A pleasant, relaxing spa town on the River Limmat, 24km downstream from Zürich in Canton Aargau, BADEN (German for “baths”) makes for a peaceful stopover on a journey across the north of the country, and could easily serve as a base from which to explore Zürich without suffering that city’s stratospheric accommodation prices. There’s not an awful lot to do, other than enjoy the ancient Old Town, take in a fine collection of Impressionist art, and enjoy a soothing dip in the warm, sulphurous spring waters … but that’s the point. People have been coming to Baden for centuries to sit around doing absolutely nothing, and there are few more genteel and stately towns in the country in which to follow suit.