Wengen

Lord Byron, Consuelo Vanderbilt (the Duchess of Marlborough), and other posh folks put Wengen on the map, spreading the word about its incomparable eagle's-nest perch on a plateau over the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Few places offered such magnificent panoramas and such elegant hotels. And because of its setting, its Alpenglühen ("Alpine glow," in which mountains turn pink in the sunset) was said to be the prettiest in all of Switzerland. Alas, success breeds its own problems. Today you can barely drink in the famous view 4,068 feet over the valley, as hundreds of chalets are now in the way. Innerwengen, the town center, is crowded with large buildings and shops with plate-glass windows. But once up on your hotel balcony—the higher the better, of course—you may experience the wonder of yore.