Best Swiss Via Ferrata Resorts

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more iconic mountain than the Matterhorn or a more typically Swiss town than Zermatt. Prepare to be enchanted on seriously scenic hikes, bike rides and mountain climbs and enjoy the finer things in life in the posh bars and restaurants. Look carefully and you’ll discover little Alpine chapels and Alpine lakes dotted around on the 400km of hiking trails, including glacier routes. To enjoy the sights without the legwork, take the half hour train ride to Gornergrat.

Peering over the Lauterbrunnen valley and with the Monch, Jungfrau and Eiger in its sightline, the views from Mürren might just be some of the best on earth. You can’t come here without taking the cable car to the top of the Schilthorn – of James Bond fame – for a staggering 360° panorama. The car-free village is a quiet spot for a proper getaway and there’s seemingly no end to the hiking and mountain bike trails... as well as loads of opportunity to sample some more obscure sports like ‘trotti-biking’ (riding big-wheeled scooters).

The clue’s in the name with Interlaken: it’s situated between two fabulous lakes, the Thun and the Brienz. As well as being easy on the eye, the waters open up a multitude of activities like windsurfing, water-skiing and fishing. Looming overhead you can’t miss the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau peaks – home to some wonderful hiking routes. The famous ‘Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe’ train is a brilliant way to see over the Alps and inside the glacier. Back at base the vibe is chilled out and cheerful – party with the backpackers or explore the restaurants around town.

On the banks of the Kander river and framed by colossal Alpine peaks, Kandersteg is small, friendly and utterly ‘Swiss’. While the pace of life in the village is lovely and leisurely, things really heat up when you reach the mountains – this is a seriously good area for hiking and mountain biking. We love the downhill free-trail, which is packed full of berms and jumps and the area has plenty more for the to-do list including a rope park, swimming pool and summer toboggan run.

Near the River Aare and at the meeting point of some seriously stunning alpine passes, this market town is a great base in the Bernese Alps. Get the train to places like Interlaken and use the mountain railway for high altitude hikes. As well as being the hometown of the meringue (picture a world without Eton Mess...), the Reichenbach Falls are the locals’ claim to fame – the site of Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty’s legendary final struggle.

Saas-Fee is quiet and rustic, complete with old barns and narrow pathways but there’s nothing quaint about the activities: hike hundreds of kilometres, get stuck into adventure trails and cycle a gruelling stretch of the Tour de Suisse. If winter feels a lifetime away, get your skiing fill on the awesome Allalin glacier – look out for the pro’s who practice here in the summertime. At the end of the day, recharge those batteries at the Kneipp hydrotherapy area and Aqua Allalin or tuck into some well-deserved Swiss cheese from the local dairy. Then there’s the scenery – up in the Saas Valley, at the base of the highest mountain in Switzerland with sights of 4000m summits, it’s pretty dazzling around here.

Overlooked by the north side of the Eiger, Grindelwald’s the life and soul of the Jungfrau towns. It’s a mix of vintage Swiss and newly built architecture, topped off with sights of the big three – the Monch, Jungfrau and Eiger. If you can drag your eyes away from the mountains, there’s plenty to do, from walking and golf to bungee jumping and Via Ferrata. Kick back and watch the world go by in the evenings (best accompanied by a glass of chilled Valais wine).

Famously the highest town in the Alps as well as one of the ‘classic’ mountain destinations, Davos is the bigger and livelier of the Graubünden resorts. The area is a sight to see in the summer; all sun-drenched gorges, flowering valleys and towering peaks. Hiking is huge here (there are 700km of footpaths in the surrounding area) and you can also enjoy the views by cycling, paragliding or just doing backstroke - there’s nothing like a swim in the Davos Lake. For something different but well worth doing, take a tour around Monstein, the highest brewery in Europe.

Klosters is the smaller and prettier of the two Graubünden villages - and it’s near enough to Davos that you can still make the most of the larger town’s spas and bars. The village has a definite air of ‘country chic’ and its surrounding hills have hundreds of kilometres for walking, cycling and pony trekking (or scooter descents if you’re after something a bit unconventional...). Visit the Madrisa adventure park if you’re here with the clan – it’s the largest of its kind in Switzerland.

On the top edge of Lake Lugano and 8km from the Italian border, Lugano is often called the ‘Monte Carlo of Switzerland’ which gives you a taste of the town. The San Salvatore and Sighignola mountains provide plenty of scope for hiking and the area also has some of Switzerland’s best MTB thanks to the bike park at Tomaro. Zip-lining is also super fun if you have a need for speed... The pace isn’t always set at full throttle – wander down the promenade or around the Piazza Bernardino Luini. The Renaissance fresco at the Madonna degli Angioli church is probably the best known of its kind in Switzerland.