December to March for snow, June to September for the high passes. Mandarin Oriental Palace Luzern, Park Hyatt Zurich and Four Seasons Geneva are partners.
Switzerland has two seasons that matter and both are worth the flight. From December to March the Alps are about snow, with Zermatt, St Moritz, Verbier and Gstaad all inside a short transfer of each other and glacier skiing running well into spring. From June to September the same mountains turn into walking country, the high passes open, and the lake cities become the more comfortable base.
Members usually arrive at Zurich or Geneva, both of which take large-cabin aircraft, and continue by helicopter or car. Sion handles private arrivals closer to the Valais resorts, and Samedan serves the Engadin, though at over 1,700 metres it is weather-dependent and worth a contingency plan.
Among our preferred hotel partners, Mandarin Oriental Palace Luzern sits directly on Lake Lucerne and works well as a first or last night either side of the mountains. Park Hyatt Zurich is the practical city base, minutes from the lake and the Bahnhofstrasse. Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva is the oldest hotel in the city and the natural choice for members combining a clinic appointment or a bank meeting with time in the Valais.
Switzerland is also where OUIJETS places its longevity and diagnostic programmes. See the May itinerary under Wellness Escapes, built around the lakeside clinics.
GALLERY
May in Europe: The Lakeside
Lake Geneva and Lake Lucerne before the summer rush. The Swiss clinics at their quietest, then a week on the water.
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