Planning Your Time

This is the more tranquil slice of Switzerland; a great place to enjoy the scenery while tooling down back roads or gazing out the train window at the cow-dotted meadows on the way to the next quaint town. Take along a stack of books to read on the hotel balcony or a picnic lunch for your stop in a field en route. In winter, pick a ski resort or a large town such as Schaffhausen or St. Gallen as your home base—unless you're looking for complete, peaceful seclusion. In summer, swimming, kayaking, hiking, and cycling opportunities abound near the Rhine and the Bodensee, so pack a bathing suit and your cycling shorts, and take a leisurely lunch-boat ride.