Switzerland things to see and do

Visit one of Switzerland's most photogenic medieval villages, Gruyères, home to the nation's most famous cheese. Here you can explore its castle, Château de Gruyères, as well as three museums and the La Maison du Gruyère cheese factory. Nearby, take a barge to the medieval ruins on the Isle of Ogoz.

See the Switzerland of old with a drive through rustic Appenzell, the most traditional canton, with its picturesque villages of ornately painted houses set in lush, rolling landscapes. Säntis is Appenzell's most famous peak, with memorable views over six nations: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The mountain Hoher Kasten (1794m/ 5886ft) is also worth a visit.

Visit the the medieval, arcaded streets of the capital, Bern, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site situated on the Aare River. Famed for its Zytglogge, a 12th-century clock tower, here you can roam the city or get lost in the Bear Park - a woodsy, forested area that plays home to a family of bears (following the 2009 closure of Bern's iconic bear pits). A reminder of the capital's ursine emblem can be seen throughout Bern on flags, statues, stained-glass windows and souvenirs.

Discover Geneva's ancient city centre on foot, especially its crowning glory, the Cathédrale de St Pierre - a magnificent example of Romanesque architecture. Situated near Lake Geneva, the flower clock in the Jardin Anglais, with over 12,000 blooms, pays homage to Geneva's watch industry. You can also choose from guided tours that focus on themes like Geneva's beautiful parks and gardens, buildings of the UN and the International Organizations or on Geneva's old town with its long history.

Lausanne's highlights include the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Lausanne, the Musée Olympic (Olympic Museum) and the Musee de l’Art brut. While a stroll along the promenade of the old Port d'Ouchy reveals a slower pace of life, the city's vibrant side can be found among the contemporary architecture of Flon, where boutique shops, cinemas and evening entertainment have replaced derelict warehouses, buoyed by the town's two universities.

Elegant and ancient, St Gallen is blessed with a baroque cathedral whose famous Abbey Library is a UNESCO World Heritage treasure. Today the library is open to the public and also functions as a museum. St Gallen's old town is picture perfect and boasts a number of pretty, decorative town houses fitted with oriel windows dating back to the 16th until 18th centuries.

Whether you climb up them, ski down or just capture them on camera, the Valais region (the valley) in southern Switzerland possesses lofty glacial peaks, such as the Dufourspitze (4,634m/15,217ft), Dom (4,545m/14,911ft), Weisshorn (4,505m/14,780ft) and the Matterhorn (4,478m/14,692ft). Popular resorts here include Saas Fee, Verbier and Zermatt, where you can take Europe's highest aerial cable car up the Little Matterhorn, then ski back to the car-free village on one of the longest ski runs in Europe. Those with the leg power will also want to cycle around the Matterhorn, a beautiful backdrop for rides with many trail entries beginning at over 3,000m high (9,842ft).