Small, mountainous and wealthy, with a population of just seven million, Switzerland is renowned for its enviable quality of life in a country that ticks along like clockwork. Its products are sought after the world over, from dangerously delicious cheese and chocolate to luxurious watches whose timekeeping is as sharp as a Swiss army knife, another popular export from this clever little nation in the Alps. Switzerland's famed political neutrality and isolated location, ring-fenced by mountains, have enabled it to play a safe but central role in European affairs.

These factors also gave rise to the coveted Swiss bank account, whose anonymity, along with tax relief and what may be the safest banks in the world, have made Zürich one of Europe's major financial hubs. The conveniently central location in the middle of Europe has also made Switzerland a favorite meeting place for conventions and international conferences - Geneva, for instance, is home to the United Nations.

Switzerland is not only a place for professionals, though. As a stylish tourist destination it offers top ski resorts like Zermatt and celebrity-studded St Moritz, while the white peaks of mountains set against blue skies make a wonderful backdrop for summertime hiking. The ancient capital of Berne provides opportunities for sightseeing and elegant shopping, while nightlife can prove to be a lot of fun, too, since the Swiss like their food and folk music even in discotheques and nightclubs.

Switzerland’s political model is based on consensus-building, and considering that the country consists of several culturally different groups speaking different languages, Swiss German, French, Italian and Rhaeto-Rumantsch, the country’s peaceful domestic situation is admirable. And while the Swiss in practice have been neutral in foreign affairs for several centuries, there are signs that they are increasingly willing to get more deeply involved in world affairs and deploy on the international stage the skills in democracy and diplomacy they have developed domestically. The most obvious sign is that Switzerland finally became a member of the United Nations in September 2002 .

The lakes of Biel, Murten and Neuchâtel are strung along the foot of the Jura Mountains. Although not one of the most popular regions for tourists, the rolling hills of the Jura mountains, the Franches Montagnes in the Neuchâtel region and the foothills of the Alps in the canton of Fribourg to the south of the lakes are excellent for hiking, camping and fishing. The waterfalls of the Doubs and the gorges of the Areuse in the Jura are very impressive. The area is also famous for its food and wines, and for the production of Swiss precision watches; do not miss the Horological Museum at La-Chaux-de-Fonds, and the watch-making factories at La-Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle. The striking yellow stone buildings of medieval Neuchâtel, attractively located beside a lake, were once described by Alexander Dumas as ‘carved from butter’.

The town itself is celebrated for its cafe culture and first-class cuisine. Worth visiting nearby is the medieval town of Romont and the unspoilt lakeside town of Murten (known as ‘Morat’ by its French-speaking minority). The bilingual city of Fribourg (or ‘Freiburg’ to its German-speaking minority), where a Romanesque-Germanic atmosphere prevails, is one of the most interesting historic cities in Switzerland.

In the south of the canton of Fribourg, in the foothills of the Alps, lies the Gruyère region, famous for its dairy farming which produces one of the best Swiss cheeses: Gruyère. The ancient town of Gruyères is still completely surrounded by its old city walls.

Finding cheap flights to Switzerland is largely dependent on which airport you choose as your entry point. In the west of the country, Geneva has seen a great deal of expansion as a no-frills gateway, with Easyjet's Swiss subsidiary having a very substantial operation there. To the east, high infrastructure costs, combined with a tough environmental regime, have kept most budget airlines out of Zurich. However, cheaper lowcost carriers have chosen to relocate many of the flights which they would have otherwise operated to and from Zurich to Basel instead.

The Swiss capital Bern is a possible alternative arrival point, especially if you live near Birmingham or Southampton, from where budget airline Flybe have recently launched flights. On the other hand, Zurich Airport is often criticised for its high charging regime, a factor which initially led Easyjet to withdraw their Gatwick flights, before eventually stopping all of their flights to Zurich.

The confusingly named Basel, or is that Basle, or Euroairport, or even Euroairport, Basle-Mulhouse-Freiburg has stepped in to become an increasingly important Easyjet hub. Although routes are being continuously added, it is still some way off Geneva in terms of the selection of flights offered.