Switzerland - Heart of the Highlands

- Barbara Radcliffe Rogers

With all its banking and commercial reputation, it’s some-times hard to remember Zürich is also an exciting city for tourists. The Old Town poises above the wide Limmat River as it flows from Lake Zürich, and views of the city’s sleek skyline are backed by snow-covered Alps.

Contemporary concrete and glass buildings mix easily with medieval half-timbered and gilded Renaissance façades, and visitors can explore vertiginous winding lanes only steps from broad boulevards. The contrasts between old and new are everywhere.

Those snow-capped mountains that decorate the city skyline lie less than a two-hour train ride away in a region known as the Bernese Oberland. Here craggy peaks rise above cozy Alpine villages, green meadows dotted with grazing Swiss cows, deep-cut valleys and clear Alpine lakes fed by melting glaciers. It’s the idyllic image of Switzerland come to life.

Zürich is well-arranged to explore on foot, with major sights close together and interesting routes between them. Find the best view of Zürich’s Old Town from the terrace of tree-shaded Lindenhof, site of the Romans’ fortified settlement. Across the river in the warren of narrow streets that climb the hillside stand Renaissance mansions, guild houses and medieval towers. Haus zum Napt, on the Napfgasse, now houses a museum, its elegant interior furnished in Renaissance style. After browsing in the antique shops and boutiques, stop on Spiegelgasse for coffee in atmospheric Cabaret