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We have just had a fantastic summer holiday in Switzerland.
The Swiss Pass issued by the Swiss Travel System is a great way to see the country. The pass covers travel by Swiss railways, buses, cable cars and lake steamers.
We flew into Geneva and took the train to Montreux for a couple of nights. The Montreux International Jazz Festival was in full swing and the atmosphere was fantastic. The lake steamers criss cross the lake calling at Evian, Lausanne and several smaller villages on the lake. The Chateau de Chillon (a short boat trip from Montreux) is not to be missed. The site has been occupied since the Bronze Age with the oldest written mention of the castle dating from 1150. The Chateau's beautiful situation has been the inspiration for works by Lord Byron, Victor Hugo and Rousseau.
A wonderful journey on the Golden Pass Panoramic express took us to Interlaken in the Bernese Oberland. This is one of the great railway journeys where you not only travel in great comfort but enjoy the most wonderful views of rural Switzerland.
Interlaken is an ideal centre for hiking, climbing, paragliding or just travelling by train to the surrounding alpine villages. The trip to the Jungfraujoch gives spectacular views of the Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger and the longest glacier in the Alps. The Schilthorn (accessed via Murren) has a panoramic restaurant which revolves at the rate of a complete turn every 55 minutes. This amazing location was featured in the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Also easily accessible from Interlaken is the Swiss open air museum at Ballenberg. Set in a beautiful wooded valley with views of the surrounding mountains and waterfalls the museum covers an area of 200 acres. Genuine examples of regional architecture have been transported and reassembled on site along with original furniture and artefacts. This is a great place for children as there are Swiss farm animals and daily demonstrations of Swiss crafts plus a Blacksmith and Alpine dairy. We spent 6 hours exploring and still didn't manage to see everything.
The weather isn't always perfect so near the mountains but it is easy to visit Bern and even Lucerne for the day from Interlaken.
One rainy day we took the train to Bern. The medieval town has miles of arcaded shopping streets, beautiful squares and an amazing clock tower called the Zeitglockenturm. There has been a bear pit in Bern for centuries. There is only one bear there now (Pedro age 27) but you can feed him with fruit bought from a small kiosk. Bern is a great place for museums which are all close together just over the river. The Einstein museum gives an interesting insight into the life and times of the famous physicist.
All in all Interlaken is a great place to spend a week for all sorts of holidaymakers.
On the way back to Geneva we spent 3 nights in Vevey back on the shores of Lake Geneva. Vevey feels much more like an old French village than sophisticated Montreux. Saturday is a good day to visit as there is a traditional market and wine tasting of local wines. You buy a glass and then go back as many times as you like to sample the wines of the region. There is a traditional Swiss band complete with Alphorns and a local baker selling delicious cheese tarts and bread. Great atmosphere!

Switzerland has something for everyone and it is true that the trains run precisely to time which makes getting around by public transport very easy.
I visited Switzerland a few years ago and it was quite expensive. This time we found that the cost of eating out was about the same as in Britain but the quality was much higher.
If you buy a Swiss Pass in advance it does mean that virtually all your transport costs are covered before you travel. Also if an adult has a Swiss Pass children under 16 travel free which is great for families.

To conclude we all had a great time and can't wait to go back to do all the things we didn't have time for on this holiday.