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• Explore Zürich, Switzerland's largest city. The old town (Altstadt) is especially picturesque. Do not miss the gothic Fraumünster, with its stained-glass windows by Chagall; the imposing twin-towered Grossmünster cathedral; the Swiss National Museum; and the modern art collections at the Kunsthaus Zürich (website: www.zuerich.com).
• Visit the Horological Museum and watch-making factories at La-Chaux-de-Fonds. There are more factories at Le Locle nearby, all producing celebrated Swiss precision watches (website: www.mih.ch).
• Discover Geneva's ancient city centre on foot, and its crowning glory, the Cathédrale de St Pierre - a magnificent example of Romanesque architecture. Near Lake Geneva, the flower clock in the Jardin Anglais, with over 6,500 blooms, pays homage to Geneva's watch industry (website: www.geneva-tourism.ch).
• Explore Lausanne, on the shore of Lake Geneva, headquarters of the International Olympic committee (IOC) since 1915. Highlights include the Cathédrale Notre-Dame and the Musée Olympic (Olympic Museum). A stroll along the promenade of the old Port d'Ouchy reveals a slower pace of life (website: www.lausanne-tourisme.ch).
• See one of the country's most important historic buildings in Vaud. Head for the small town of Romainmotier to discover its 11th-century Benedictine monastery (website: www.romainmotier.ch).
• Visit the capital city of Bern on the Aare River, with its medieval heart of unique 11th-century arcaded streets, its famous 13th-century clocktower (Zeitglockenturm) and ancient medieval bear pits (Bärengraben), a reminder of the city's ursine emblem seen throughout Bern on flags, statues, stained-glass windows and souvenirs (website: www.berninfo.com).
• In the elegant ancient city cenre of St Gallen, enjoy the baroque cathedral and famous Abbey Library (Stiftsbibliothek) in the old Benedictine monastery (incunabula and illuminated manuscripts), named a World Heritage Treasure by UNESCO (website: www.stiftsbibliothek.ch).
• Head for Neuchâtel, attractively located beside a lake, and admire the striking medieval yellow stone buildings in town, once described by Alexander Dumas as 'carved from butter'. The town is celebrated for its cafe culture and first-class cuisine (website: www.neuchateltourisme.ch).
• Visit the most important baroque castle in Switzerland. The historic town of Brig in the Valais region boasts the Stockalperschloss. Castle enthusiasts should also visit Leuk, Martigny, Monthey and Sierre.
• Explore the Berner Oberland, a major tourist area that includes spectacular scenery including famous peaks (Jungfrau, Mönch and Eiger), mountain lakes, alpine streams and wild flowers, as well as Europe's highest railway and such celebrated resorts as Adelboden, Grindelwald and Interlaken (website: www.berneroberland.ch).
• Also in the region, ascend the Schilthorn mountain by funicular made famous in the James Bond movie Her Majesty's Secret Service (website: www.schilthorn.ch); visit the the Reichenbach falls (where Sherlock Holmes fell to his fictional death) (website: www.reichenbachfall.ch); and explore the Swiss Open-Air Museum at Ballenberg, with its charmingly preserved houses and crafts from various regions (website: www.ballenberg.ch).
• Discover the ancient university and trading city of Basel. Straddling the Rhine between the Jura region, Alsace in France and Germany's Black Forest, it is a centre of art and research. Don't miss the Art Museum or the ancient red sandstone Münster (website: www.baseltourismus.ch).
• Check out the 170m (558ft) covered wooden Chapel Bridge spanning the River Reuss in Luzern - the oldest in Switzerland (1333) until it was destroyed by fire in 1993, but it has since been reconstructed. Explore the delightful medieval old town (Altstadt), visit the Swiss Transport Museum and cruise on the Vierwaldstättersee (website: www.luzern.org).
• Explore the lovely, Italian-speaking, southernmost tip of Switzerland, the region of Ticino. Follow the road from the Alpine valleys through Bellinzona with its three medieval castles to the Locarno and Lugano, the celebrated lake resorts of Southern Ticino (website: www.ticino.ch).
• Get close to the highest mountains in Switzerland, in the Valais region ('the valley'), with such lofty glacial peaks as the Dufourspitze (4,634m/15,217ft), Dom (4,545m/14,917ft), Weisshorn (4,509m/14,793ft) and the Matterhorn (4,478m/14,698ft). Popular resorts here include Saas Fee, Verbier and Zermatt (website: www.valaistourism.ch).
• Visit one of Switzerland's most photogenic villages, Gruyères, home to the nation's most famous cheese, to explore its castle and various cheese factories (website: www.la-gruyere.ch).
