It’s all too easy to forget Switzerland, that enigmatic, self-possessed confederation of states, or “cantons,” which borders no fewer than five other European countries – but it shouldn’t be, particularly at a moment when it’s been in the tariff news. The Trump Administration has agreed to slash its tariffs on imported Swiss products to 15% (from 39%) as Swiss companies pledge to invest $200 million in the United States by 2028.
Switzerland is home to nine million people, who bewilderingly speak four different languages between them, namely French, German, Italian and Romansh – a Rhaeto-Romance language spoken in the central Swiss canton of Grisons. The incomparably magnificent Swiss Alps take up well over half of the land mass and, for natural beauty, Switzerland is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular countries in the world. (It is also, be warned, expensive, for the most part on a par with New York and London.)
Of course, Switzerland comes into our lives (and those of our pets) more than we realize, because even if we struggle to name its capital (Bern), brands we use every day – from Häagen-Dazs to Nescafé to Purina pet food – are all owned by the country’s Nestlé S.A.
We eat Swiss cheeses and Swiss chocolate, too, which alas will still be subject to high tariffs. And, of course, we wear Swiss watches, although contrary to popular belief, cuckoo clocks did not originate in Switzerland. Not being a lover of cuckoo clocks, I’m pleased to say I didn’t encounter a single one on my recent trip.
What I did find, though, was Europe’s most impressive rail service, the SBB – gleaming white coaches for the most part, exceptionally comfortable seating and extensive menus with chairside service even in second class and on the shortest routes. And never once, in the 18 train journeys I took to across the country did a train arrive at or depart from a station late – not even by one minute.
Flying in to Zurich, where Hansel and Gretel architectural kitsch meets steel towers housing banks and technology businesses, I took a day to explore the town, stopping for lunch at the historic Kronenhalle restaurant, where the walls are adorned with original art by Joan Miró, Marc Chagall and Pierre Bonnard. In the afternoon, I squeezed in a visit to the Kunsthaus, Switzerland’s most famous art museum, before heading for the station and taking a train southwest to the famous resort town of St. Moritz.
For a town of its size, which is to say small, St. Moritz has an astonishing concentration of luxury hotels – the Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, The Kulm, The Carlton, Suvretta House – all of which have been favored by stars and starlets, socialites and roués down through the years. Not falling into any of those categories, I put up instead at the Hotel Waldhaus, a three-star gem of an old hotel, gemütlich (the German word expressing a blend of comfort, coziness and correctness), with its magnificent dining room overlooking Lake St. Moritz and peerless views of the lake from its guest rooms. The bar at the utterly charming Waldhaus has the largest whiskey collection in the world, according to the “Guinness Book of Records.”
A month too early for the start of the winter skiing season, I found other pursuits instead, marveling at the delicious paintings of 20th century artist Peter Berry in the museum that bears his name, and drinking hot chocolate (with extra schlag, or whipped cream), at the Café Hanselmann, where alles St. Moritz meet – the perfect pick-me-up after window-shopping at Bruno Cucinelli and Loro Piano nearby.
From St. Moritz I took the two-part Bernina Express to Lugano, one of Switzerland’s great sightseeing trains, which climbs to 7,500 feet before making its descent along a UNESCO World Heritage route – all seen through panoramic windows The second part of the Bernina journey is by scenic bus, where after the highway you enjoy a ravishing drive along the shores of Lake Como, with more superb scenery and views, onward to Lugano.
A city of almost indescribably beauty, sitting on its own lake in Switzerland’s Italian-speaking Ticino canton, Lugano is gracious and elegant but wears its extreme good looks without a hint of swagger or self-importance. Not for nothing is this area known as the Swiss Riviera, all the way from its aptly-named lakefront Paradiso district to the glorious park, called Ciani. Enjoying a cup of coffee or a Hugo Spritz on Lugano’s central square, Piazza della Riforma, in the old town, or browsing its chic shopping street, Via Nassa, are simple but unforgettable pleasures, as is a stroll in Parco Ciani itself.
Although only its ninth largest city, Lugano is Switzerland’s third largest banking center, after Zurich and Geneva. And with its microclimate protected by mountains and lakes, it is also one of the warmest places in Switzerland, with relatively mild winters and hot, humid summers. Do get out on the limpid lake if you can. Ferry boats and tourists boats put stunning lakeside villages such as Gandria and Morcote within easy reach.
Traveling southwest by not especially fast but very swish, spick-and-span trains with yet more scenic views brought me to the town of Vevey, a relatively quiet but hardly sleepy town, although one sometimes overshadowed by its better-known neighbor, Montreux, on the northeastern shore of Lake Geneva.
Vevey’s great claim to fame is Nestlé, which has its global headquarters here, and Vevey’s Manoir de Ban was the home of Charlie Chaplin for the last 25 years of his life. The Henri Nestlé Museum, the Vevey Historical Museum, the Alimentarium food museum and the Charlie Chaplin Museum will all vie for your attention here in this smallish town, along with the glorious lakeside promenade. But for me the highlight of my visit was staying at Hotel des Trois Couronnes, a “Leading Hotel of the World” and one of Europe’s less well-known but nevertheless magnificent Grande Dame establishments.
My classy suite overlooking the lake could have come straight out of Noel Coward’s play “Private Lives,” with a beautiful stone and marble fireplace, the glistening lake in front of the windows, snow on the mountains in nearly every direction and a black-and-white marble bathroom with a bath tub large enough to hold a water-polo match.
Traveling this time by car through the UNESCO-listed wine villages of the Lavaux, where ancient stone walls protect the steep-terraced vineyards, first laid by monks in the 12th century, I arrived in Lausanne. While the city was founded in medieval times, with an 800-year-old cathedral, a masterpiece of Gothic art, and a charming old town to prove it, today Lausanne is known as Switzerland’s capital of tech, though it also boasts a new Arts District (Plateforme 10), a regenerated downtown district of former warehouses known as the Flon and the home of the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Museum.
But whatever else you may do in Lausanne, and there’s enough to keep you here for three or four days, be sure to try some chocolate in Switzerland’s cocoa capital. There are more than 50 independent chocolate makers in the downtown area alone, and the reasonably-priced Lausanne Choco Tour allows you to choose five chocolatiers out of 11 listed and receive a generous sampling at each.
I stopped in Geneva only long enough to meet an old friend for an expensive drink by the water, where the Rhône River meets Lake Geneva (which the Swiss call Lac Leman) in the heart of town, before continuing by train for another 20 minutes to catch my Swiss flight home from Geneva International Airport. A dozen of the 50 richest people in the country – and there are some very rich people in Switzerland – call the canton of Geneva home, my friend commented.
I responded that in a country that can certainly seem to pinch your hard-earned dollars, it does at least compensate you handsomely by also stealing your heart.
Jeremy Wayne is a travel adviser with Superior Travel of New York. Email him at jeremy@superiortravel.com.
