7 Days Switzerland — Alps, Jungfraujoch & Lucerne

Land at Zurich Airport and transfer to the hotel in the Old Town. Evening stroll along Bahnhofstrasse — Europe's most exclusive shopping boulevard — and along the Limmat River. Dinner at a Swiss restaurant: fondue, raclette, and rösti set the tone for the week.

Morning Zurich city tour: Grossmünster cathedral, Fraumünster with Chagall windows, and the Swiss National Museum. Afternoon train to Lucerne (50 min). Walk the 600-year-old Chapel Bridge above the Reuss river, see the Lion Monument carved from a cliff face, and stroll the flower-decked lakefront promenade.

The highlight of the trip. Early morning train from Interlaken up the famous rack railway through the Eiger's North Face to Jungfraujoch (3,454 m) — Europe's highest railway station. Walk the Ice Palace carved inside a glacier, cross the Sphinx Terrace for views of the Aletsch Glacier, and breathe the alpine air before descending via Grindelwald.

Interlaken sits between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, ringed by the Bernese Alps. Morning optional tandem paragliding over the valley (memorable experience, highly recommended). Afternoon boat cruise on Lake Thun past castle-topped shores, and explore Thun's old town and its medieval castle.

Day trip to Grindelwald — the most photogenic mountain village in the Alps beneath the Eiger's north face. Gondola to First (2,168 m) for the thrilling First Cliff Walk, a steel catwalk bolted to the cliff edge with vertiginous drops. Continue to Bachalpsee, a mirror lake with perfect Jungfrau reflections.

Morning excursion to Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen — the Rhine plunges 23 m across 150 m width in a roaring curtain of mist and power. Boat to the central rock in the middle of the falls. Return to Zurich for a farewell dinner and last evening on the illuminated lake.

Final breakfast in Zurich. Transfer to Zurich Airport for your flight home. Carry Swiss chocolate, cheese, a cuckoo clock, and the memory of standing on top of Europe.