Hi everyone! I know it has been a while since I have wanted to update the blog with my recent travel. Just thinking about the amount of work required, made me put it off. Finally decided to work on it during the Christmas holidays. I will be publishing this update just over the new year. Happy New Year everyone!! Wish you all with great success and good health for the coming years. :)
Switzerland has always been that one destination I was always eager to visit. With stunning beautiful villages that I saw in Instagram posts & all the travel dairies from the video blogs, made my anticipation high. I was almost planning this travel for two years as there were so many places that I really wanted to go . The travel plan went ahead with one of my childhood friend , you can also find his blog here. We were also introduced to another friend who is a professional photographer and was visiting Swiss to the similar time as us. His photographs are one of the best I have seen. We had the this lucky chance to get our photos taken by a professional photographer friend. I definitely will need to treat him to a lunch someday , for all his hard work @sinjunpic.
(chilling with Mr. Einstein @ City of Bern)
Since there were so many choice for villages/cities we decide to spend about 11 days there. With some help of forums and careful planning, the itinerary came down to following:
Zurich --> Bern --> Interlaken --> Grindelwald --> Wengen --> Zermatt --> Lucerne
Finance
Be warned that Swiss is bit more expensive, even the price of normal fast food meal will cost you more here. Huge part of your expense will be likely spent on commute. Since many of my friends wanted to know the cost of visiting Swiss, I will try to provide some information on rough price guidance.
Accommodation
Accommodation wise we had mix of few Airbnb, but mostly hotels. The average cost per day was around £ 110 . I do like to stay on hotels as they are convenient and offer many facilities that are a plus for the trip. Many hotels also might provide free bus or tram passes for your stay.
Commute
For the commute, I used Swiss Flexible Travel Pass which is only available to tourist and this pass allows you to take any trains,trams,ferry or buses all over Swiss but it does exclude some selected regions. Do investigate this before getting the pass and see if this is right for you. The flexible pass cost me CHF 445 which is around £ 344 for 8 days.
Zurich ( 2 Aug - 3 Aug)
As soon as we landed on Zurich, the real excitement was on. Visiting a new city to me has always been adventurous and fun. While we were on our way to the accommodation, the first thing I noticed was the trams. The trams were colorful, clean and classic; finally I felt like I was in a vibrant European city.
We only had a day designated to this city, hence we wasted no time and headed to explore Zurich. Initially, we didn't have any plans for this city as our trip was more focused on villages of Swiss. But with help of hotel receptionist we quickly came up with list of things to do.
Bahnhofstrasse
The area of Bahnhofstrasse extends from Hauptbahnhof train station across the old town right up to Lake Zurich. Strolling this area is a must, in fact this area is a major tourist point and you will be able to find many things to do here. Filled with high-end brand shops, galleries, restaurant and the bricked street with frequent approaching trams will definitely give the traveling vibe. Since, Swiss is famous for chocolate making, I would also like to point out that you might want to buy some here. Most of the famous chocolate brands are located in this area; if you are unsure which brand you should go for, give Laderach a try. It is one of the best , eventually you will figure out why Suisse chocloates are so popular.
Old Town of Zurich (Altstadt)
If you are done with shopping district of Bahnhofstrasse, little further down you will come across the old town of Zurich. This part contains the history of Zurich, the buildings in this neighborhood are fascinating. I could not help but admire the architecture of these buildings. When you are in this area, be sure to visit the
Minister of Our Lady(Fraumunster) (i.e. the blue tower with clock on the picture)
and the Muhlesteg Footbridge.
We didn't manage to get to the Great Minister(Grossmunster), but I would highly recommend others to do so, as you can get panoramic city views from the top of Grossmunster.
Lake Zurich( Zurichsee)
Towards the end of Bahnhofstrasse, there is Lake Zurich. The lake is so massive,almost making it look like a sea. What you need to know is that the lively area of lake is opposite to the old town. Beautiful park and gardens makes this area popular and good place to spend the afternoon. During the warm weather, you will see lots of sunbathers & picnickers here. If you want to chill, this place is perfect for both afternoon and the evening.
To sum up Zurich city, here are few photo that we managed to take during the stroll.
