EDGE San Francisco

Gstaad, the idyllic ski-centric village in southwest Switzerland, welcomes its first 5-star property in more than a century. The Alpina Gstaad represents class Swiss design tradition combined with a modern aesthetic.

A certain kind of traveler’s bucket list may include in-flight indiscretions and wayward glances, but the mile-high club that I’ve been dreaming about involves a flatbed seat and real silverware.

The 14-day Springtime in the Alps tour features five scenic rail excursions-the Bernina Express, Glacier Express, Voralpen Express, GoldenPass Panoramic Express, and Europe’s highest open-air cog railway.

The dramatic slide in sales of Emmental, popularly known as "Swiss cheese" in North America, is caused by the strength of the Swiss franc, a financial phenomenon that is driving down profits in sectors across all of export-driven Switzerland.

The wealthiest city in Europe, Zurich has been designated the city with the best quality of life in the world - for seven years in a row. A world leader in climate control, Zurich is also a city where a plurality of citizens profess no faith or religion.

The airport is in France - but your ticket says Switzerland - and the official language is German. Carmen Sandiego, where are we now? Located on the river Rhine, where the borders of Switzerland, France, and Germany meet, Basel is a nexus of culture.

Switzerland is a country roughly the size of the state of Maryland, with a population less than New York City - and yet, what an inordinate amount of influence this one country has had on European and global culture.

Consistently ranked among the world’s top ten cities for quality of life, Bern, the capital of Switzerland, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for its medieval Old Town, built in 1191 - and in springtime, few places are as beautiful.

Gazing out at Lake Geneva (Lake Leman to the locals), you might think you have died and gone to heaven. The pristine water matches the azure skies, interrupted only by reflections of Mont Blanc and other examples of Nature’s wonder.

Swiss lawmakers on Thursday gave final approval to a treaty with the United States that will hand Washington thousands of files on suspected tax cheats, agreeing to drop plans to allow a referendum on the issue.