Scenic trains, lakeside grand hotels, Alpine villages and family journeys at an easy pace, planned by a Certified Swiss Travel Expert who lived in Switzerland for a decade and still speaks the language.
I am a naturalized Swiss citizen and lived in Switzerland for a decade, in Zurich and Basel, where I raised my daughters. I speak German and Swiss German, so I talk with hotel managers, chefs and guides in their own language.
In Basel I worked at Chez Donati, my father-in-law’s celebrated restaurant and a favorite of artists during Art Basel. That is where I learned the quiet, discreet service that luxury travelers expect.
Today I am a Certified Swiss Travel Expert, and I was quoted in Forbes on multimodal travel in Switzerland: trains, boats and mountain railways in one seamless journey.
Before I design a journey, I begin with the feeling of a place. My Switzerland Journal holds my reflections, favorite moments and the details that keep drawing me back.
Switzerland is one of the few places where extraordinary scenery and effortless logistics go hand in hand. Trains meet boats, boats meet mountain railways, and your luggage can travel ahead without you.
Zurich and Lucerne. Lakeside grand hotels, old towns and galleries, and the easiest start to any Swiss journey.
The Bernese Oberland. Interlaken, Grindelwald, Wengen and Mürren, with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau above you.
Zermatt and the Valais. A car-free village beneath the Matterhorn, mountain dining, and some of the finest skiing and hiking in the Alps.
St. Moritz and the Engadin. Glamour in winter, wildflowers and lakes in summer, and the start of the Bernina Express to Italy.
Lake Geneva. Geneva, Lausanne and Montreux, with the UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyards terraced above the water.
Ticino. Italian-speaking Switzerland: palm trees in Lugano and Locarno, and Lake Maggiore continuing south into Italy.
Basel. Art, architecture and Art Basel, minutes from Alsace and Germany’s Black Forest.
The scenic trains. The Glacier Express, the Bernina Express and the GoldenPass, planned with the right seats, the right direction and time to stop along the way.
A suite above a lake, a private boat across it, fondue by the fire in a car-free village, and the Glacier Express with a glass of Swiss wine. Switzerland is made for honeymoons and milestone trips.
Short, beautiful train rides, cable cars, lake swims, dairy farms and gentle hikes, with family suites and a pace that leaves room for everyone. I raised my daughters there, and I know what children love.
Hotels with connecting rooms, trains instead of long drives, walks for every level and luggage sent ahead, so grandparents and grandchildren share the same views in comfort.
Tell me how you hope to travel, and I will design a Switzerland journey around you: the right valley, the right train, the right season and the right pace.