this week on the show... this is no ordinary cellar door. no. i'm in switzerland, going bonkers for bunkers. oh, wow — look at this! it's right in the middle of this massive complex, isn't it? and you'd never know if you're just driving through. sightseeing nonstop. absolutely spectacular mountain views. on a train breaking new ground. this is where the magic happens. and up high in the alps.

up here, it's peaceful. the views, you don't get this out of a aeroplane window. hello and welcome to the travel show, coming to you this week from switzerland — or, more specifically, the international balloon festival in the swiss alps. we'll be taking a bird's—eye perspective on that later on. but in the meantime, let's head to zurich for something a little more underground. i'm on a journey from switzerland's capital, beginning with a drive two hours south—west,

because i've heard that all around this country is a vast network of bunkers — some of which are open for travellers to explore. among them are old military forts, which you can still see hidden in the mountainside. glorious view. ..if you have a sharp eye. so, i've been given a pin that tells me that there's a bunker basically here, somewhere. it's camouflaged. so, there's going to be a trick actually finding it. i mean, this stretch of mountainside just does look like every other stretch of mountainside for miles in either direction. so, hopefully, we are in the right place! of course, you shouldn't search for military bunkers that might still be in use. but what i'm looking for is something else. in recent decades, some of the bunkers have been sold off and made into everything from hotels to high security data centres. i'm told this one houses a local delicacy.

how well camouflaged is it going to be, is the question. hope i can actually find it. this very much looks like solid rock. is there an entry point? 0h, crafty! look at this. look at this! camouflaged door. wow, that is awesome. you would not... i mean, i was probably 20 feet away and didn't notice that. that's awesome. look at this. hello? oui. bonjour. bonjour, bonjour. bonjour. voila! 0h! look at this. so why is this full of cheese?

michel bought this bunker in 2004 and recently started offering tours. there are thought to be many thousands of these in the country. oh, that's lovely. yeah. oh, that's lovely. c'est bon. tres bon. it's gorgeous. for hundreds of years, switzerland has remained famously neutral during conflicts,

and staying neutral has involved taking precautions. so, from the 1880s and stepping up during world war ii, these bunkers helped to keep out potential invaders. wow! look at this. wow! door clatters. this is a great spot to get a sense of the strategy behind this place, because michel was telling me this is the only road to go into this region and that used to be covered by a big anti—tank gun that used to be stationed here. so this is, like, prime position right here. today, though, bunkers here are far from just a thing of the past. in fact, one company here has begun offering its swiss bunker experience for the world's wealthy, with prices starting at $10 million each.

and today's bunkers aren't just for the ultra rich. since the cold war, a policy has been in place stating that every swiss resident must have access to a bunker, either within their own building or in a public shelter, in most cases within a 30—minute walk. so, i've reached out to a local resident to show me something in her cellar... greetings. ..that�*s really not unusual here at all. this way to the bunker, i guess? yeah, it's just here. look at this door. i know, right? i think that even myself, i can't really...pull it. it's quite thick. i think it's concrete. and this one, you can basically close it from inside in case of emergency. i mean, this is no ordinary cellar door. no, it's not. and you can see that the cellar is basically split in two parts, so you have, like, the bunker with some shelter inside that i'll show you.

lead the way. let's have a look. abir moved to switzerland three years ago from france and shares this bunker with the residents of the other six apartments in her block. and then you have here all the, like, half of the apartment�*s food stock and, like, othersupplies. so, these are like survival supplies for the bunker? it's not... or is this used for general storage? it's for general storage. so, it's not mandatory, like, to keep — it'sjust recommended to keep some supply. i don't do it. but you can see that here, for example, you have some neighbours that have some food supplies. what was your reaction when you first moved into the apartment and they were like, "oh, by the way, downstairs there's a bunker." yeah, i was actually amused and surprised. when i first moved in, like a few years ago, like, i didn't think about, like, in case of emergency, what can happen. but since covid and since also, like, ukraine war, that is like at the door of europe, right? you never know what can happen.

