Spread along Mount Bonvin’s broad slopes, a towering massif rising to nearly 3,000m, Crans-Montana, in the Swiss canton of Valais, lies quietly under the radar when it comes to British visitors. Crans-Montana actually comprises two ski resorts, Crans-sur-Sierre and Montana-Vermala, although, for all intents and purposes, they function as one. Popular with affluent Italians, the skiing is good (best for beginners and intermediates), but the shopping, eating, and drinking are even better. The resort claims to be on the sunniest plateau in the Alps, and indeed the snow is often lacking, but the views over the RhÂne are superb. Every September, the resort hosts the European Masters golf tournament.
Switzerland is known for its mountains (the Alps in the south, Jura in the northwest) but it also has a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes. It is intrinsically more culturally diverse than perhaps any other European country. It has four national languages that have historically been dominant in various regions or cantons. German, French and Italian are spoken in the regions bordering the respective country, and Romansch - a language of Swiss origin - is spoken in the mountainous area of Graubün
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