Spies, Chocolate, Knives, Nazi Gold. That's Switzerland in a nut-shell. Sure, there's also pretty mountains, skiing with the idle rich and soulless cities, but Switzerland just isn't one of those exciting places.

Essential facts

The national languages are German (Swiss German - not High (normal) German), French, Italian and Romansch, a native Swiss language. Most people speak at least a couple of these, plus English. As you might guess - communication just isn't a problem. The currency is the Franc, worth about 1.7 to the USD. Costs are high, even for Europe. The pride of Switzerland is neutrality - becoming moot now that Europe is becoming one, but formerly a good excuse to continue taking money from and arming warring parties in the name of fair trade. Besides that, nobody really ever wanted Switzerland - it's mountainous (thus hard to invade) and has no natural resources or strategic value.

Getting there and away

Straddling the Alps, Switzerland is blessed with beautiful scenery, if nothing else.

Not a problem - Zurich and Geneva are hubs, and Swissair has many a flight around the world. The country is easy to reach via train as well, especially from her neighbors of France, Germany and Italy.