in the city of lucerne, what was built as the largest shelter in the world lies hidden in the heart of the city. this kind of looks like any old tunnel you might find in europe, but we're in switzerland, so you might be forgiven for suspecting something else is going on, and this one is special. it's part of a huge bunker system that was designed to accommodate 20,000 people in the event of an emergency. theyjust slam shut big blast—proof doors at either end of the tunnel and suddenly, this stretch of road becomes a i.5km—long shelter. surrounding the tunnel is a vast seven—floor structure with all the facilities that might be needed in the event that the bunker is activated. today, its capacity is reduced to 2,000 people with regular tours available. what kind of things might people use this for today? still armed conflicts.

it could be a conventional war, it could be a nuclear warfare, biological, chemical, orjust a natural disaster when people lose their home due to avalanches, mudslides, floods, for instance. it's basicallyjust a useful resource that's there to be used for whatever you need it for? yes. technically, you're supposed to have food stocks ready at home for two weeks. that's the maximum duration of stay you have to be prepared for in the beginning. we're four levels underground here but you wouldn't know it with this big space, which would have been used for up to 700 staff that would have looked after 20,000 people down on the tunnels, if it had been used. they really thought about everything, though, because you've even got prison cells where, if there were some troublemakers, they could be brought up here, you know, locked up away from the main population. oh, wow, look at this. traffic hums. this is the road we came

in on right here. it's mad! it's right in the middle of this massive complex, isn't it? and you'd never know if you're just driving through. wowee. very cool. and noisy, too. ever since the war started in the ukraine, i've been getting calls and emails from people asking me, "can you please tell me what i have to do if this gets closer?" wow, and that's swiss — swiss people... not people from outside saying, "how do i build a bunker?" swiss people. mostly elderly people, so this just shows how massive that threat must have been back in the �*60s and �*70s when these measures were taken and how those recent events bring up those fears again. that place is an amazing place to visit. just the scale of it, seven floors under the ground. but i think what's most interesting for me is really what it says, a place like this, about this country and its mind—set,

and really what it takes to remain neutral in such a conflict—ridden world. i think there must be also something quite reassuring for a swiss person to know that all of this energy and ingenuity has been expended in the event of an emergency to keep you safe, for a couple of weeks at least. and if you're thinking of heading to switzerland any time soon, here are some travel show tips to help you plan your trip. close to where we met michel is the town of interlaken. situated between two lakes, this town is home to year—round alpine adventures with plenty of activities for adrenaline seekers. it offers panoramic views of the swiss alps and easy access to popular ski and hiking resorts in the winter, as well as the opportunity to try canyoning, paragliding, skydiving and bungee jumping in the summer. if you're thinking of

using public transport, buying a swiss travel pass can be a cost—effective way of getting around. it'll give you unlimited travel across the swiss travel system, like the excellent train network, which is frequent, reliable and a great way of seeing the country. for many travelling to switzerland, the matterhorn is a must. the mountain's striking pyramid shape has drawn serious climbers for years. but to get close to its peak, you don't have to work up a sweat. the gornergrat bahn, also known as the matterhorn railway, is the highest open—air railway in europe, offering views of the matterhorn from the peak of nearby gornergrat. and if you're coming here in summer, there's still plenty to enjoy. the annual montreux jazz festival kicks off at the end ofjune and lasts for two weeks. it began in 1967, focused onjazz,

but now features a wide range of musical acts, including blues, rock, pop and hip—hop, attracting 200,000 visitors. it's known for its iconic setting on lake geneva and its long history of hosting top musical talent from around the world. this year's programme will be unveiled in the spring. still to come on the travel show... you know, when you take off, you never know where you land and when you land. woo! i try a balloon festival like no other in the swiss alps. this word gets used a lot but there's something quite magical about being up here. switzerland isn't short of an impressive train ride or two. offering views of the snow—capped alps, the latest is

the goldenpass express. and it's got a surprising secret. i'm travelling between interlaken and montreux, and it's fair to say the main drawcard of this journey is what's outside the window — these absolutely spectacular mountain views. but this train itself is actually really interesting and it's all to do with — this is technical, so bear with me — the rail gauges. that's the distance between the rails. in 1916, this awe—inspiring route was completed, connecting montreux on lake geneva to the vibrant city of lucerne. travellers could ride in style through the beautiful bernese alps and witness some of the most stunning scenery in the world. but for years, passengers had to get off and change trains mid—journey to accommodate for when the rail gauges change — notjust to a different width, but also a different height.

