Switzer-lala-land is the one place on earth, that I only ever hoped to find in heaven. But lo-*Surprise Surprise*.
Being surrounded by the Swiss alps, mountain lakes, chalets, and countless waterfalls, makes you feel like you are trapped in a painting, perpetually. It is blissful to visit in any season, yet there are pros and cons to each. The winter scenery is romantic, but depending on the season, you may miss the gorgeous sight of the Swiss cows grazing in the high-altitude, lush meadows and the breathtaking reflection of the Matterhorn peak on lake Riffelsee, which is frozen white in the winters.
WHEN TO GO
Unless you want to go skiing, I highly recommend planning your visit in either mid-spring or mid-fall to get the most out of your holiday in paradise. Summers are of course ideal for spending longer hours outdoors, but the views might be hazy, due to the sharp sunshine.
However, no matter the season, exploring this stupendous wonder of a country can cut through one's pockets, sharply as a swiss knife. You can easily spend a lifetime discovering this tiny speck on the European map, because the choice of activities ranges from skiing down snowy slopes to hiking the limitless trails, taking scenic train rides, or simply living the mountain life in a chalet, for a few days. So having visited the country multiple times over the past few years, here are my tips to get the best out of your holiday in paradise! Since rigorous hiking across different regions (unless camping) and skiing may require one to spend a considerable amount of time staying in the country and can be very expensive, my recommendations are focussed on seeing the best of the country, on a reasonable budget.
WHERE TO STAY
Since I mostly travel solo and spend most of the day outdoors, majority of the stays mentioned in this post are backpacker hostels. The rooms are all plain – nothing lavish, but they are comfortable enough for a good night’s sleep, and help you stick to a shoe-string budget (Note that even these prices may have significantly increased over the years). Another factor that I take into consideration, is the proximity of the accommodations to the center, for ease of access to my bucket-list places, on foot and via public transport. I would recommend keeping these important factors in mind while booking your stay. Some backpacker hostels have 4-bed dormitories, which are great for a family, but may not be everyone's cuppa due to shared bathroom/kitchen facilities. In fact, if travelling in a group, you might find better deals on double rooms/apartments on booking.com/airBnB.
TRANSPORTATION
The Swiss capital Bern does not have an airport of its own. So, flying into Geneva and out of Zurich or vice versa is advisable. Both airports offer fantastic connections by train to their city centers. In fact, Geneva airport offers a free 80-minute ticket to central Geneva area and the ticket is available to collect at the ticket machine in the Baggage Reclaims Hall upon arrival.
Travelling by the Swiss trains is an experience unto itself. I have always chosen to explore using the Interrail pass, which offers unlimited train journeys within Switzerland, except on the high-speed and night connections. Unlike point-to-point tickets, the interrail pass is flexible and lets you take any regional trains at any hour. It's a relief not to be worried about missed connections. For non-European residents, the Eurail pass is recommended. However if you aren't planning to take too many trains, it might be worth checking the point-to-point prices on https://www.sbb.ch/en and decide accordingly. There are some supersaver tickets which are available to book months in advance.
Lastly, don’t forget to find yourself a window seat, and remember that these might be reserved in high season – so you may have to give them up. I have personally never paid extra to reserve seats with my interrail pass, so I have had to stand in some trains during the rush hours and high season. The journey is nevertheless beautiful, if you choose to forget everything and be taken by the view outside.
Read more about the pricing and benefits of using the passes here: https://www.interrail.eu/en/interrail-passes/one-country-pass/switzerland .Depending on your budget, there are various other pass options too. So take your pick accordingly from here: https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-switzerland.htm
Remember that the interrail pass is usually shipped. I bought mine online about a month ahead of my trip, as it takes 3-8d to be delivered. (No matter the type of pass, buy in advance.)
THINGS TO DO IN SWITZERLAND
I am classifying the list into 4 regions that I have covered across multiple trips. So this blog post will give you an idea about how the country looks in different seasons, and all the places to cover in a particular region. This list will also work for all age groups, as there is not much physical activity involved.
NOTE 1: Please discount the effort needed to lug backpacks/suitcases, change trains, and platforms, at short notice. Some train stations do have a lift facility, but most might need you to take the stairs/ramp up, while changing platforms.
If you are planning to cover all these places on a long trip of over 5-6 days, I suggest taking trains between these regions in order.
GENEVE AND GRINDLEWALD - MARCH 2016, LATE WINTER (2 days)
In my excitement to embark into the snow clad mountains, I failed to realize that Geneva is not the best way to get close to them. It is better defined by its cityscape than the snowy mountains amid which I had expected to land. Nevertheless, it is home to Switzerland's largest lake, Lac Leman or Lake Geneve. So go for a stroll on the banks of the Lake Geneve, and take in famous landmarks like the Geneve cathedral, the flower clock, the UN headquarters, and distant views of the Mont Blanc in France. You could also treat yourself to some Swiss chocolates, cheese, and go window shopping for Swiss watches, in the charming old town.
