2Wengen, Switzerland

This sleepy Alpine town lying at the foot of the soaring Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau mountains is home to just 1,000 residents, but in January, this car-free village is filled with ski enthusiasts who come to watch skiers take on the World Cup’s longest downhill race on the 3,363-vertical-foot Lauberhorn.

In the summer, visitors can enjoy more than 300 miles of marked hiking trails and 15 mountain cableways in the nearby surroundings, which lead to the most spectacular vantage points of the Jungfrau region, like the classic panorama route between Wengen and the Kleine Scheidegg, which offers up an extraordinary view of the rock massif of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. Heart-pounding activities can be enjoyed too, like canyoning, river rafting, and paragliding.

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