IT’S easy to channel my inner Lord Byron standing on a rock in the middle of the Rhine Falls, one of Europe’s largest waterfalls, thousands of litres of water crashing all around me as I gaze up at the imposing building of Schloss Laufen, high above. The fact that I’ve travelled to this rock in the middle of the falls by tourist boat is neither here nor there. I get the feeling that Byron, and later on his Victorian counterparts, would have been quite happy to have a local row them out there, and this is the modern equivalent.

I’ve been travelling through Switzerland in the carriage tracks of those pioneering tourists of the 18th and 19th centuries for nine days. Schaffhausen, home to the mighty Rhine Falls and more bay windows than anywhere else in Switzerland, is a final day trip before I hand in my hire car keys and return home from Zurich.

Signposted with Swiss efficiency, the grand tour aims to give motorists and motorcyclists the perfect experience. Taking in 1,000 miles of scenic driving routes, the tour covers 44 major attractions, 11 of which are Unesco World Heritage sites. It passes 22 lakes, two biospheres and climbs to almost 8,000ft above sea level at the Furka Pass.

Starting out in Zurich a week ago, it’s been clear from the outset why the concept of a grand tour including Switzerland was so very popular with the upper classes. Just the right size to explore fully, Switzerland has a variety of landscapes and history, belying its landmass. I’ve experienced a little bit of everything, from the brooding majesty of those famous mountains and lakes, to historical landmarks and cultural hotspots, accompanied every wheel turn of the way by enough gastronomic delights to make me wish I were cycling the route rather than driving it.

Starting out in the north-east, I travelled through rolling orchard country along the shore of the Bodensee (Lake Constance), visiting the Napoleon Museum at Schloss Arenenberg before making my way to the beautiful old town of St Gallen. Here, in what was once one of the most famous centres for embroidery and linen, I ventured even further into the past at the abbey and its justifiably famous Rococo library.

Driving onwards, the landscape steadily began to change, acquiring a far more mountainous character. I could almost hear the goat bells as I passed through the village near Meienfeld that inspired Johanna Spyri’s Heidi, before entering the royal winter playground of Davos and Klosters. The Canton of Graubunden is also home to the Swiss National Park, founded a century ago to allow nature to develop without human disturbance. Today no dogs or camping are allowed, but established hiking trails allow an appreciation of the huge spectrum of flora and fauna.

Moving at your own pace through a classic Swiss landscape of mountains and lakes has got to be one of the ultimate driving experiences, and I was happy to relax and enjoy the drive down to Ticino, in the Italian-speaking region.

Making my way almost into Italy itself, I paid a visit to Swissminiatur, where the whole of Switzerland is made tiny but perfect. Picking out the highlights of my coming journey was weirdly enjoyable. Trees and promenades lined the lakes on this border with Italy, Lugano and Maggiore sparkling in the sunshine, while the triple towers of Bellinzona castle welcomed me to the Canton’s capital. These castles are amongst the most impressive and best preserved fortifications of the 15th century and are well worth a few hours of your time. Heading due west, the balmy lake shores of Ticino were soon replaced by more mountainous country again, and some of the most exciting driving of the tour.

The sinuous hairpin bends of the cobbled Tremola road would, once again, have reminded me of the carriage journeys of the original Grand Tour, if I’d not been so focused on the actual driving. From here it was on to the highest point, the Furka Pass (famed for its James Bond car chase) where, I will admit, I was channelling Bond rather than Lord Byron. I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Sean Connery as Bond, and Goldfinger is one of my favourites. A pause for some photos of the truly enormous Aletsch glacier, the largest in the Alps, was a welcome excuse for a rest. I’d be seeing that motorway-like stretch of ice and rock from the other side, above Interlaken, too, in a few more days. However, it was time to swap car for train if I wanted to get any closer than Täsch to car-free Zermatt and the mighty Matterhorn.

One of the most photographed and widely recognised mountains, the Matterhorn lived up to its reputation. As did Zermatt, one of the most popular year-round holiday spots. The trip up the cog railway to the 10,135ft-high Gornergrat was well worth it for the incredible views of the Matterhorn and a massive panorama of mountains in the Swiss, French and Italian Alps.

Back in the car, the last portion of the Valais beckoned, complete with vineyards butting up against pastureland, before Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) and Montreux. Thankfully, the jazz festival wasn’t taking place during my journey, or I suspect I’d never have escaped the merrymaking and music. A visit to the Charlie Chaplin museum was followed by an amazing lakeside drive to wander through the vineyards of the Lavaux, another World Heritage Site. I think I’ll come back for a better appreciation of the wine tasting opportunities – when I’m not driving.

In Lausanne, the modern building of the fascinating Olympic Museum (Lausanne has been home to the International Olympic Committee since 1914) is a counterpoint to the early gothic architecture of the old town and the refined grandeur of the Ouchy lakeside area. I’d decided to leave the deviation to Geneva for another trip, rather than add further to my distance, and the city warranted a trip of its own anyway. Curling around to head northwards, the Lake of Neuchatel and the Jura mountains became new companions. More like the hills of home than the mighty Alps I’d seen so far, this area is famed for its horses and its Vin Jaune white wine. It’s also home to what is known as Watch Valley, the centre of Swiss watchmaking. The gothic timber framed buildings of Murten and Fribourg soon gave way to the green pastures of the Gruyere valley, famed for its cheese and then on to Gstaad and Zweisimmen.

A stop at Interlaken furnished an opportunity for a day trip using several increasingly tiny trains to the Jungfraujoch, the highest train station in Europe at 11,332ft and a tourist destination in its own right. From here the other side of the Aletsch glacier is visible, as are Switzerland’s highest mountains. Interlaken itself was an odd combination of genteel lakeside town and adventure sports. The federal capital Bern proved a historic gem, while a swim along the river Aare was a unique way to see the city from below.

One of the highlights of my tour was Lucerne. The city has the perfect combination of culture – the Rosengart Museum has a huge collection of paintings by Picasso and Klee – and history, as can be seen in the 14th century Chapel bridge and the city walls. The city is also a short hop from the mountains. Making my way slowly back towards Zurich, I made sure not to miss out on the site of the earliest alliances of the Swiss Confederation, at Schwyz. Several museums give an insight into the importance of those early alliances.

Soon, I was back in Zurich, with only a short time to explore. The Grand Tour was a superb way to get an appreciation of the diversity and breadth of things to see, do and eat and drink, but it also makes for endless plans to go back and spend more time investigating the particularly interesting bits.

Byron’s Grand Tour may have taken him far beyond the boundaries of Switzerland, but perhaps if he’d had a car and the roads had been as good as they are now, he might not have bothered leaving.

TRAVEL NOTES

The Grand Tour of Switzerland can be booked independently or as part of a package. A nine-day package costs from £1,044 with Switzerland Travel Centre (stc.co.uk; 0800 100 200 30). It includes: eight nights B&B in Zurich, St Gallen, Davos, Lugano, Zermatt, Montreux, Gstaad and Lucerne; Europcar rental for nine days with pick-up and drop-off at Zurich airport; parking at all hotels (except in Zermatt/Täsch and Montreux); a second-class train ticket from Täsch to Zermatt; Grand Tour of Switzerland road map from Hallwag; Tour of Switzerland travel guide; and return flights to Zurich from UK airports including taxes.