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Take in the best of spring with a trip on a Japanese bullet train or a vintage railcar in England.

Whether you’re new to the scene or know the difference between alpine styles, we’ll give you the rundown of après-ski subtleties around the world.

From off-piste skiing to a scenic train ride called “the window to the Swiss Alps,” these are the best ways to experience the season in the Playground of Europe.

What it’s like basking in the beauty of the Jungfrau Region and Interlaken, according to one inveterate AFAR traveler.

From the Shire to Rivendell to the Misty Mountains, many locations in “The Lord of the Rings” were inspired by real landscapes.

Immerse yourself in medieval history or retreat to a mountaintop.

Make your next trip one for the books when you go on an over-the-top tour of Switzerland’s charming small cities, filled with delicious dining, scenic wonder, and plenty of train travel.

AFAR’s first-ever Travel Happiness survey asked: What is your happiest travel memory? We read about surrendering to a storm in Honduras, a photo shoot with orangutans, a family dinner in 14th-century French châteaus—and a parade of corgis.

Take in the great outdoors from a window seat on these train trips.

If your experiences traveling by rail are limited to crowded commuter trains, you’re missing out on one of the world’s most leisurely modes of transportation in one of its most beautiful countries.

While many walked through the streets of the small town, I decided to head along the river and came across this beautiful view of Lake Brienz.

The Swiss know service. Whether you’re on business at Le Kempinski Lake Geneva or at play and staying at Cervo Mountain Boutique Resort in Zermatt, you’ll find outstanding food, pampering spas and super friendly staff. Nira Alpina hotel is renowned for its fantastic chef while Victoria-Jungfrau Grand Hotel & Spa in Interlaken is a haven for sybarites in search of serious spa time. The Dolder Grand in Zurich looks like a fairy tale castle and boasts a museum-worthy art collection.

Switzerland’s mountains are the cornerstone of its beauty, and a great way to take in scenery is by train. The GoldenPass panoramic line allows passengers to gaze through its huge glass windows at the sprawling Alps. The route heads through Montreux, Zweisimmen, Interlaken, and Lucerne, and early reservations can be made for VIP seats alongside the driver. Farther up in the Alps is situated one of the highest train lines in the country. The Bernina Express tour spirals its way through the mountains, nose-dives through tunnels, and shoots along bridges, passing glaciers and quaint villages with the highlight being a UNESCO World Heritage site between Thusis and Tirano.

From the Lauterbrunnen Valley south of Interlaken, you can take a series of cable cars up to the peak of the Schilthorn, across from the Jungfrau massif in the Bernese Alps. Silent, effortless, costly, and worth every Swiss Franc, you float up past cliffs, villages, chalets, tinkling-bell-clad cows, and finally, up into the clouds. At the 2,970 m (9,744 ft) summit, a revolving restaurant commands views of the Berner Oberland. Instead of taking the cable car back down, I hiked—from being on top of the world back down into grass, back down to the cows, descending to tree line, and finally, into the cluster of chalets that make up the village of Mürren.

The Jungfrau is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the southern canton of Bern and the northern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. It’s the perfect place for the quintessential Swiss experience. The cows are actually moving their heads just to hear the bells ring. So many people take pictures of them, they must feel like movie stars. :)