Switzerland’s Summers Have Gone to the (St. Bernard) Dogs!

We are usually spring and fall travelers, but when we learned that hiking with Switzerland’s St. Bernard dogs is an activity that’s only available in summer, a summer Switzerland vacation was booked immediately. 

5 Reasons Why You'll Want the Swiss Travel Pass

To drive or to take the train, that is the question.  In Switzerland, the answer is to take the train!  There is no place on earth that provides better train travel than Switzerland, and it is made so easy with the Swiss Travel Pass.  If you’re not sure whether it’s worth getting a Swiss Travel Pass for your trip to Switzerland, here are five reasons why you'll want to get a Swiss Travel Pass. 

5 Fun Things to Do in Saas-Fee Switzerland in Summer

Saas-Fee is a premier skiing village in the Valais region of Switzerland, so why were we traveling to Saas-Fee in summer?  It wasn’t for the skiing, though Saas-Fee is unique because you can ski there year-round.  While winter is Saas-Fee’s most popular season for travelers, summer is less crowded and there are many fun things to do in Saas-Fee in summer.

Four Days in Interlaken and the Swiss Alps

While we ended up spending a number of days in Switzerland’s cities, we wanted to spend plenty of time soaking in Switzerland’s nature, specifically the Swiss Alps and the Berner Obereland region.  To do so we spent four nights in Interlaken, giving us four-and-a-half days in the Swiss Alps.  We used Interlaken as a jumping off point for a number of day-trips to places like Thun, Jungfraujoch, Lake Spiez, Lauterbrunnen, and Gimmelwald. 

Lausanne Things to Do Plus Lake Geneva Day Trips

Lake Geneva is the Swiss Riviera and part of French Switzerland.  It feels very different from other parts of Switzerland, what with everyone speaking French, and Lausanne feels very metropolitan and fashionable.  It’s almost like visiting more than one country, yet you’re still in Switzerland with all of its benefits, like the delicious food and the ridiculously efficient transportation system.  Lausanne has many things to do, making it a great place to both visit and use as a jumping off point for Lake Geneva day trips to places like Gruyeres, Chateaux de Chillon, Chaplin’s World, and a walk through wine country.

Two Days, Three Cities: Bern, Murten, and Avenches

During our two-week tour of Switzerland, we set aside two days to visit Switzerland’s capital city, Bern.  With two days in Bern, we were able to visit many of Bern’s points of interest, and we were also able to venture outside of the city for a day-trip to Murten and Avenches.

Fairy-Tale Living with Two Days in Lucerne

The fairy tale view from our hotel room balcony.

Lucerne is a town straight out of a fairy tale.  If we hadn’t known better, we could have believed we were in Fantasy Land at Disneyland rather than in Switzerland.  There are crooked wooden bridges with centuries old paintings crossing a river dotted with white swans.  A church with a white-faced clock and gold hands reminded us of It’s a Small World.  An old apothecary shop which surely had eye of newt and toe of frog, along with its bay window turret could have been Snow White’s Castle.  While Lucerne (or Luzern) could easily be visited on a day-trip from Zurich, it is so much better to spend two days in Lucerne and live in the middle of this fairy-tale land, if just for a short time.  Plus, two days in Lucerne allows for a day-trip to one of two nearby mountains for a dose of Swiss nature.

What to Do With One Day in Zurich

With all of Switzerland’s nature, some guidebooks will suggest not even stopping in Zurich.  While we also were anxious to see Switzerland’s natural beauty, we did want to give Switzerland’s cities a chance, plus we were flying into Zurich, so we spent one entire day exploring Zurich.  While there are enough things to do in Zurich to keep one occupied for longer, we found that one day in Zurich gave us plenty of time to see the highlights.