Picking a favourite part of Switzerland is like deciding which blade of a Swiss army knife is best: all are integral to the whole, and seemingly if any were missing, the knife just wouldn’t be the same. Together, they comprise the ‘S’ in my all-time ABC favourites list.

For such a small country – at just over 41,000 sq. km it ranks 135th in the world – the range of experience in Switzerland surely ranks near the top. To start with, there are three distinct regions – German, French and Italian – befitting its location at the crossroads of Europe.

At the same time, there are both glaciers and palm trees; the largest lake in central Europe (Lake Geneva) and the second highest mountain (Monte Rosa, shared with Italy); Zurich is one of the world’s prettiest capitals, and sophisticated Geneva a unique international city that is home to the Red Cross and European headquarters for the United Nations. The Alps are the main draw, though in part because one can gaze up them from charming mountainside villages and voluptuous flower-filled valleys.

A year-round destination, the country thrives in winter and boasts some of the world’s top ski resorts, while summer invites active holidaymakers for hiking, cycling and mountain adventures, as well some of the world’s most epic train journeys.

For a taste of the undiscovered (at least by international visitors), there’s tiny Ticino – the southern region which wags describe as just like Italy, only better run. Lakes Maggiore and Lugano and towns like Locarno and Ascona have a Mediterranean feel, but the stone houses and structures outside the cities are unique, neither Latin nor Germanic.

Speaking of taste, need one mention cheese, chocolate and wine? And my kingdom for raclette!

Then there’s that iconic Swiss dish of melted cheese and bread cubes…

l will always remember my first fondue, experienced with a couple of Swiss friends at an intimate restaurant near Fribourg. The bilingual duo brought another couple, who spoke French (and likely German, but not English). We were aligned thus: my fellow high-school-French-at-best- speaking buddy and I at one end, the francophones at the other, and our mutual friends in the middle, dutifully translating across the international divide: from English to French, French to English.

As the evening progressed and both the bilingual conversation and, importantly, wine flowed, I mindlessly murmured something in French. Equally without thought, it was immediately translated into English, quickly replied to in kind, then automatically thrown back to me en Français. It was utterly backwards, but natural and unnoticed until a moment later. We all stopped, thought, realized, and laughed.

It was just so Switzerland.

Honourable mention: Scotland, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Bucket list: Seychelle Islands

Unlike the song, I have not been everywhere, so please don’t wonder why one of your favourites wasn’t one of mine. Instead, tell me at baginski@travelindustrytoday.com. I’m already thinking about my next list.

Stay tuned to future issues for the rest of the list. And for previous entries, click HERE.