Fly into Zurich, a pretty, pedestrian-friendly old city with inviting boutiques, a thriving culinary scene, fine museums and a picturesque lakeside setting. A pleasure cruise on the pristine Zürichsee is a wonderfully relaxing way to spend an afternoon. My favorite hotel here, the elegant Baur au Lac, can arrange for a private boat. This family-owned property has grand paneled salons and individually decorated accommodations in art deco, Louis XVI and Regency styles. I concluded one memorable day with high tea in the ornate lobby lounge-bar, followed by cocktails on the garden terrace overlooking the lake and dinner in the hotel’s Michelin two-star restaurant.

Rent a car or hire a driver to take you south past Lake Zug to Lucerne. There, elaborate fountains, Jesuit churches, Renaissance halls and old squares converge with storybook charm. Or skip exploring the town for now and take the cogwheel train or cable car up nearby Mount Pilatus, which provides commanding views of the area. Backtrack to the northeast shore of Lake Lucerne and check into the recently refurbished Park Hotel Vitznau, a Belle Epoque château resort. Lake-facing rooms, a glass-walled Michelin-starred restaurant, a paneled bar and a heated outdoor infinity pool all yield splendid water views backdropped by the Alps. The hotel provides an excellent base for exploring the area, with ferry connections to Lucerne and other lakeside towns.

Depart Lake Lucerne and drive south to Zermatt. En route, stop in Andermatt and take the gondola up to Gütsch by Markus Neff, a restaurant that pairs Michelin-starred cuisine with magnificent mountain views. Arrive in Zermatt, a quaint car-free resort town, and take the private tram that runs between the Riffelalp train station and the Riffelalp Resort 2222 m. Exceptionally spacious and comfortable Matterhorn Junior Suites feature balconies with unobstructed views of the dramatic peak. Public spaces include an ornately carved vaulted lobby, a piano bar and three fine dining venues.

There are three classic viewpoints (besides your balcony) from which to see the Matterhorn. Glacier Paradise is accessed by a series of cable cars that begins at the valley station, located at the southern edge of Zermatt. The cable car to the Unterrothorn begins in the center of town; from the top, there is a glorious unobstructed view of both the Matterhorn and the Weisshorn. And my favorite is the panorama from the Gornergrat, a rocky ridge accessible via a rack railway (trains leave from a station at the center of Zermatt). Although the Matterhorn is farther away than it is at Glacier Paradise, here you are also close to the Dufourspitze, at 15,203 feet, the second-highest peak in the Alps.

Drive into Italy from Zermatt, skirting the southwestern shore of Lake Maggiore. Pause for lunch at a panoramic restaurant, perhaps the casual La Rampolina, which has a hillside terrace overlooking the Borromean Islands.

Continue to the southwestern fork of Lake Como and check into the Villa d’Este, a renowned palace resort-hotel set amid 25 acres of lush gardens, which offers all the amenities of a modern luxury property, including a full-service spa. Among the many other villas with magnificent gardens around Lake Como, Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo is especially notable for its 14 acres of grounds that in spring contain dazzling displays of camellias and azaleas. And the Villa del Balbianello, near Lenno, dates from 1787 and is surrounded by gardens lush with wisteria, laurel and rhododendron.

Certainly the Villa d’Este would be a wonderful finish to an itinerary, but why not complete the journey by driving to the Mediterranean? Less than three hours south of the Villa d’Este, tiny Portofino has one of the world’s most visually striking harbors. Check into Belmond’s Splendido, set within a renovated 16th-century cliffside monastery. Spending two or three nights simply relaxing here is heavenly. If you get restless, the five villages of the picturesque Cinque Terre are a 90-minute drive away. I’ve enjoyed visiting them in the past, but the handful of times I’ve stayed at Splendido, I’ve never experienced the slightest inclination to leave.