Switzerland is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It has borders with France to the west, Italy to the south, Austria and Liechtenstein to the east and Germany to the north.

The climate is temperate, but varies with altitude. Switzerland has cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters and cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers.

Switzerland is known for its mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) but it also has a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes. The highest point is Dufourspitze at 4,634 m while Lake Maggiore is only 195 m above sea level.

Switzerland has many cities worthy of a visit. These include: Zurich (Switzerland's biggest city and a major center of banking also has a thriving nightlife), Geneva (the second-largest city in Switzerland, is by far the international capital), Berne (the Swiss capital features an amazingly well preserved old-town with arcades along almost every street), Basel (slightly smaller than Geneva, Switzerland's third city is the traveller's gateway to the German Rhineland and Alsace), Lausanne (known for its scenery, dining, dancing, boating and Swiss wine), Lugano (Italian-speaking Switzerland's top destination, with a gorgeous old-town and a pretty lake), Lucerne (central Switzerland's main city with direct water links to all of the early Swiss historic sights).

Trains arrive from all parts of Europe. Switzerland is together with Germany one of the most central-lying countries in Europe, making it a center of railways and highways to the rest of Europe. Common tourist destinations within Switzerland are easily reachable by car, e.g. Geneva from central eastern France, and Zurich from southern Germany.

Switzerland is famous for a few key goods:

Watches - Switzerland is the watch-making capital of the world, and "Swiss Made" on a watch face has long been a mark of quality.

Chocolate - Switzerland may always have a rivalry with Belgium for the world's best chocolate, but there's no doubting that the Swiss variety is amazingly good. Switzerland is also home to the huge Nestlé food company.

Cheese - Many different regions of Switzerland have their own regional cheese speciality. Of these, the most well-known are Gruyère and Emmentaler.

Swiss Army knives - Switzerland is the official home of the Swiss Army Knife. There are two brands Victorinox and Wenger. Both brands are manufactured by Victorinox.

Ski and tourist areas will sell the other kinds of touristy items - cowbells, clothing embroidered with white Edelweiss flowers, and Heidi-related stuff. Swiss people love cows in all shapes and sizes, and you can find cow-related goods everywhere, from stuffed toy cows to fake cow-hide jackets.

Switzerland has a long tradition of winter sport tourism. St. Moritz is usually refered as one of the first winter resort in the world (1864). It is Chic and famous for its ambiance, and is situated next to Engadine's lakescape at 1,856 meters above sea level. The bubbly "champagne atmosphere" is as legendary as the St. Moritz sun, which shines on an average of 322 days a year!

Switzerland offers a great choice of ski resorts, from the small village to the large station. Most of Switzerland's ski resorts are surrounded by impressive landscapes such as large ice fields and high mountains (48 four-thousanders are located in the swiss Alps). Almost all winter resorts in Switzerland are frequented in summer by hikers, alpinists and tourists due to the many natural wonders and facilities.

Usually, Switzerland ski resorts are original mountain villages that have retained some of their charm, even if they have grown much larger with the development of tourism. Some villages in Bernese Highlands or in Valais are themselves considered as tourist attractions.