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This cherry-red, roller-coaster-like funicular train located in Canton Bern is a destination unto itself. It’s not only the steepest funicular in Europe, with a top gradient of 106 percent (that is, at an angle of 47 degrees), but it’s also one of the oldest, having been constructed in 1926 to transport engineers to a hydroelectric dam. (It only opened to the public in 2001.) The open-air cars add to the thrill of ascending 3,373 feet to reach an altitude of 6,069 feet.

Swiss contemporary artist Pipilotti Rist’s site-specific permanent installation piece, commissioned by the local bank, takes over an entire city plaza in her hometown. The plaza is draped in red carpet and paint, creating a space that’s an absurd take on the VIP concept. It’s fitting, then, that the “City Lounge” is located in the center of St. Gall’s financial hub of Bleicheli. It gives the illusion of spilling between the alleyways and seeping around corners, covering everything in its path, including fountains, benches, and even a sculpted Porsche. She worked with artist-architect Carlos Martinez to create the site in 2005, which was restored in recent years.

Forty miles from Zurich in the heart of central Switzerland, the Axenstrasse is a historic motorway that’s so achingly scenic it might even cure your vertigo. It winds for seven miles around the base of the Uri Alps hugging the verdant ridge of turquoise Lake Uri (a branch of the four-fingered Vierwaldstätter See—Four Forested Cantons Lake—more familiar to most tourists as Lake Lucerne). It occasionally careens through century-old mountain tunnels and past painted bell towers and Roman-era viaducts scattered around the region’s Alpine villages, where the legendary folk hero William Tell is supposed to have come from. There are numerous picnic areas along the older sections of the Axenstrasse, and the entire stretch of lake is swimmable in the summer. Hikers can find a variety of trails along the road that can take them to higher altitudes, where they can spot ibex, chamois, alpine orchids, purple gentian, and acrobatic alpine choughs, riding the thermals of the warm foehn winds, said by locals to cause madness.

Lucerne is no stranger to mass tourism: The otherwise lovely medieval city swells each summer with list-checking visitors en route to central Switzerland’s famed Pilatus and Titlis mountains. Surprisingly, few of them make the 15-minute trek from the train station to this gorgeous 19th-century badi (open-air swimming area) on the Lucerne National Quay, overlooking the clear blue waters of what the locals call the Vierwaldstätter See (aka Lake Lucerne). The entire facility was meticulously restored in 2010 and remains a favorite of residents for its excellent views of brooding, multi-horned Mount Pilatus, Jean Nouvel’s lakeside KKL performance hall, and Santiago Calatrava’s Lucerne Station Hall—and all without the hassle of tourists.

The 66-square-mile Swiss National Park is a completely unmanaged natural area that was founded in 1914, the first national park in the Alps and a rare undeveloped location in the Swiss German–speaking part of Switzerland—a corner of the world better known for ski resorts than nature reserves. Its ungroomed hiking trails offer opportunities to encounter Alpine wildlife like marmot, ibex, chamois, northern hares, and lizards, not to mention innumerable birds and wildflowers (many of which are sadly endangered and on IUCN’s Red List). Biologists here are doing some of Europe’s most important conservation and research work to help better understand Alpine flora and fauna that have experienced only minimal interaction with humans.

For those seeking the thrill of paragliding at a much lower altitude, the Grindelwald ZipRider (known locally as the First Fleiger) provides the desired adrenaline rush. At 847 yards long, the zip-line hurtles visitors down the mountainside and over ski runs at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour. The attraction gets incredibly busy during the summer so arrive early to avoid long lines—dash, and don’t forget your camera. The views of Grindelwald village, surrounded by Alpine mountains and wandering cows, are unforgettable.

Expect to be transported back to medieval times during your visit to Château de Chillon. More than 1,000 years old, the beguiling castle has inspired many poetic greats, none more so than Lord Byron, whose poem The Prisoner of Chillon was based on François Bonivard’s imprisonment. Travel across Lake Geneva on a paddle steam boat to arrive at the castle and note that the Rivera Pass, offered by most hotels, grants you half-price admission. Once inside, pick up an audio guide (available in English) and explore everything from cobblestone courtyards and eerie dungeons to secret passageways and castle walls.

