You’d be forgiven for thinking of this beguiling country as serene, ordered, generous, sophisticated, creative – picture postcard, of course – and you’d be right. But it’s electric too, with how it can get your blood rushing like you can’t imagine!
It’s up there as one of the sports capitals of the world. Visit during winter and woo hoo! You’ll be speeding, hurtling, flying and gliding down slopes, over land and across skies, at speeds like a racing car if you’re a real thrill seeker.
The skiing – and tobogganing – in Switzerland is legendary. And apart from choosing from all levels of runs, across kilometres of some of the best ski regions in the world, you can ski to a neighbouring country for lunch and come back to Switzerland for après-ski drinks in bars and restaurants you will just love. Add live music and you’re in holiday heaven.
And while you’re on the slopes, toss the skis and set off on a toboggan, passing all those slow goers beside you. Exhilarating? Sitting down and setting off never felt so good! Plus those soaring gondolas and chairlifts taking you everywhere are a sport in themselves!
To find out more, visit zermatt.ch/en/winter; zermatt.ch/en/ski
But when you take to the skies, oooh, that blood rush becomes a whole new feeling. From the mountain top, leaning into the lap of your paragliding guide, you take off like a bird over magnificent scenery below you, such as Interlaken, seeing it like an eagle. You’ll share the supreme peace of sailing silently across the blue but with a racing heartbeat, knowing you are really way, way up there!
To find out more, visit en.interlaken-paragliding.com/
As if that’s not enough! Now whizz down the mountain at a rip-roaring rate of 80km an hour on a hair-raising zip line or glider, with a few minutes to indulge in the breathtaking scenery as you go, only to slide into a giant spring at the bottom bringing you to a gentle stop. Then immediately, you’ll want to hightail it back to the top and do it all again, fearless this time, and just highly excited.
To find out more, visit jungfrau.ch/en-gb/jungfrau-ski-region/grindelwald-first-ski-area/first-glider-winter/; jungfrau.ch/en-gb/jungfraujoch-top-of-europe/
If you want a trip to fascinate and bring you alive, go to Switzerland! It will saturate your senses and invigorate you more than you have been in years. And remember, yodel-lay-hee-hoo to you!
