10 best things to do in Switzerland

From harbor-front Hong Kong glam to old-school European luxury, a just-released list of the best hotels on the planet offers a handy guide to traveling the world in high style – or at least assembling a list of dream accommodations. 

There’s really no wrong time of year to visit Mexico City.

If you sail into British Columbia’s Desolation Sound Marine Park on a slightly smoky afternoon, as I did recently (there were still more than 900 wildfires burning across Canada), make sure you watch out for the huge tides and the weather. B.C.’s largest marine park might have the warmest water north of Baja, but here nature still rules.

Most visitors to Central Switzerland base themselves in Lucerne in order to explore the glorious landscape that surrounds it, but don’t forget to make some time for the city itself.

When it comes to packing light, it's not just the amount of clothing you bring that matters — it's also the materials they're made of.

A slice European, a pinch cosmopolitan New York and fully its own quirky, unique self, Montréal is Canada’s artsiest, coolest city, worth spending days and days exploring.

Switzerland’s largest city may not (yet) draw the crowds of its other Western European counterparts, but it has more than enough of its share of panache to lure travelers and keep them engaged, entertained, and edified. The eminently walkable city, in spite of streets that zig and zag, is also increasingly bike-friendly. To wit: in 2024, Zurich will host Cycle Week, the national biking festival, and serve as the location for the annual Road and Para-Cycling Road World Championships. But you don’t need to ride competitively to enjoy Zurich’s myriad charms—gorgeous waterfront location, historic Old Town, sophisticated shopping, and artsy neighborhoods among them.

I grew up in Ottawa but my dad was raised in Montréal and still had a lot of friends there, so we’d visit all the time while I was growing up. I can still feel the excitement that tingled in my body every time we went. Montréal was, and is, so thrilling, from the language locals speak (French with a distinct Québécois accent) to the roads (the drivers are super aggressive and you can’t turn right on a red) to the overall fun-loving vibe. So as soon as I could, I moved to Montréal at age 17 to attend Concordia University and I’ve spent much of the last 15 years there.

Skiing in the Alps. Swimming in crystal clear lakes. Modern cities with medieval old towns. All that chocolate and cheese.

With its storybook alpine scenery, cultured lakeside cities, and miles of peerless pistes, Switzerland packs a lot into its landlocked borders. We consulted resident experts, from museum curators and musicians to hiking guides and authors, for their insider tips.

Sometimes called "the Paris of North America," Montréal is a captivating city that straddles two worlds: there’s a hint of old Europe, with French accents, Québécois cuisine and cobblestone-lined neighborhoods, but plenty of familiar North American food and shops as well. Montréalers tend to have a soft spot for kids, and families are generally given the royal treatment. 

Enormous California, with its booming economy, bounty of nature, agriculture and vibrant cities could be a country unto itself.