First opened as a public park in 1913, Bern’s Rose Garden now features 223 varieties of roses, 200 varieties of irises, and 28 varieties of rhododendrons. The park, perched at the top of a hill overlooking the Old Town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its entirety), also has a lovely casual restaurant and a fabulous European playground for children, complete with wooden play structures right out of a design museum. Given that one-third of the city is comprised of public parks and woods, it’s no surprise how wonderful this spot is for wiling away a few hours.

Nestled in scenic parkland near the northern section of Lago Maggiore, Giardino Ascona is an intimate retreat. The hotel’s 72 rooms and suites are spacious and decorated with chic, modern furnishings set against bright, breezy color schemes. Balconies or terraces offer great views of a water-lily-filled pond and the nearby Ticino Mountains., and all rooms include conveniences such as minibars, flat-screen TVs, and DVD players. Bathrooms come with Dipiù cosmetics as well as bathrobes and slippers. As gorgeous as the rooms are, you may find yourself outside most of the time, sunning by the pool, getting pampered in the spa, or exploring the olive and lemon trees of the Mediterranean-style garden. There are also two excellent restaurants, one with two Michelin stars, and frequent wine degustations in the wine cellar.

As with many things in Zurich, it took an Auslander (foreigner) to raise the bar on local gastro cuisine. Run by Australian chef Fabian Spiquel, arguably the city’s most creative, this splurgeworthy eatery is located in the Hasidic Jewish neighborhood of Manesseplatz. It was awarded its first Michelin star in 2014 and a second in 2016. Inside, whitewashed brick walls and hanging lighthouse lanterns lend the space a contemporary urban feel and offer a refreshing change of pace—many Swiss restaurants are overly refurbished or fastidiously “cozy” with weathered wood and stained glass. Typical dishes on the gastro menu include sliced duck with pumpkin, beef tartare with jalapeño oil, and morels with wildflowers. Given the restaurant’s emphasis on fresh produce, the seasonal vegetarian tasting menu is always a standout.

Delish Fine Foods, which is just south of Burnie, knows its fromage. Kurt Wyss, a master cheese maker from Switzerland, owns the shop with his wife, Ann. Pick up some of their favorite Tasmanian and international delicacies along with gourmet chutneys, top Tasmanian wines and a selection of housewares and books.

It is also a cafe and gourmet deli serving globally-inspired breakfast and lunch dishes every day until 2:30pm. Swing by for tasty dishes like their Turkish breakfast or chunky French Toast in the morning. Come lunch time, order up the chicken curry or Mexican fritters for a more filling meal.

Hiking the French Valley is part of the W-trek through Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park. It’s about 16 mi round-trip from Refugio Paine Grande to the French Valley Mirador, to see the French Glacier and the Paine Massif as close as you can get. The trail is diverse and only reaches a steep height at the last 5.5 km on the way there. You begin at Lago Pehoe and take grassy paths through the forested valley, on an terrain that the locals call “Patagonia flat,” i.e. an undulating up and down of several feet. On the way you’ll see tiny magenta--and edible--berries that taste just like apples; you’ll cross small glacial streams where you can fill up your water bottle with fresh, wild water. You’ll trek right by the Cuernos, or the “Horns,” another well-known set of peaks in Torres del Paine. Over the French River you go as you get deeper into the valley, over wobbly rope bridges. The final 5.5 km to the French Valley Mirador has you balancing on thousands of loose boulders on your way up. The very top of the trek feels like being in the middle of a Patagonian fishbowl: Paine Massif to your left, French Glacier in front, the Aleta de Tiburon (the Shark’s Fin) and the Cuernos to the right, and turquoise Lago Pehoe behind you.

This week on Travel Tales by Afar, author Bonnie Tsui, swims like a local through the currents of Swiss life and culture.