Southeastern Switzerland is the country at its highest and grandest, the canton of Graubünden where the valleys run deep, the villages stay traditional, and the air has a thin clarity you only get this far up. This is glamorous-name territory, St. Moritz and Davos, but the glamour matters less to a family than the sheer range of what is on offer: skiing, sledding, and snow play in winter, then hiking, biking, and lake swimming in the Engadin's bright summers. It is also, fittingly, Heidi country, which gives the meadows and goats a storybook charge for younger children who arrive already knowing the tale.

Getting around is part of the appeal. The Bernina Express climbs over the Alps on a UNESCO-listed railway, the kind of slow, spectacular journey that keeps children glued to the window and saves parents a white-knuckle mountain drive. Once you are settled, the region hands over accessible trails, summit adventure playgrounds, and lake-and-meadow space to roam. The accommodation spans grand alpine resorts to cozy family-run hotels and mountain lodges, many with family suites, kids' programs, and lifts on the doorstep. Southeastern Switzerland is the choice for families who want the big, untamed version of the Alps, with enough Swiss organization underneath that the wildness never tips into hassle.