Living in Europe, I was always able to visit a whole bunch of “nearby” countries. Only one of the places I never got a chance too was Switzerland. So I’m super excited to spent 3 full days here as part of our 10 day road trip through France and 4 other countries.
Lake Lugano – Monte Generoso
Just across the border from Italy into Switzerland is Lake Lugano. With same-day hotel bookings I was glad I found something affordable in the village Capolago. We had a super tasty dinner at the hotel where my Dad was overjoyed to see “Geschnetzeltes Züricher Art” on the menu, a Swiss dish he hadn’t eaten in years.
When taking an evening stroll to check out Lake Lugano and the stars, we stumbled upon a cogwheel railway station just across the road, which was also the starting point to visit Monte Generoso. This definitely was a fun coincidence, the next morning we took the first train up the mountain.
40 Minutes after departure we stood on top of the mountain and walked the last 100 meters uphill to the summit. The sky was blue and we had unlimited views of the Swiss mountains, even the Matterhorn!
Lake Lucerne
Driving through the 15km long Gotthard tunnel we left the Italian part of Switzerland behind us. Lake Lucerne was the final destination for today. We took the cable cart up to Niederbauen Kulm for a trail to the Hundschopf viewpoint, an easygoing hike but we were surprised by the sudden cold in comparison to earlier that day at Monte Generoso. It was quiet on the mountain; only hearing cow bells, passing some farmers and seeing Paragliders lift off.
Gelmerbahn
After seeing a video online about this steep train ride, I needed to get on board too. With a gradient of 106% it’s the steepest funicular railway in Europe. An exciting 12 minute trip that brings us up the mountain, where we walked around the Gelmersee reservoir with an elevation of 1.850 meters. Luckily we had front row seats on the way down!
Make sure to buy tickets online at least one day in advanced. The ride only takes 24 people and ascends every 24 minutes, time slots do fill up though!
Lauterbrunnen – Jungfrau
Only 15 minutes South from Interlaken is the beautiful village Lauterbrunnen. It’s situated in a valley between mountains and even waterfalls as a backdrop. Although it definitely was more touristy than expected, that didn’t take away its beauty.
From here we took another funicular train to the towns Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg. Which is at the foot of the Jungfrau mountain peak. In the winter a ski resort, but even in summer the views of the Jungfrau are still covered in snow.
Bern
The old town of Bern is a UNESCO heritage sight and I can see why! It’s situated in a horseshoe bend of the Aare river. The grey-greenish houses get their unique color from the natural materials that was used in the area. The city is a wonderful sight from both within as from the outside of the river.
Basel
The city is very different from Bern, definitely a more modern vibe, even with its medieval town centre. We were particulary fascinated by the red sandstone town hall.
Basel was our last stop in Switzerland before we crossed the border into Germany, where life instantly got a whole lot more affordable again.
