Switzerland: the land of ski towns and adrenaline pumping activities, right?
Actually, Switzerland is the perfect place to travel slow and Rough Guides has some ideas for how to create the perfect itinerary that combines all the necessary accoutrements required for a slow, relaxing vacation.
First, head to Lucerne.
"If your ideal holiday is filled with lake cruises, gentle hikes and long, leisurely lunches where you can measure the cow-to-table distance of your cheese plate in meters, then you'll be enchanted by Lucerne and the surrounding lake region. Here's how to have a perfect slow travel escape," writes Alice Park for Rough Guides.
Start your trip in the Old Town.
"Sketch a pretty central European city in your mind and you might just imagine Lucerne, with its medieval covered bridges spanning the rushing waters of the River Reuss, baroque churches, old-town squares and elaborately frescoed facades that recount the town's history in images," says Park.
Taking a cruise on Lake Lucerne - one of the most beautiful lakes in the country - gives travelers an idea of its unique landscape.
"The only way to get a sense of its shape and the drama of the scenery is from a boat," writes Park. "Five majestic vintage paddle steamers, dating from the early 1900s, sedately tour the lake and its villages."
Another way to take in the scenery is riding on the cog-railway - it's the steepest in the world.
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"When Queen Victoria made the journey here she was carried on mule-back, but in 1889 they built an eye-wateringly steep cog-railway, which hits 48-degrees at its steepest, to take travellers up to the top. From here, the views over the lake towards the mountains of the Bernese Oberland are stupendous," says Park.
Of course, myriad other activities await, including hiking, swimming and eating and if you want to learn more, Rough Guides has the details.
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