By air: Internal flights are of little interest to most visitors, owing to Switzerland's compact size and excellent rail transport. However, Swiss International Air Lines (www.swiss.com) does serve all major hubs, such as EuroAirport, Geneva and Zürich airports. Return fares start from about Sfr250.

Some mountain resorts have helicopter operators offering flights around the Alps. There are also scenic Zeppelin airship rides over Lakes Lucerne and Constance.

By rail: The Swiss rail network combines state-run and private operations. The Swiss Federal Railway (www.rail.ch, www.sbb.ch/en) is abbreviated to SBB in German, CFF in French and FFS in Italian. All major train stations are connected to each other by hourly departures, which are normally between 6am and midnight.

Long-distance trains usually have a dining car. Smoking is banned on all trains and train stations.

By road: If you're deciding whether to travel by car or motorcycle, you should consider the effect your exhaust emissions will have on the Alpine environment. You might also find it frustrating to have to concentrate on the road while magnificent scenery unfolds all around. Public transport is excellent in city centres, where parking can make cars an inconvenience.

Buses: Yellow 'postal buses' (Postbus in German, Car Postal in French, Auto Postale in Italian) supplement the rail network, following postal routes and linking towns to the more inaccessible mountain regions. They are extremely regular, and departures tie in with train arrivals. Bus stations are invariably next to train stations. Travel is one class only.

For a flat fee of Sfr12, your luggage can be sent on ahead to a post office and picked up later - especially useful for hikers relying on the postal bus network.

For those schlepping home late from a club or rushing to make a red-eye flight, there are several Nightbuses (0900 100 201; mct.sbb.ch/mct/nightbird in German & French) on weekends.

Car-hire: Car rental is expensive, especially if hiring from a multinational firm. It's cheaper to book ahead from your own country, but you're still looking at Sfr350 to Sfr500 per week. The minimum rental age is usually 25, but falls to 20 with some local firms, and you will always need a credit card. It is possible to drive Swiss hire-cars into most EU countries, including the 10 member states that joined in 2004. However, you cannot take them to Greece. Other off-limits countries include Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine

Public Transport: All local city transport is linked via the same ticketing system, so you can change lines on one ticket. Usually you must buy tickets before boarding, from ticket dispensers at stops. Very occasionally you can also buy from machines on board.
In some Swiss towns, single tickets may give a time limit (eg one hour) for travel within a particular zone, and you can only break the journey within that time. Multistrip tickets may be available at a discount (validate them in the on-board machine at the outset of the journey), or one-day passes are even better value.

Inspectors regularly check for people travelling without tickets. Those found without a ticket pay an on-the-spot fine of up to Sfr80.

Some recommended dishes:

• Fondue
• Raclette
• Zürich Geschnetzeltes
• Rösti
• Chocolates

• Chatteau de Chillon
• St Gallen metropolis
• Altdorf
• Lake Lugano
• GoldenPass Panoramic Train
• Glacier Express from St. Moritz - Zermatt
• The Gruyère Region
• Rhine Falls
• Matterhorn
• Jungfraujoch

• Swiss embassy
• Tourist guide
• Lonely Planet Switzerland