Travelling in the Swiss trains is one of the most scenic and romantic ways to explore Switzerland! I am usually one to instantly doze-off on public transport, but I didn't have to struggle one bit to stay up during the train journeys in Switzerland. In fact I was always dreaming with my eyes wide open-Such is the scenery! Both from Geneve and Zurich, enroute to Interlaken, the train passes by the massive alpine lake-Thun, and the ride is my favourite.
STAYED AT: Geneve Hostel, Geneva and Swiss Lodge Falken, Interlaken
2. ZURICH, INTERLAKEN AND ISELTWALD - APRIL 2022, SPRING (2 days)
Interlaken has two major train stations, Interlaken Ost (East) and West, and they are within walking distance of each other(20 minutes). Both stations are a base for many day trips and the one to Jungfrao, the top of Europe is one of the most popular ones, and not surprisingly, exorbitantly priced too. The choice is completely yours, but I was content with not splurging on visiting only the much hyped 'Top of Europe' and instead chose to visit a few beautiful regions in the vicinity of Interlaken, on much lower fares. During my first visit, I covered Grindlewald. Grindlewald is really a ski resort and doesn't have much to offer to tourists per say, but it is a mind blowing experience to be seated by a window, as the train ascends from Interlaken to Grindlewald and the massive chalets and rural landscape suddenly start diminishing in that expanse of white or green mountainous landscape, depending on the season. It is also the best place to get close to the Eiger mountain. The experience is one to behold and the train journey is one that you will wish, never ended! Though a base for many of my day trips, Interlaken by itself is a beautiful region and is worth exploring for a day. Although an expensive place to stay at, the good news is that most hotels offer a guest card. This gives you unlimited access to buses in the Interlaken region for free and a discount on some of the attractions. Whether you plan to hike a lot by yourself or have come on a family vacation with the older generation in your family, it's the perfect base. The itinerary for this region can be easily covered in a day, but I was here with my mother and decided to stick to a leisurely schedule across 2 days. We arrived in Interlaken from Zurich, after spending a night in the lustrous Zurich old town,
DAY 1
Early next morning, we boarded the train to Interlaken, and after checking into our hotel and resting for a couple hours, we decided to go on a walk from Interlaken Ost to Interlaken West, along the Aare river. A variety of blooms-tulips, cherry blossoms, magnolia, were all in full swing and watching a burning sunset illuminate the distant mountain tops was a great way to end the day. One of the world's most beautiful birds, the Mandarin also happened to be visiting at the same time as us, and we couldn't be more ecstatic about an encounter with him, that evening.
We stayed at the Funny Farm Backpackers. It is about a 20-minute walk from the Interlaken Ost train station. The guest house is one of the cheapest in town, has a large, glorious mountain-facing farm, is family-friendly, and also offers a free guest-pass, like most guest houses in Interlaken (I recommend checking with your accommodation in advance though). The guest pass gave us free access to the bus to and from Iseltwald-a little alpine town that shot to fame, after the famous Netflix Series CLOY was filmed here.
NOTE 2: I recommend taking the earliest bus out from Interlaken to Iseltwald, as it starts to get very crowded, even by 10am.
DAY 2
After visiting Iseltwald early next morning, we also used our guest pass to secure a small discount on the funicular ride to the top of Interlaken, the Harder Kulm mountain in the afternoon. Once again, Harder Kulm is painfully touristy and the queue at the ticket office is neverending, but a visit to the top to take in views of Interlaken town, nestled between the two lakes, Thun and Brienz is a breathtaking sight.
I would have loved to do the hike from Interlaken to Harder Kulm, but it would have been very steep for my mom and with Switzerland being home to a lot of mountain railways and funiculars, it is an experience of a kind to be transported from ground level to ~1300m above the sea level in a 100 year-old funicular, in a mere 10 minutes. The tourist office located just by the Interlaken Ost train station willingly offers a wealth of information to visitors during walk-in appointments. For more questions on any hikes that you may have planned in the region, you can totally head there to pick their brains. Make sure to check their opening times though!
STAYED AT: Gasthaus 210, Zurich and Funny Farm Backpackers, Interlaken
3. LAUTERBRUNNEN AND MURREN - SEPTEMBER 2018, LATE SUMMER (1 day)
I happened to visit this region with a friend. I would recommend clubbing the following places, with your stay in Interlaken. We stayed at a backpacker hostel in Lauterbrunnen during this trip, but for the convenience of covering most places specified in this blog, I recommend making Interlaken your base, for the most part of your trip. Lauterbrunnen can be reached by train or bus from Interlaken Ost.
The Lauterbrunnen valley is home to 72 waterfalls and several hikes, but due to the lack of time, we spent about 2 hours exploring Lauterbrunnen town on foot, already witnessing the steep Staubbach waterfall tumbling down a steep cliffside. The most sought out view point of Lauterbrunnen valley with the falls in the background, pictured below is about a 10-minute walk from the Lauterbrunnen train station.