Bern ( 3 Aug - 4 Aug )
Bern was the next city on the list. We took a direct train from Zurich, I have to admit that the inter-city trains in Swiss are awesome. They have spacious sitting areas,restaurant and the upper floor of train surely provides a good view of the outside. Previously, I had seen Bern in one of the video blogs, since then I have always wanted to visit here and had a high expectation of the city. If you need a temporary place to store your luggage, the train station in Bern provides lockers which can be used. Without further delay we went towards the Old City of Bern. Most of the places that we planned to go in Bern was walk-able distance from the train station.
Old City Of Bern
The old town of Bern offers unique experience with it's medieval city look. Within few minutes of walk you will come to appreciate the beautiful city. Specially during the summer, the flowers are found all over the city and this certainly adds to make the city more charming.
Going around the city itself is fun, but do keep an eye out for shops and markets. Some of them might interest you.
Zytglogge (Clock Tower)
Zytglogge is the famous clock tower of Bern. The tower has become popular because of its extraordinary clock that was installed back in 1530. It is one of the oldest clock in Swiss, and also has astronomical clock below.
On the hour, you are able to watch the spectacle mechanism of the clock.
We were planning to get to the top of tower for the city view but unfortunately a private guide was required for the entry.
A bit of let down there, so be warned if you want to get to this tower you will need to hire a private guided tour. Oh well, we were quite satisfied by just looking it from outside though.
Bern Cathedral
One of the famous landmark in the city is the Bern Cathedral. It is the tallest cathedral in Swiss. With the astonishing height and architecture, this cathedral is easy to find. If you are good with height , you can take the 400 steps challenge to reach the top of cathedral.
Besides the cathedral, there is a park (Munster - Promenade) right next to it and this was more of an interest to me. If you want some good pictures for your Instagram then this is the place to take some.
Rosengarten (The Rose Garden)
After reaching the end of old town, cross the Aare river. Within 10 - 15 mins of uphill walk you should be able to reach the Rosengarten. This garden is perfect for flower lovers and provides a great environment to relax. Apart from that, the main reason to come here is to see the Bern city from hilltop. Oh yeah! don't forget to take picture with Mr. Einstein.
Finally, we headed down to Aare river and sat by the riverside to cool down the summer heat. The cold blue water of the river was refreshing after all this walk, and also feel free to make friends with the bears that live near the river.
At the end of the day, I found out that City of Bern met all my expectations. I would gladly say that this is most beautiful European city I have visited till this date. If I had to pick a city in Europe to live , it would definitely be Bern.
Interlaken ( 4 Aug - 5 Aug )
We took early morning train from Bern and arrived to the next destination. As the name suggests, Interlaken is a town located between two clear crystal lakes, Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. This town has lot to offer; luxurious hotels, artful wooden houses, fabulous shopping areas, breath taking landscapes. Wherever you go, you will find yourself taking lots of pictures. Interlaken, itself is a paradise in central Switzerland at heart of Bernese Alps. This town also acts as a gateway towards the Jungfrau Region, the Jungfrau region consists of many beautiful villages which is where we are headed next. Many tourists come here for activities like canyoning,water rafting, but the most popular one is the paragliding. I would definitely recommend paragliding as a must thing to do here, you will be amazed.
Lake Thun
After reaching the accommodation, we were looking into an activity that we could do. Due to the hot weather we decided to head to Lake Thun for a swim. The bus ride was bit longer than expected but every part of the journey was worth it. We finally managed to find an artificial beach, this place was very lively and lots of people could be seen having great time here.
Harder Kulm (Top of Interlaken)
Another great place to go in Interlaken is the top of Harder Kulm. We used cable car to go up here but feel free to hike up, there is a relatively easy circular path which takes abount an hour. The top of Interlaken is 1322 meters above the sea level and provides the view of Interlaken town and surrounding alps and lakes. It is indeed breathtaking and mesmerizing. This place offers a relaxing spot to eat or drink something (maybe grabbing a beer is good idea?). We were also lucky enough to be here at the right time, as we got the chance to hear the Swiss folk music being played. It is different but at the same time it was interesting and good to ears, so I absolutely loved it.
Jungfrau Region : Grindelwald ( 5 Aug - 7 Aug )
( approaching Grindelwald via train)
Jungfrau Region covers huge central area of Switzerland. If you ever have come across pictures of pretty Swiss villages then it is probably one from this region. There are plentiful villages on this region and each village is different and beautiful on their own way. The first destination on this region was none other than Grindelwald. Social media does put your expectation bar high. I was really looking forward to this part of the trip. Upon reaching Grindelwald, I could see why the village is so popular. You can get glimpse of the village from the above video and hopefully get some feel on what I am talking about. There is so much to do over this place. If you decide to visit this region, I would advice you to carefully plan and give few more extra days.
