Most high-street travel agents stock brochures for package holidays to Swiss destinations, but you may find that the standard “Lakes and Mountains” umbrella title used by dozens of companies may cover only one or two Swiss resorts – principally Interlaken and Luzern. Seven nights in a two- or three-star hotel, with flights and transfers included, costs from around £400–450 per person; prices drop if you choose self-catering accommodation, or stay in less famous resorts such as Meiringen or Flims.

A few operators offer short city-breaks in summer or winter, and for a quick getaway and guaranteed accommodation with minimum hassle, these can represent excellent value (especially in the low seasons). Depending on the location, three nights sharing in three- or four-star hotels starts from around £330 per person, with breakfasts, flights, transfers and – handily – a half-fare travel card (informations) included. Adding extra nights is always possible. Favoured destinations are Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Luzern and Zürich, but the specialist operators can come up with deals to Lugano or Basel, as well as resorts such as Zermatt, Wengen or Mürren, and even all-in weekends in St Moritz, Davos or Klosters.

Several companies do summer walking tours, mostly following the high Alpine routes around and between Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn, and also in the Bernese Oberland. These can be a great way for experienced hikers and novices alike to get well off the beaten path and out into nature, without having to worry about the practicalities of bed and board or getting lost in the snows. Some put you up in campsites, others use mountain huts and refuges, and a few may include vehicle support and/or porterage. All stick to small groups of around 10–15 people. Prices can vary dramatically, but £700 is a very rough average, covering about a week’s hut-to-hut walking or a two-week camping tour (including flights).

The main focus of packages to Switzerland, though, is of course skiing, and any brochure offering winter holidays in the Alps will have at least one or two Swiss destinations. Skiing packages tend to include flights, transfers and half-board accommodation (breakfast and dinner), but exclude lift passes. Prices vary tremendously depending on the operator, the resort, the style of accommodation, and the time of the season. Nothing happens much before December 20; Christmas and New Year weeks are premium priced; February slightly less so; and the best deals are to be had in mid-January and mid-March. The absolute minimum for a seven-night deal at a popular resort is around £350; a more realistic average might be £500, while £650 allows you considerable
freedom of choice. Choosing more out-of-the-way places such as Les Diablerets or Flims can bring prices down noticeably.

Switzerland managed to escape the worst of the 1960s boom in resort construction which afflicted many parts of the Alps, and benefits today from resorts which are generally small in scale and which retain a good deal of character compared to the concrete monstrosities just over the borders in France or Italy. The best skiing is to be had at the classic destinations, a selection (or all) of which are offered by most operators. These take in Davos, Verbier, Zermatt, Saas-Fee, Wengen, Mürren and Grindelwald. Resorts which turn up less often (and so are less pricey) include Kandersteg, Engelberg, Klosters, Villars/Les Diablerets, Leysin, Arosa and Flims. Beginners are perhaps best served at Arosa, Kandersteg or Mürren; dedicated family resorts like Villars, and even small, tucked-away places not in any brochures such as St Cergue or Meiringen, are great for kids finding their feet; sporty thrills and spills on the slopes followed by buzzing après-ski nightlife is best sampled at Davos or Verbier; while Zermatt, Wengen and Klosters offer top-notch skiing amidst quiet village-style surroundings. Big-name resorts such as Crans-Montana, Gstaad and St Moritz deliver more prestige and designer-label shops than on-piste satisfaction. Summer skiing is possible at resorts with access to glacier slopes above 3000m – these include Verbier, Zermatt, Les Diablerets, Crans-Montana and Saas-Fee.

Accommodation is almost always of high quality, if not exactly inventive – standard two- and three-star resort hotels abound, although deals in Verbier, for instance (which doesn’t have a great range of hotels), or Zermatt, tend to include a choice of catered chalets, which can sleep anything from two people to a group of fifteen or more; obviously, the more people sharing a chalet, the less expensive it works out for everyone. Free or discounted extras to look out for, which can turn a mediocre-value deal into a bargain, include lift passes, rental of skis or snowboards and other gear, lessons, train passes to allow you to get around from resort to resort, and reductions for children. Most operators also offer self-drive car-rental that can cut well over £100 per person off a package price, if you choose to forego flights altogether and drive from the UK to Switzerland and back.