• Drive through rustic Appenzell, the most traditional canton, with its picturesque villages of ornately painted houses set in lush, rolling landscapes. Säntis (website: www.saentisbahn.ch) is Appenzell's most famous peak, with memorable views over six nations - Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein and Switzerland (website: www.appenzell.ch).
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.
• Visit the Horological Museum and watch-making factories at La-Chaux-de-Fonds. There are more factories at Le Locle nearby, all producing celebrated Swiss precision watches (website: www.mih.ch).
• Discover Geneva's ancient city centre on foot, and its crowning glory, the Cathédrale de St Pierre - a magnificent example of Romanesque architecture. Near Lake Geneva, the flower clock in the Jardin Anglais, with over 6,500 blooms, pays homage to Geneva's watch industry (website: www.geneva-tourism.ch).
• Explore Lausanne, on the shore of Lake Geneva, headquarters of the International Olympic committee (IOC) since 1915. Highlights include the Cathédrale Notre-Dame and the Musée Olympic (Olympic Museum). A stroll along the promenade of the old Port d'Ouchy reveals a slower pace of life (website: www.lausanne-tourisme.ch).
• See one of the country's most important historic buildings in Vaud. Head for the small town of Romainmotier to discover its 11th-century Benedictine monastery (website: www.romainmotier.ch).
• Visit the capital city of Bern on the Aare River, with its medieval heart of unique 11th-century arcaded streets, its famous 13th-century clocktower (Zeitglockenturm) and ancient medieval bear pits (Bärengraben), a reminder of the city's ursine emblem seen throughout Bern on flags, statues, stained-glass windows and souvenirs (website: www.berninfo.com).
• In the elegant ancient city cenre of St Gallen, enjoy the baroque cathedral and famous Abbey Library (Stiftsbibliothek) in the old Benedictine monastery (incunabula and illuminated manuscripts), named a World Heritage Treasure by UNESCO (website: www.stiftsbibliothek.ch).
• Head for Neuchâtel, attractively located beside a lake, and admire the striking medieval yellow stone buildings in town, once described by Alexander Dumas as 'carved from butter'. The town is celebrated for its cafe culture and first-class cuisine (website: www.neuchateltourisme.ch).
• Visit the most important baroque castle in Switzerland. The historic town of Brig in the Valais region boasts the Stockalperschloss. Castle enthusiasts should also visit Leuk, Martigny, Monthey and Sierre.
• Explore the Berner Oberland, a major tourist area that includes spectacular scenery including famous peaks (Jungfrau, Mönch and Eiger), mountain lakes, alpine streams and wild flowers, as well as Europe's highest railway and such celebrated resorts as Adelboden, Grindelwald and Interlaken (website: www.berneroberland.ch).
• Also in the region, ascend the Schilthorn mountain by funicular made famous in the James Bond movie Her Majesty's Secret Service (website: www.schilthorn.ch); visit the the Reichenbach falls (where Sherlock Holmes fell to his fictional death) (website: www.reichenbachfall.ch); and explore the Swiss Open-Air Museum at Ballenberg, with its charmingly preserved houses and crafts from various regions (website: www.ballenberg.ch).
• Discover the ancient university and trading city of Basel. Straddling the Rhine between the Jura region, Alsace in France and Germany's Black Forest, it is a centre of art and research. Don't miss the Art Museum or the ancient red sandstone Münster (website: www.baseltourismus.ch).
• Check out the 170m (558ft) covered wooden Chapel Bridge spanning the River Reuss in Luzern - the oldest in Switzerland (1333) until it was destroyed by fire in 1993, but it has since been reconstructed. Explore the delightful medieval old town (Altstadt), visit the Swiss Transport Museum and cruise on the Vierwaldstättersee (website: www.luzern.org).
• Explore the lovely, Italian-speaking, southernmost tip of Switzerland, the region of Ticino. Follow the road from the Alpine valleys through Bellinzona with its three medieval castles to the Locarno and Lugano, the celebrated lake resorts of Southern Ticino (website: www.ticino.ch).
• Get close to the highest mountains in Switzerland, in the Valais region ('the valley'), with such lofty glacial peaks as the Dufourspitze (4,634m/15,217ft), Dom (4,545m/14,917ft), Weisshorn (4,509m/14,793ft) and the Matterhorn (4,478m/14,698ft). Popular resorts here include Saas Fee, Verbier and Zermatt (website: www.valaistourism.ch).
• Visit one of Switzerland's most photogenic villages, Gruyères, home to the nation's most famous cheese, to explore its castle and various cheese factories (website: www.la-gruyere.ch).
• Drive through rustic Appenzell, the most traditional canton, with its picturesque villages of ornately painted houses set in lush, rolling landscapes. Säntis (website: www.saentisbahn.ch) is Appenzell's most famous peak, with memorable views over six nations - Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein and Switzerland (website: www.appenzell.ch).
See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.
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