Switzerland | 7 Nights | Zurich | Lucerne | Interlaken

Hedef hakkında: Zurich labours under the misconception that it is nothing more than a sterile banking city – don't believe a word of it. True, Zurich plays home to one of the largest stock exchanges in the world and is the financial motor of Switzerland itself, but step back from the markets and share prices and you'll find an arty, trend-conscious and vibrant city. Just hang in Zurich West for a while. Its former warehouses, viaducts and ship building caverns have been converted into art centres, funky bars and quirky boutiques. Along Langstrasse, the city’s notorious red light district, you’re now as likely to take home a chic handbag crafted by an emerging designer as you are a piece of skirt. Zurich’s character booms from the speakers of the annual Street Parade, a mammoth techno festival that weaves through the city with DJs and minimally-clad dancers on floats. There isn’t a banker’s tie in sight. If there is in the pretty east bank quarter of Niederdorf, it’s loosened. These medieval streets are abuzz with cafés on corners, trendy taprooms and world-class restaurants. It’s easy to while away an afternoon just absorbing its laidback atmosphere, especially in summer when the riverside take on a beach vibe. Winter is special too. Under the spell of snow, the cobbled alleyways, fountains, lakeside promenades and stunning architecture of the Old Town were made for the stroke of an artist’s brush. This is when one of Europe’s best Christmas markets rolls into town and the warming citruses and cinnamons of the glühwein (mulled wine) stalls fill the air. Shoppers will be in their element here at any time of year. Zurich’s flashy side is evident in the upmarket designer boutiques of Bahnhofstrasse, the city’s main shopping drag. But this is no longer a city for the smart set alone; there are plenty of unusual shops to be discovered down hidden streets. Sitting astride the River Limmat and the northern tip of Lake Zurich, Mother Nature certainly smiles down on Switzerland’s biggest city. Architects were courteous in their additions too - just check out the Fraumünster and Grossmünster churches, which face each other across the river. Then, when you’ve had enough of the city’s diverse array of restaurants, first-rate museums and pulsing nightlife, there’s always the nearby Uetliberg mountain or a boat trip on Lake Zurich to enjoy – if only to catch your breath before diving back into the city’s delights again.

Hedef hakkında: Alpler ve Lucerne Gölü'nün fon oluşturduğu büyüleyici ve müreffeh Lucerne muhteşem bir şehirdir. 16. yüzyılın sonlarında gelişen bir sanat türü olan parlak renkli duvar resimleri, dar sokaklarını ve renkli meydanlarını süslüyor. Şehir tekne gezileri ve Rigi Dağı ile Pilatus Dağı'na geziler için idealdir. Nehir boyunca bir yürüyüş, eski şehrin harika bir manzarasını sunar. İki antik köprü nehri geçiyor. Şapel Köprüsü, İsviçre tarihinden sahnelerle dekore edilmiştir ve şehrin simgesi olan Su Kulesi'nin yanından geçmektedir. Daha kısa olan Spreuerbrücke, Kaspar Megliner'in ürkütücü Ölüm Dansı resimleriyle süslenmiştir. Otantik İsviçre duvar resminin tadına bakmak için Altes Rathaus, Belediye Binası ve büyüleyici Weinmarkt ve Hirschenplatz meydanlarında yürüyün. Lucerne'nin bir düzine kadar kilisesine ve üç dağa, Pilatus, Rigi ve Titlus'a kuşbakışı bir görünüm için, çok sayıda kulesi olan ortaçağ surlarına tırmanın. Versailles'ın İsviçreli paralı askerlerine adanmış bir kayanın yüzüne oyulmuş devasa bir aslan heykeli olan Das Löwendenkmal'ı kaçırmayın. Mark Twain onu "dünyanın en hüzünlü ve en merhametli kaya parçası" olarak adlandırdı. Altes Rathaus'un yanındaki Am Rhyn Haus'ta geç dönem Picasso eserlerinden oluşan ilginç bir koleksiyon görebilirsiniz. Sakin göl ve nefes kesen karla kaplı dağların birleşimi, Lucerne'ye özel bir çekicilik katıyor ve bu, ortaçağdan kalma eski şehir, ünlü ahşap köprüler ve güzel ufuk çizgisiyle daha da artıyor.

Hedef hakkında: Interlaken, İsviçre'nin Bern kantonunda bulunan bir kasaba ve belediyedir. İsviçre Alpleri'nin Bernese Oberland bölgesinde önemli ve tanınmış bir turistik destinasyondur ve bu bölgenin dağlarına ve göllerine giden ana ulaşım kapısıdır. Kasaba, Thun Gölü ve Brienz Gölü arasında, iki göl arasında akan Aare nehri boyunca Bödeli üzerinde yer almaktadır. ANA TURİSTİK ATRAKSİYONLAR • Höheweg, Interlaken West ve Interlaken Ost Demiryolu İstasyonları arasında uzanan Interlaken'ın ana caddesidir. ""Japon Bahçesi"", 150 yıllık Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel'e bir göz atın ve ""Höheweg""den ünlü karla kaplı Jungfrau dağının güzel manzarasını kaçırmayın. • Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn, Interlaken'ın üzerinde, Bernese Alpleri'nde bulunan bir buzulla kaplı UNESCO Dünya Mirası Alanıdır. • Unterseen. Unterseen, Interlaken West tren istasyonunun yakınında küçük bir eski kasabadır.

Hedef hakkında: Zurich labours under the misconception that it is nothing more than a sterile banking city – don't believe a word of it. True, Zurich plays home to one of the largest stock exchanges in the world and is the financial motor of Switzerland itself, but step back from the markets and share prices and you'll find an arty, trend-conscious and vibrant city. Just hang in Zurich West for a while. Its former warehouses, viaducts and ship building caverns have been converted into art centres, funky bars and quirky boutiques. Along Langstrasse, the city’s notorious red light district, you’re now as likely to take home a chic handbag crafted by an emerging designer as you are a piece of skirt. Zurich’s character booms from the speakers of the annual Street Parade, a mammoth techno festival that weaves through the city with DJs and minimally-clad dancers on floats. There isn’t a banker’s tie in sight. If there is in the pretty east bank quarter of Niederdorf, it’s loosened. These medieval streets are abuzz with cafés on corners, trendy taprooms and world-class restaurants. It’s easy to while away an afternoon just absorbing its laidback atmosphere, especially in summer when the riverside take on a beach vibe. Winter is special too. Under the spell of snow, the cobbled alleyways, fountains, lakeside promenades and stunning architecture of the Old Town were made for the stroke of an artist’s brush. This is when one of Europe’s best Christmas markets rolls into town and the warming citruses and cinnamons of the glühwein (mulled wine) stalls fill the air. Shoppers will be in their element here at any time of year. Zurich’s flashy side is evident in the upmarket designer boutiques of Bahnhofstrasse, the city’s main shopping drag. But this is no longer a city for the smart set alone; there are plenty of unusual shops to be discovered down hidden streets. Sitting astride the River Limmat and the northern tip of Lake Zurich, Mother Nature certainly smiles down on Switzerland’s biggest city. Architects were courteous in their additions too - just check out the Fraumünster and Grossmünster churches, which face each other across the river. Then, when you’ve had enough of the city’s diverse array of restaurants, first-rate museums and pulsing nightlife, there’s always the nearby Uetliberg mountain or a boat trip on Lake Zurich to enjoy – if only to catch your breath before diving back into the city’s delights again.