They don’t come more handsome than Luzern, perched high between the snow-mantled peaks of the Swiss Alps, clinging to the deep blue, mirror-like waters of its eponymous lake and crowded by Alpine meadows of fresh fir and fragrant pine. Not a wonder that Luzern tour guides point to cable car rides to Mt Pilatus and ferry jaunts on the lake as the first order of sightseeing in this veritable Venice of the hills.

The town itself is famed for its criss-crossing web of medieval bridges, found concealed all around the chocolate box of half-timbered, neatly painted homes at the Altstadt (Old Town) district on the edge of the Reuss. The most famous is the jagged Chapel Bridge, weaving past the lichen-studded remains of a defensive keep—a remnant of when this altitudinous town defied the Habsburgs for its independence. But let’s not forget that this is Switzerland, which of course means an indelible air of refinement runs through this manicured city too. Visitors should make their way to the Rosengart Collection, where Cézanne rubs shoulders with Picasso, while haute French fare mingles with handmade schnitzels in fine-dining joints all along the riverside.