City Breaks in Switzerland

This beauty spot boasts half a dozen elegant villas the size of palaces, most notably the aptly named Villa Favorita, which sits on the shores of Lake Lugano. You can go on boat tours to nearby villages, restaurants, and bathing areas, or take the funicular up to the sun-kissed summit of Monte Brè.

Looped by the River Aare, the medieval old town is a World Heritage site, with its shopping arcades and 13th-century clock tower decorated with automatons. Among the city's many museums is the Paul Klee centre, which gathers nearly half of the surrealist painter's work under one futuristic roof.

This city on Lake Geneva, home to the Olympic Committee, boasts a museum dedicated to the games, as well as a handsome cathedral and several enormous chateaux. Watersports fans will enjoy the smart Ouchy lakeside development. Don't forget to try the wine from grapes grown on the local vineyard-clad slopes, where you can go cycling during the summer.

Go shopping on the Bahnhofstrasse, stroll among the medieval guild houses on the banks of the River Limmat, and check out the trendy clubs and bars in the alleyways of the Niederdorf district.

Cross the quaint wooden Chapel Bridge, one of the most ancient bridges in the whole of Europe. Explore the half-timbered shops and restaurants of the old town, and see stars such as Plácido Domingo perform on the stage of the state-of-the-art Culture and Congress Centre.