Renowned and revered for its landscape, the landlocked nation of Switzerland wows its fair share of tourists.
In fact over 105,000 Australians visited in 2012 making it one of Europe's most popular destinations.
It is also one of the old continent's most mature countries with a formal alliance of the Swiss Confederacy dating back to 1291, some 722 years ago.
This history plays out in the quaint villages that cling to mountainsides and dot the nation's 1500 pristine, which are estimated to contain 6% of the continent's fresh water stocks.
Such a varied & wild environment has led Lonely Planet to dub Switzerland – better known for its clocks, chocs & cheese – as a winter and summer sports paradise with iconic household names of the Matterhorn, St Moritz &
Zermatt conjuring a playground of outdoor pursuits.
Meanwhile the cities of Zurich, Geneva & Basel offer some of the best standard of living in the world according to the Mercer Quality of Living Index as well as immaculate avenues of designer shopping & a cosmopolitan cafe culture.
For those wanting to sample all that Switzerland has to offer, Insight Vacations has a 14-day Country Roads of Switzerland itinerary starting from $4165.
