Zurich

Zurich's airport has a full railway station under the terminal, with trains to the main station taking about ten minutes and leaving several times an hour, plus direct trains onward to other Swiss cities. That sets the tone for a country where the trains, buses, boats and mountain railways are timed to meet each other. The city itself is easy on foot and by tram, but its value here is as a base. The S-Bahn climbs the Uetliberg for a view over the lake and the Alps, lake steamers leave from the city center, Lucerne is under an hour away by train, and the Rhine Falls are a short ride north. The trade-off is price: transit is excellent but rarely cheap, so a multi-day pass is worth pricing before the trip.