Switzerland

Zermatt puts you face-to-face with the Matterhorn, but expect to pay CHF 400+ per night for anything decent. The car-free village runs on electric carts and costs a fortune, but waking up to that pyramid peak makes it worth the splurge. Interlaken sits between two lakes and serves as basecamp for Jungfraujoch adventures. It's touristy but practical, with direct trains to everywhere that matters. For luxury without the altitude sickness, try Montreux on Lake Geneva. The lakefront promenade stretches for miles, and you can actually breathe normally here. Geneva itself works for business travelers, but the city lacks the mountain magic most people come for. Grindelwald offers easier access to hiking trails than Zermatt, plus slightly more reasonable prices. Look, if you want authentic Swiss village life, head to Appenzell in the east — traditional wooden houses, local cheese makers, and tourists who actually speak German instead of just English.