Grindelwald - Day I
Pfingstegg
First thing on the list was to make our way to Pfingstegg. Pfingstegg is about 15 mins away from Grindelwald. You will need to take aerial cable car from Grindelwald to reach there. Pfingstegg provides a good spot to overlook the Grindelwald village and the surrounding alps. If you think that is not worth it then Toboggan ride will definitely change your mind. This fun - thrilling activity is a compulsory, we took this ride just to find the adventure and excitement it holds. Sit back and relax to enjoy the breathtaking alps on your toboggan ride.
Glacier Canyon
Taking a short bus ride from Grindelwald, we were able to reach Glacier Canyon. The glacier canyon is known for the cave walk against high cliffs and the river below it. The cave is little chilly but bearable. This area also offer activities such as bungee jumping or walking over the hanging net. If you are interested in different kinds of glaciers, explore the small glacier museum situated here. Particularly, the different colors of glaciers crystals in the museum will entice you.
At the evening, we ended up touring the Grindelwald village and getting used to the area. I was eagerly waiting for the next day hike and just wished that the weather would favor us.
Grindelwald - Day II
Grindelwald First
This place certainly tempted us with a magnificent views everywhere. If you are tight on time then forget other stuffs but be sure to go to Grindelwald First. My advice here is to take gondola(air cable-car) from Grindelwald cable station right up to First and while coming down you can enjoy different activities such as First flyer, mountain cart and trottibike. The gondola journey is about 25 mins uphill but it is mesmerizing and we found our-self in awe multiple times. We went through three legs to get to there, the gondola takes you through to Bort, Schreckfeld and First.
Few of the other attractions here are First Cliff Walk, hiking trail to Lake Bachalp, mountain hiking trail to Faulhorn and further to Schynige Platte.
Lake Bachalp
If you love hiking then this place is for you, a leisurely hike to Lake Bachalp is a must. It takes about 45 minutes to reach Lake Bachalp from First. Along the way we meet lots of friendly tourists, random mountain goats and peaceful cows. This hike will go down as one of the most memorable hike I have done. When you finally reach the lake, we arrived at the world-famous, beautiful picture postcard view of lake and mountains.
First Cliff Walk
Another major attraction here is the First Cliff Walk. If you want to test your fear of heights then challenge yourself with this. You will certainly be thrilled to see the height. The 'Restaurant First' provides lots of choices for food and beverages. Take some of your time to grab something to eat and relax.
Motor Cart from Schreckfeld to Bort
You can take the gondola back down to Grindelwald but for adventure seekers there is a lot more to do. There is a flyer you can take from First to Schreckfeld but due to long queue we just walked own to the other checkpoint. On Schreckfeld point, we took motor cart down to Bort. The motor cart can be dangerous because of the steep downhill speed and curvy turns, so be sure to listen to the instructor instructions on dos and don'ts. Apart from that, the downhill ride is crazy and fun, exciting at the same time.
Trottibike scooters from Bort to Grindelwald
If you thought you had maximum fun riding the motor cart, wait until you reach Bort checkpoint. From this point on you will need to take trottibike down to Grindelwald, this 30 minutest ride will surely make adrenaline kick in your body. It might be little hard to control the scooter but if you take precautions , you should be fine. Saying that, I did in fact crash at high speed sharp curve turn. I somehow manged to throw the scooter in mid-air and landed myself safely on the grass, pure instinctive skills right there. Do take your time to go downhill as enjoying the scenery and landscapes is a priority. This will probably the best experience I ever had in Switzerland. We did make stop at few points to admire the breath taking scenery and take some picture for the Instagram.
Jungfrau Region - Wengen ( 7 Aug - 9 Aug )
The next destination was the peaceful village in heart of mountain called Wengen. We used Wengen as base to visit the surrounding areas. Even though the village is small, it has everything a traveler would want. The hotel that accommodated our stay was Jungfraublick Hotel, the service provided was super excellent. The hotel is located at high place therefore giving a superb glimpse of the Wengen village through its balcony.
