Switzerland: A paradise with many faces

Switzerland, a neighbour we know well? Not so sure. You can travel to Switzerland in winter or summer and never see the same destination. Depending on the season, this country really does present different faces. Although we don't hear much about this quiet country, it remains a destination of choice in winter for wealthy skiers and in summer offers a change of scenery in the heart of the mountains.

As the birthplace of the Red Cross and home to numerous international organisations, including the second largest office of the United Nations, Switzerland, traditionally politically and militarily neutral, has often distinguished itself in the development of peace processes around the world.

This geopolitical characteristic is important to bear in mind when visiting Switzerland, as it plays an important role in the Swiss mindset. It is around these values that the Swiss nation is cemented. Indeed, with 4 culturally and linguistically different regions (in Switzerland, there are 4 national languages. Three of them are official: German, French and Italian, while the fourth, Romansh, is only partially official), it cannot be said that the foundation of the Swiss nation is based on an ethnic, cultural and linguistic identity.

To find your way around and make sure you're speaking the right language in the right place, you need to know that German is the most widely spoken language, with 17 of the 26 cantons having only German as their official language. Well, only in German... we're actually more in the presence of Swiss German dialects, which are widely used, even in the towns. So in the north and centre, we have German.

Throughout the western part of the country, known as French-speaking Switzerland, French and its "derivatives" have pride of place. In the cantons of Geneva, Jura, Neufchâtel and Vaud, it is even the only language. To improve your Italian in Switzerland, head south to the canton of Ticino and the Italian-speaking part of the canton of Graubünden.

Practitioners of Romansh, Switzerland's 4th national language but with a different status to German, French and Italian, will have around 60,000 people to talk to in the canton of Graubünden alone.

This linguistic geography should not, however, be an obstacle to discovering the whole of Switzerland and its unique landscapes. With the exception of the Rhine and Rhône plains, Switzerland has a particularly marked relief throughout its territory. Between the hills of the Plateau and the Jura (rising between 1,000 and 1,600 metres) and the Alpine peaks (between 2,000 and 4,600 metres), mountain hikers should not be disappointed. But if you want to enjoy the high mountains to the full, the cantons of Bern, Valais and Graubünden are the best places to discover the main mountain ranges and peaks above 4,000 metres).