Explore the Swiss Alps

Explore the Swiss Alps with Globus

By: Globus

Switzerland is small in area, about a third the size of New England, but it is grand in stature, the tallest country in Europe. Sixty percent of the land is mountainous.

The Swiss Alps sweep across the country from the eastern borders of Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein and Italy in the south, to the hills above Provence in southern France, in an imposing meringue of stiff peaks formed of rock, ice and snow, perched like a scoop of ice cream on the cone of northern Italy. Du Four Peak is the highest mountain in Switzerland (15,634 feet), just a bit shorter than Mont Blanc (15,774), which rests along the French, Italian and Swiss borders. The watershed flows west from the run off of St. Gotthard Massif Alpine Range in the west central area of Switzerland, becoming the source of both the mighty Rhine and Rhone Rivers.

The Alps may be high and imposing, but they are also porous. For thousands of years they’ve allowed travelers, traders, armies, and in Hannibal’s case, elephants, passage through central Europe. Today there is even a 14-day ski excursion that hundreds engage in every year, crossing the Alps from France all the way to St. Moritz and Zermatt near the eastern border of Austria.

The Alps are the defining image of Switzerland and are spectacularly awe-inspiring. They can be frightening close up, depending on weather, but heartbreakingly beautiful when admired at a distance from alpine meadows, villages, towns, cities and on the roads or rails through this magnificent country, the roof of Europe.

Destinations aren’t just places on a map. They’re the backdrop for some of the most fascinating stories in history. Experience the Swiss Alps with Globus and The Little Travel Consultant!