Wengen - Day I
Jungfraujoch (Top Of Europe)
From Wengen we made our way to Jungfraujoch. Top of Europe is an iconic landmark as the highest point in the Europe. It is elevated at 3454 meters above the sea level and a place that will fascinate visitor with Alps covered by snow. The journey to Jungfraujoch from Wengen is surreal. You will be approaching the snow mountains right head on and get really close to it. Be sure to check the weather to avoid disappointment, if there is storm you won't be able to get out to the the snow mountain. Vising the ice palace on the Jungfraujoch center was such a bliss. Another magical thing to lookout is for the Alpine Sensation and lastly do checkout the Lindt chocolate shop over here.
(wandering through Alpine Sensation)
Wengen - Day II
Schilthorn - Piz Gloria
For the second day in Wengen we made our way to Schilthorn. It is famous for the the movie scenes from James Bond. The 'Bond' museum here is interesting and we found our-self emerging into it for an hour. Actually, we were so into the Bond-World that we managed to do few parodies of the movie. This area is perfect to see the Schilthorn Skyline. Lastly, there is the 'Thrill walk' again, should you dare to venture on it.
Murren
We passed through this little village on our way to Schilthorn. This village is a small paradise full of flowers, fountain and colorful houses. Every corner of the village is picturesque and we couldn't help but stop over here and spend some time.
Lauterbrunnen
This is another village that you are able to hop on the way to Schilthorn. This village lies in the foothills of mountains making convenient place to directly commute to Murren and Wengen. The village is relatively small but contains major attraction like the Lauterbrunnen waterfall.
Zermatt ( 9 Aug - 11 Aug)
( attribution: acquired picture from @sinjunpic )
Zermatt is a resort village famous for skiing, climbing and hiking situated at the foot of Matterhorn. Matterhorn is probably the world's famous mountain, the iconic picture of the mountain can be found in the cover of toblerone chocolates. The town is located in high altitude and we could definitely feel the difference in the temperature. I was glad that I bought my jacket to this trip, it was peak summer season but this village was bit cold.
The main street of Zermatt 'Bahnhofstrasse' is packed with boutique shops, hotel and restaurants. To reach Zermatt it was little complicated for us, as there is no direct connection from Wengen, we had to go all the way back to Interlaken and get train from there to Zermatt. We arrived in Zermatt at late in afternoon, therefore just went around this resort village for the first day.
Gornergrat
The next morning we met up with another friend who is a professional photographer, after quick brunch we headed to Gornergrat. The Gornergrat Bahn train takes you directly up to the Gornergrat observatory. It is one of the place that everyone should visit at least once in a lifetime. At this altitude, we were really close to the clouds and snow mountains. The glorious view of Matterhorn is sure to be unforgettable and if the weather is clear you will be able to get the clear and perfect picture of the Matterhorn.
The observatory restaurant does provide some of the most delicious Swiss food, this is the right place to taste some Swiss food if you haven't done it already. After spending few hours on the observatory hotel we hiked down towards the next station. On the way down, our friend took some of the craziest photographs(of course he is professional photographer for a reason).
Lucerne ( 11 Aug - 12 Aug)
This was the last destination for the Switzerland trip. By this time it felt like we had done so much and thought of going slow pace for the final city. Lucerne is known for it's famous wooden bridge Kapellbrücke, I am sure most of you have seen this bridge in some picture or a post card. After strolling through the town for a while, we went to the lion monument.
The stone lion can be found on the cliff and is one the major tourist attraction. The next fun thing we came across was the mirror maze which is near to the lion monument. The maze will confuse hell out of you and it is easy to bump into mirrors randomly.
I would say this trip was one of the most remarkable European trip I ever had. Memories, vibe and feel of each places I went on Switzerland is still deeply engraved in my mind and heart. I strongly recommend the readers of the blog to make a trip to Swiss and it won't disappoint you. If I ever get the chance to go Switzerland again I would do it without any hesitation but I don't think it will be anytime soon. There were few places that I couldn't visit because of time constraints but I will put it up here in case you guys might want to have a look at it.
Village of Gimmelwald
Geneva
Montereux
Brienzer Rothorn
Mount Rigi
Then that's it for this travel diary. Please do look forward to my other future travel post. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. I am aware that the blog lacks funny and attention capturing aspects, but I am working on it too. On the next travel blog post, I will tweak things more to make it interesting and fun. I am thinking to stop writing the blog and resort on video blog instead.