but now, travellers can make the entire journey on just one train, thanks to some clever engineering. what can i see here? that's the gauge changing installation. this is the point where...? this is the point. 0k! this is where the magic happens. laughs. so, we go from a wider gauge. the weight of the carriages are taken on small wheels on the side of the carriages and that allows the bogies to change gauge. so how long did this project take, or is it something you could do fairly quickly? the first idea to make the link between the two regions is from 19th century, so very, very old, and the first prototype is from 2008. it's 12, 1a years later and we have a train. so, you must feel very proud to have achieved this — this device. yes, we're very proud of it.

it's something unique and it functions and, yes, we can be proud. that's not, that's not — we can't hide that we are a bit proud of it. laughs. quite right, too! now, i've travelled to the chateau—d'oex. set among the beautiful swiss alps, once a year, this small town brings hot—air balloon enthusiasts from around the world for a festival like no other. each morning of the nine—day festival, the pilots gather for a briefing from the organisers. yesterday is the winds. the wind here is fickle at all levels. it's picking up as we — as we speak. there's too much — too much wind. i've just popped into the pilots�* briefing for all of the hot—air balloon pilots. i did gather, mostly from the faces of the pilots listening to the briefing,

that perhaps the weather conditions aren't exactly perfect for the festival, so fingers crossed things improve. but all hope isn't lost. i've been told that over the nine days, organisers hope for at least five days of good flying weather, and some days with bad weather are still good for partial flights. balloon pilot nick dunnington has been coming to this festival from the uk since he was a child, and he's offered to take me up later. so, nick, what's the status? everyone seems a little bit tense. laughs. yeah, so they've given us the clearance to fly this morning, but the winds above the tops of the mountains are actually quite strong, so we have to stay within the valley and the winds are going to actually drop, the quicker winds are going to speed up throughout the day and drop down into the valley, so we need to be flying early and landing early. for a complete novice,

tell me what — is itjust obvious that if there's too much wind, the balloon will be uncontrollable? there's a lot of that. it's not that it's uncontrollable, it means that the landing will be faster, so you need a bigger space in which to land the balloon. so, not ideal. that suggests this is quite a challenging place for this event to take place? it is, yes. yeah, it's not the easiest. but i think that's what attracts most of us here is the challenge, so... the festival began over a0 years ago and has grown from just a few balloons to the 60—plus balloons they have coming today. back when it started, it was the idea of founder charles—andre ramseier. we started ballooning here in �*76 and ballooning in the alps was brand new. nobody was doing it. i'd seen balloons in us but in the alps, it's a new dimension. a basket in the sky is like a balcony in the sky. it's — it's a dream. it's beautiful.

you know where you take off, when you take off. you never know where you land and when you land. yeah, this is what i understood this morning listening to the pilot briefing — small changes, you know, that wouldn't affect many other leisure activities have such a big impact with the hot—air balloons. yes. but you have to know that every season is different to fly. that's why if you want to be a good pilot, you have to fly every week. otherwise, you are a bad pilot. with some balloons starting to take to the skies, ijoin nick in the basket. oh, wow! and within just a few seconds, we are whisked high up into the air. nick, can you tell me what you're doing? i mean, there's all sorts of things going on.

yeah, so at the moment, all we're doing is keeping the balloon nice and level, so we're putting in little bits of heat every now and again to keep the buoyancy up. uh-huh. so, tell me a little bit about the specific challenges of a landscape like this. so, obviously, up on the side of the mountains, there's a lot of snow, a lot of trees but not a lot of roads. so, you're having to land as close to a road as possible to make the retrieval of all the kit easy. the mountains also produce a different climate, so there can be a lot of different wind patterns and things that develop around the mountains. it seems to be almost a lifestyle, this passion for ballooning. what is it that you love about ballooning? very much so. i mean, it's the tranquillity, as well, up here. you know, aside from the helicopter, it's peaceful. there's nothing. and you know, the views — you don't get this out of a aeroplane window. no. and there's a really big sense of community around ballooning. you know, it is a niche sport, i suppose, and we're all of a similar ilk,

i suppose. this word gets used a lot, so bear with me, but there's something quite magical about being up here. usually, when you're at this height, you're either on a parasail with the wind, you know, in yourface or in a plane or a helicopter, the thrum of the engine and the rotor. and up here, it's silent and there's barely a stir of wind. and it's just like we're sort of on a platform in the middle of the air with this incredible view out over the mountains. i think there's also something that appeals to the romantic in me, reallyjust sort of harking back to the earliest days of air travel, you know, the balloon setting off around the world in 80 days. there's something really special about this.

