Switzerland Holiday

As a small country sandwiched in the middle of Europe, you'd be forgiven for thinking there's little more to Switzerland than cheese, watches and the billion dollar bank accounts of the extremely wealthy. But frankly, that's underselling the country. The Swiss also do a very good line in chocolate and offer fantastic skiing in some very exclusive resorts – which of course gives you a great opportunity to get better acquainted with some of the rich people and their exorbitant bank accounts.

One definite advantage to Switzerland is that it's a short hop on a budget flight from a regional airport in the UK. The other good thing is that if you can't remember a word of French, you can always try German, Italian or even Romansh given that all three are spoken in different regions of the country.

For those who like to indulge in a bit of retail therapy followed by a gourmet meal in a Michelin-starred restaurant and an evening at the opera, all rounded off with a traditional stroll along the lake edge, then the cosmopolitan city of Geneva pretty much ticks all the boxes. For bars and clubs to rival those in other European capitals, head to Zurich on one of Switzerland's scarily efficient double-decker trains. If you're about in August time, you can't miss the techno-fuelled Street Parade, one of the largest in the world.

Visitors with a penchant for wine would do well to visit some of the vineyards which border Lake Geneva, maybe taking the view of lush pastures and medieval villages along the way. The vibrant capital city of Lausanne will keep both those who like culture and those who prefer café culture entertained with a healthy diary of live music, festivals, performances and clubs.

Watchmaking enthusiasts will have to pay a visit to the Jura, but the region also offers visitors a chance to lose themselves in the rolling hills whether hiking, riding, cycling, mountain biking, paragliding or climbing to name but a few.

Moving into the Schweizer Mitteland, the medieval gem of Bern greets visitors with ornate buildings, busy market stalls lining the squares and theatres and bars hidden in cellars. Those who like throwing themselves out of perfectly functional aircrafts or falling 220 metres through the air attached to nothing but a piece of elastic all in the name of adrenaline will eventually find themselves in Interlaken. Just beware - this mecca of adventure sports comes with a very big price tag.

And the prices just go up and up when you hit the slopes. The Matterhorn is the most famous of Switzerland's peaks, not least so because Toblerone chocolate is modelled on the shape. But with fantastic runs, great off-piste and après-ski to match then it's almost worth bankrupting yourself for. The glitzy resort of St Moritz offers yet another opportunity to break every bone in your body with the death-defying 1.2km Cresta toboggan run.

And for those who are still hungry for adventure, there's nothing else for it but to head to Locarno, a bay-side town complete with subtropical gardens but which is also home to the world's biggest bungee jump. The 220-metre drop from the top of the Verzasca Dam should be enough to get the butterflies jittering in the most hardened of stomachs.

Switzerland may still have a bit of a reputation as a sleepy backwater but then you need some time to chill out in between pushing your body to overload whether it's through adrenaline, good food or long nights in bars and clubs. And if you're still bored, you can always head for the hills and find yourself a friendly mountain goat to befriend.