Later on, we took the cable car upto Gutschalp and the cogwheel railway service from Grutschalp, onto Murren. The cable car can be boarded at the Lauterbrunnen train station, which is at a walking distance from the center. Murren is a compact little alpine town and doesn't need more than an hour to explore, but you are so close to massive mountain faces;the feeling can't be described in words. The ride down to the Lauterbrunnen valley from Murren in itself is a must-experience and leaves no room for any doubt about why Lauterbrunnen makes it to the list of UNESCO world heritage sights! Once again, the Interrail pass will work only for the train from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen, and the cable car+cogwheel train experience to Murren will have to be purchased separately.
STAYED AT: Valley Hostel, Lauterbrunnen
4. ZERMATT, THUN, KANDERSTEG, AND LUCERNE - NOVEMBER 2017, AUTUMN (2 days)
On my 2nd visit to Switzerland, I day-tripped to these regions with Zurich and Interlaken as my base. Once again, the Interrail pass came to my rescue and I exploited it to the fullest, but the interrail pass does not include parts of some journeys in this section as well.
DAY 1
Zurich->Zermatt, early morning train (included in the interrail pass)
Zermatt itself is a pretty alpine town, but what attracts millions of tourists everyday is a famous mountain peak, that is only a train ride away. The cogwheel mountain train called The Gornegrat Bahn takes tourists upto Matterhorn - the Toblerone Mountain, and this journey is not included in the interrail pass. Tickets can be purchased from the Gornegrat Bahn station, which is at a walking distance from the Zermatt main station. The queue may be long, but it is worth waiting for a bit to grab a window seat, and relish views of the toblerone, as it comes closer. Once again, the price of the train tickets for all the way to Matterhorn are quite pricey, so I decided to go only until Rotenboden. Information on the latest prices can be found here: https://www.gornergrat.ch/en/pages/ticket
A short hike away from the train station at Rotenboden is the Riffelsee lake, where the Matterhorn reflects on the lake's surface perfectly on a clear day! The hike from the station, down to the lake only takes about 15 minutes and the reflection only comes into view once you go all the way down. However, the hike back up is quite steep, but the station already offers views of the entire glacier, and is a surreal experience. I personally believe this view is way more unique than the view you would see from the Matterhorn peak itself, which would be quite similar to what you would see on the train journey up. During my visit in early November, the lake had already started developing a thin layer of ice on its shores. It is completely frozen in winters, so the reflection is only visible from early summer to early autumn, under the right weather conditions.
On the same afternoon, I took the train to Thun. Outside the Thun train station, I boarded bus no. 21 and hopped off outside wonderland. The Oberhoften castle on the shores of the serene lake, surrounded by the swiss alps, is one of the most enchanting sights ever! After spending an hour here, I hopped back onto bus no. 21 to Interlaken Ost, where I stayed the night. Once again, bus journeys are not included in the interrail pass, and cost about 6CHF per ride. For those doing a long trip, I recommend leaving Interlaken only after finishing the Oberhofen castle and proceeding to Zurich, for day trips to Zermatt and Lucerne .
DAY 2
Interlaken Ost -> Kandersteg, early morning train (included in the Interrail pass)
Just outside the Kandersteg train station, I took the bus no. 230 to Blausee lake. The Blausee BE bus stop is the one that you get off at, and enter the Blausee National Park, where you can easily spend a couple hours exploring the loop trail around this natural, clear bottomed lake, in the heart of the swiss mountains. The Interrail pass does not include bus tickets or the entrance ticket to the park. However I arrived before the park opens at 9am :D and a park official, who happened to be around, let me in FOR FREE, as the ticket office was still closed. I saved 12 whole swiss francs-the highlight of my trip!
I spent the later half of the day exploring Lucerne, a long train ride away from Kandersteg, but on the way to the Zurich airport, where I was flying out of. So it was a convenient stop along the way. Lucerne is a picturesque old town and is best known for its landmark Chapel bridge. If you enjoy photography, it is totally worth spending an afternoon here, especially on your way out from Kandersteg towards Zurich.
STAYED AT: City Backpacker Biber, Zurich and Happy Inn Lodge, Interlaken
WHERE/WHAT TO EAT
Throughout our trip, we relied on co-op for grocery and used the microwave in our hotels/hostels. Luckily, we carried some sandwiches and snacks on our trip to Harder Kulm and couldn't be more glad, because even a little pack of french fries is priced at apprx. 9CHF (*talk about a luxury vacation*). If in search of something local to try, I highly suggest splurging on a meal of Swiss fondue. In general, Zurich, Interlaken, and Geneva are full of restaurants that cater to global tastes, and it shouldn't be a problem finding your favourite cuisine :)
And with that, I hope you get a fair idea about how to base yourself and plan your trip for this most coveted travel experience in Europe!
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