Three Swiss stops, one Alpine adventure.

Fly into Zurich and take the train south along Lake Uri, changing at Göschenen for the final climb, a steep, narrow run through the Schöllenen Gorge. A private transfer gets you there just as easily. On your first full day, ride the cable car with a private guide to the 9,700-foot summit of the Gemsstock. Its north-facing slopes hold some of the best snow in Switzerland, and its off-piste is legendary among freeriders. The next day, ski over the pass to Sedrun, the sunny Graubünden village on the far side of the ridge, where the terrain opens up and the crowds vanish. Save a day to slow down, with a snowshoe walk through the quiet Urseren Valley or a long afternoon at a spa. Close the first chapter with Älplermagronen, the hearty Alpine dish of macaroni, potatoes, cheese and cream, served with applesauce.

Board the Glacier Express for the most famous train ride in Switzerland. From Andermatt it climbs to the snowbound Oberalp Pass, follows the Rhine through the gorge known as the Swiss Grand Canyon and spirals up the Albula line, arriving in St. Moritz in time for sunset over the lake. The next day, ride the funicular to Corviglia for wide pistes above a chain of frozen lakes, then up to the 10,000-foot summit of Piz Nair. Back in town, stop for a slice of Engadiner Nusstorte, a caramel-walnut tart. On your last day, ski the Diavolezza glacier, then come down for Giovanni Segantini's luminous paintings of Engadin life and a horse-drawn carriage ride. Visiting in January or February? Your Mountain Travel Expert will time your stay with snow polo on the ice. Toast your last night in the mountains at one of the grand hotels that made St. Moritz famous.

Ride the Rhaetian Railway back down the Albula line, catching its viaducts and spiral tunnels from the other direction, and change in Chur for Zurich. Arrive and settle in at your hotel, then head into the Old Town for a discounted guided tour through guild houses, hidden courtyards, the twin towers of the Grossmünster and Chagall's stained glass in the Fraumünster Church. Dinner is in a centuries-old guild hall, with Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, the city's classic veal in cream sauce, and a glass of Swiss wine.

Start slow. Coffee in hand, walk the lake promenade with the Alps still visible across the water. Then it's off to Lindt Home of Chocolate, where a master chocolatier leads a hands-on workshop beside a towering chocolate fountain. Back in town, choose your afternoon: Kunsthaus Zurich and Switzerland's largest art collection, or the floating sauna on Lake Zurich, where you sweat, plunge into the lake and repeat. For your final dinner, your Mountain Travel Expert has a table waiting at your choice of either a Michelin-starred restaurant or a fondue cellar.

Spend your last morning shopping, and let each quarter of the city play to its strength. Bahnhofstrasse is grand with Swiss watches, jewelry and the chocolate counters at Confiserie Sprüngli on Paradeplatz. Old Town shopping features centuries-old shops and small independent stores you won't find anywhere else. Finally, Zurich West has the city's labels and design studios tucked into railway arches. Your Mountain Travel Expert will point you toward the right neighborhood. Then it's ten minutes to the airport, bags fuller than when you arrived. You'll fly home with both sides of the Alps behind you.