Bern

You'll want to dive into the chocolate-box Weisses Quartier and the charm-oozing Inner City. These combine to form the historical kernel of Bern, with its eccentric Zytglogge clock tower and the Käfigturm fortification tower, which dates from the 1600s. High culture is available on every corner of these fountain-gurgling streets, from the acclaimed Kunstmuseum (home to a Picasso) to the wanderlust-stoking Swiss Alpine Museum, which chronicles life in these mighty peaks.

Bern is an indubitably outdoorsy city in the summer months. The jagged, twisted tops of the Gantrisch mountains loom to the south, beckoning hikers for days in the meadows in the company of bell-dangling cows. Closer to home, you can find wild swimming in the Aare River, hill walks, and rose gardens with viewpoints gazing down at the town. In the winter, Bern turns into a top stopover point for the exclusive ski fields of Gstaad and Grindelwald.

Private charter jets can whisk you into Bern Airport. It's a little to the south but perfectly located for exploring the culture-filled city itself or the greater Swiss Alps.