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Landscapes of Lake Geneva and Western Switzerland by Reinhard Scholl Check out the book's Contents click here A country blessed with a most dramatic and spectacular landscape. Mountains, glaciers, lakes, rivers, gorges, and waterfalls are plentiful natural elements into which cultural influences blend. Switzerland is a hiker’s paradise (you would expect nothing less of a country which has an article in its constitution regulating the responsibilities of those who maintain the thousands of kilometres of hiking paths), and boasts the world’s best public transport system, despite being arguably the most mountainous country in Europe. In Switzerland you may well find a mountain hut or comfortable hotel on top of a summit which is the terminus of a spectacular train or cable car ride, but there is still plenty of space where you will hardly meet a soul — perhaps only ibex. This guide covers the western part of Switzerland, comprising: • The region around Lake Geneva (Lac Léman in the local French), including the towns of Geneva, Lausanne and Montreux. Montreux and its lakeside is also known as the Swiss Riviera, a region where the Alpine meets the Mediterranean and where snow and palm trees are never far from each other. • The Swiss Jura (partly French-, partly German- speaking), a vast plain up to around 1600m with lush pastures and forests and which (this is the most beautiful theory) God created so that you can admire the chain of the Alps. It extends about 150km and stretches from near Lake Geneva almost to Basel, covering about 10 per cent of the country. • The mostly German-speaking Bernese uplands (Berner Oberland), arguably the best-known Alpine region, with famous places like Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen and home of the awe-inspiring Eiger north face and the train that pierces through the mountain up to the Jungfraujoch at 3454m. • The Valais, the third largest canton, situated in the southwest of Switzerland and cradling the Rhône Valley. The upper valley is German-, the lower valley French-speaking (the language border is the Raspille stream between Sierre and Salgesch). The Valais is a region of contrasts. The main Rhône Valley is warm and sunny, with orchards full of apples, pears, peaches and apricots, and terraced vineyards on the slopes. But hidden away in the side-valleys, some of Europe’s highest mountains and largest glaciers tower up. There is hardly a valley without a dam, some of which have mammoth dimensions that leave you in utter disbelief and amazement. Valais is also home to world-famous skiing resorts — Zermatt (Matterhorn country), Crans-Montana and Verbier. Best time to visit: May to October (though if hiking in the higher mountainous areas, July to September) Where to Stay: the book includes full details of the excellent Swiss transport system, so access to a wide choice of destinations is possible wherever you stay, but Geneva or Interlaken are particularly good options. (Note: If you buy from Amazon, book prices are discounted, therefore amazon.co.uk's post paid prices differ from those shown here.) | ||||
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