well, that's all we've got time for on this week's programme, but coming up next week — we're looking back at some of our best bits from the last few months, including eva's encounter with a slippery customer in mexico... oh, my god! it's so smooth! it's so lovely! oh, this is so incredible! ..ade's hunt for art thieves in italy... wow! this is — it's beautiful. it looks incredible. ..and my big splash in an estonian bog. absolutely freezing cold but, i mean, what a setting! so, dojoin us then, if you can. and don't forget, you can catch up on some of our recent adventures on bbc iplayer. until next time, from me and all the rest of the travel show team here in switzerland, it's goodbye.

hello, there. some places got to see some sunday sunshine but many other places did not. if you spent your weekend in one of the places that kept cloud overhead, the start of the week does promise something a little brighter. there's a better chance of seeing sunshine, largely dry and it will be mild. high pressure to the east of us, keeping it mainly dry. this frontal system starting to push in from the west, but it will take a while to get here. for monday, a lot of dry weather, quite a lot of cloud round, particularly in parts of england and wales, and through the day that will linger close to eastern coasts, staying quite murky here as well.

other areas will tend to see some spells of sunshine, fairly brisk southerly breeze, particularly around western parts, and temperatures between nine and 12 degrees, so it will feel mild, particularly if you get yourself into some sunshine. we will see lengthy clear spells overnight through monday night and into tuesday before more cloud starts to roll its way in towards northern ireland and some other western fringes. the odd spot of rain and some milder conditions with that, further east we do see clear spells for any length of time, we could start tuesday with a touch of frost. as we go into tuesday, our main weather front edges a little closer. ahead of it this weather feature will bring cloud, some splashes of rain, but a southerly breeze bringing a renewed surge of mild air. mildest conditions will be where you get shelter from that breeze. early fog in the south will clear. england and wales seeing sunny spells, northern ireland and scotland can expect more cloud and some spots of rain at times with some shelter from the southerly breeze. parts of north wales could see the highest temperatures at around 15 degrees,

but it will be mild for all of us. moving out of tuesday and into wednesday, this frontal system finally makes its move. some outbreaks of rain with that, pushing southwards and eastwards. the rain may not get into the far east of england until quite late in the day, in fact, by that stage, the rain will be very light and patchy. behind that we will see showers, wintry over the highest ground in scotland, but broadly speaking it will stay mild. and mild is certainly the way in which we end the week. we will see some rain at times, things look a little more unsettled. on thursday, a lot of cloud, mist and murk across the southern half of the uk with some splashes of rain. further north, for northern ireland and for scotland, we will see some spells of sunshine and again it is mild, temperatures of 9—13 degrees, above where we should be really at this time of year. friday, this deep area of low pressure pushes close to the north west of scotland. frontal systems bringing outbreaks

of rain and between this warm front and this cold front a wedge of mild air. this frontal system pushing southwards and eastwards bringing some outbreaks of rain. strengthening winds to gale force potentially in northern scotland. it is likely to stay dry for many parts of england and wales, particularly towards the south and east, and in that mild air could well see temperatures up to 16 degrees. that weather front will sweep its way through leaving something slightly cooler for the weekend. high pressure always close by, keeping things mainly dry, down towards the south of the uk, and we could really do with some rain in some southern parts, we have not had much recently. there will be some wet weather further north and west but potentially not an awful lot. broadly speaking, the weather is going to stay relatively mild for the time of year. double digit temperatures for most of us.

welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... over 33,000 people are now known to have died in the earthquakes in turkey and syria, but a week after the disaster survivors are still being pulled from the rubble. we report from inside syria, where the united nations says many people feel forgotten. these were people's homes. they were newly built. but look at it now. 80% of this village is gone, and they have had hardly any help. the us has reportedly shot nother object out of the sky, the second within 2a hours.