SWITZERLAND & AUSTRIA SWISS LAKES DESTINATIONS


hocolate, cheese, watches: Switzerland is positively brimming with goodies, and its riches are no less abundant on the lakes front. Several thousand of these beauty spots are scattered among the country’s snow-capped peaks and alpine villages, offering eye-popping patches of blue alongside a wealth of activities. “A holiday beside a Swiss lake


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offers relaxing cruises along the water and the opportunity to stop off at charming villages,” says Alan Croft, commercial director at the Swiss Holiday Company. “In the lakeside resorts, visitors can swim in one of the lidos, which often have a small


beach, or take a stroll along a lakeside promenade.” Shearings says its bookings to


Switzerland have risen 16% year on year, so now’s a good time to get selling with help from our guide to lakes for every client.


w LAKE GENEVA It would be sacrilege to talk about the Swiss waters without giving the sprawling Lake Geneva its dues. Set in the southwest corner on the border with France, it’s the country’s biggest lake and the largest in central Europe. Rowing, paddleboarding, sailing and diving are all possible here, while the town of Montreux, set on its shores, offers its own


treasures – a two-week jazz festival every July, the historic, fairytale-esque castle of Chillon, and several museums including waxwork attraction Chaplin’s World and music hub Mountain Studios, where Queen, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones and other music legends all recorded hits. There are plenty of add-on,


commission-boosting excursions available here too. Thomson Lakes & Mountains offers a trip on the Belle Epoque-style ‘chocolate train’, which takes passengers to the Cailler-Nestlé factory – where the world’s first chocolate bar was made – via the medieval, cheese-tastic


town of Gruyère (from £37). Or for active types suggest a trip over to the 2,000-metre-high Rochers de Naye mountain, which offers picturesque gardens and postcard views over the Eiger and Mont Blanc peaks (from £25). Classic Collection Holidays,


meanwhile, recommends the Unesco-listed Lavaux vineyards for a tipple or two – especially in September, when the region hosts a festival celebrating all things wine. Elsewhere on the shore lies the


medieval, hilly city of Lausanne, worth suggesting to history fans with its picturesque old town and 12th-century Gothic cathedral. The region isn’t short on


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PICTURE: SHUTTERSTOCK


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