**The Matterhorn, Zermatt**
It's the mountain everyone pictures when they think of the Alps: a near-perfect rock pyramid rising 4,478 m above the car-free resort of Zermatt. Go in autumn, when golden larches and the peak are reflected in the little Grindjisee lake, and it looks almost too perfect to be real.
**Fun facts:** It's often called the most photographed mountain in the world. Edward Whymper's party made the first ascent in 1865, but four of the seven climbers died on the way down, and that tragedy marked the end of the "golden age of alpinism".
Photo: Roy Egloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CH.VS.Zermatt_Sunnegga_Grindjisee_Matterhorn_9034_16x9-R_16K.jpg)
**Lauterbrunnen Valley**
Picture a valley carved out by a glacier, with sheer rock walls, a church steeple, wildflower meadows and waterfalls pouring off the cliffs wherever you look. The star of the show is Staubbach Falls, which drops 297 m right next to the village.
**Fun facts:** The valley has 72 waterfalls. In 1911 a 19-year-old J.R.R. Tolkien hiked through it, and it's thought to have inspired Rivendell. Even "Loudwater", the name of Rivendell's river, seems to echo "Lauterbrunnen".
Photo: © Giles Laurent, gileslaurent.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, via [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:043_Lauterbrunnen_Photo_by_Giles_Laurent.jpg).
**Lake Oeschinen (Oeschinensee), Kandersteg**
This turquoise lake looks unreal. It sits at 1,578 m above Kandersteg, under the sheer cliffs and glaciers of the Blüemlisalp. Take the gondola up, then walk the panorama trail towards Heuberg for the view you'll recognise from every Swiss postcard.
**Fun facts:** Prehistoric landslides dammed the valley and created the lake, which is now part of the Jungfrau–Aletsch UNESCO World Heritage Site. When it freezes in winter, a trail is marked out right across the ice.
Photo: Kabelleger / David Gubler, CC BY-SA 4.0, via [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RhB_Ge_4-4_II_614_Glacier_Express_on_Landwasser_Viaduct.jpg)
