bern are quieter, each with an
attractive historic core, while Luzern is in an appealing setting close
to lakes and mountains. In the French-speaking west, the cities lining
the northern shore of Lake Geneva - notably Geneva itself, and Lausanne
- make up the heart of Suisse-Romande . South of the Alps, sunny,
Italian-speaking Ticino can seem a world apart from the rest of the
country, particularly the palm-fringed lakeside resorts of Lugano and
Locarno , with their Mediterranean, riviera atmosphere.
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