Top Reasons to Go to Berner Oberland

Top of the world: At 11,333 feet, the Jungfraujoch isn't the highest place on the planet, but it certainly feels like it, with the Alps' longest glacier and scores of snow-slathered peaks so close.

Twin peaks: The upwardly mobile head to the adjacent mountaintop villages of Wengen and Mürren to find the Switzerland of cheese, chalet, and chic cliché.

Shangri-la found: Complete with 72 cascading waterfalls (among Europe's highest), the Lauterbrunnen Valley is like a massive version of Yosemite National Park.

Gilded Gstaad: Money attracts money, and there's certainly a lot of it here. Mere mortals can indulge in exquisite meals, skiing, and overnight stays in paradise.

Old Switzerland, in a nutshell: Ballenberg is a delightfully reconstructed Swiss village—à la America's Colonial Williamsburg—with traditional crafts on show.