Flower-decked timber chalets... Clear turquoise lakes set against a backdrop of snowy peaks... Paddle-boats from a bygone era... Mountain rivers and streams, forming a twirling kaleidoscope of silver... Pristine snowfields, sparkling waterfalls, majestic glaciers... Picturesque rack-railways, funiculars and cable-cars... Vertiginous heights offering breathtaking panoramas... Welcoming towns and villages... Are these really tired clichés? No, far from it, because this is what
Switzerland is all about. Seen as a haven of prosperity nestling at the heart of Europe, the Swiss Confederation is a comparatively small country yet it bas so much to offer to visitors: modern tourist resorts, unique cultural traditions, carefully preserved nature parks and a wide variety of landscapes and languages.
For many centuries, the Swiss people have been renowned for their strong sense of hospitality, a fact exemplified by the many festivals held in this country every year: Basel Carnival, Locarno Film Festival, Jazz Festivals at Bern and Ascona, music and comedy festivals in Montreux, to name but a few... The winter season is wonderful in Switzerland, where the many fine ski resorts (Davos, Saas Fee, Sankt Moritz, Zermatt, Crans-Montana and Verbier...) provide excellent conditions for all kinds of skiing and other winter sports... including relaxing in the sun!