Switzerland travel guide: Everything you need to know before you go

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Consider monstrous glaciers, Tiffany-blue lakes, time-trapped mountain villages, Unesco-listed winelands and grand dame hotels – and you’ve only scratched the surface of Switzerland. Top regions and cities Zurich Many people’s first impressions of Switzerland are at Zurich Airport – one of the world’s slickest – and there’s no let-up in the positive vibes afterwards. Bernese Oberland Brimming with many of the country’s sock-knocking Alpine experiences, the Bernese Oberland is Switzerland at its most captivating – it appears before the mind’s eye fully coloured-in, epic and wild. But Switzerland’s too-often-overlooked capital has a wealth of attractions, from a beautifully preserved Old Town, with its astronomical Zytglogge Clock and Swiss Parliament, to inner city swimming or rafting the Aare River.