My husband and I will be traveling to Switzerland this summer but are still deciding our itinerary. We do know that we will be there on 1 August and wanted to see if anyone knew of any special celebrations in the Berner Oberland or surrounding areas (we're flexible and would even go to Luzern or Zurich?) that we could check out?
Thanks!
Christen
Swiss National Day in Berner Oberland
Recent Activity
View all Europe activity »
- 1 American Citizen Buying a Home in Spain
- 2
Paris trip report
- 3 2 Week Italy Honeymoon Itinerary Review
- 4
Tales from Venice, Bologna, Pienza and Rome
- 5 Driving from Bordeaux south into Spain- tips please!!
- 6 Spain Pyrenees overnight stopover Help needed with route?
- 7 Dining in Rapallo and Camogli
- 8 Cuenca or Toledo
- 9 Train from London to Edinburgh
- 10 Athens licensed tour guide
- 11 When is the best time to buy train tickets/where?
- 12
Ireland - Doolin Ennis Dingle Kenmare Adare With Paragraph Breaks
- 13 Converting to EUROs
- 14
TR Provence, Israel, Switzerland, Italy..April 16 a day of AA infamy
- 15 Shuttle from CDG to Paris
- 16
Ireland - Doolin Ennis Dingle Kenmare Adare
- 17 Time from Venice airport to St Marks Square
- 18 Trains in Italy
- 19 To Madrid/Barcelona on Sunday! 8 Qs to help make the trip amazing
- 20 Navigo Decouverte
- 21 Lucerne where to stay
- 22 France: CDG to Beaune
- 23 Seems to me this forum is a lot less active than in years past....
- 24 jungfraujoch mid june
- 25 Venice Hotel near Cruise Terminal
I enjoyed the parade in Zürich, the speech given afterward by the lake, and the food from many different cantons at the stalls there.
I am pretty sure Bern has nice celebrations, too. Probably in the parliament building as well (tours). I doubt there will be something special in Wengen or so.
Hi kalikiana,
Thun on Lake Thun has a nice celebration, a lake cruise with dinner and fireworks. I was in Gstaad last year on National Day and almost went.
Have fun as you plan!
s
Ooh, both sound like excellent options!! Thanks so much!
a bit far afield perhaps but a few hours train and boat ride over the Brunig Pass from Interlaken and then by boat from Alpnachstad or other port would take you to the epicenter of Aug 1st celebrations I understand - the Rutli Meadow laying high above gorgeous Lake Lucerne - you can do a short hike up there from the Rutli boat dock - Rutli of course being the place where the Swiss Confederation was born one Aug 1st eons ago.
http://www.swissworld.org/en/culture/seasonal_customs/national_day/
Has a description of Aug 1st celebrations - notes that at Rutli the Swiss Federation President always addressed the crowd.
Wengen has a big parade through the center of the village (pretty much all the residents are in the parade!) and fireworks.
Dear kalikiana
You will find in almost every place a celebration of the Swiss national day. The bigger the city the bigger are the clebrations. In villages normally you will find more traditional celebrations with Jodelsongs, Alphonrs, big fires on the mountain summits etc. In bigger cities the celebrations aren't that traditional rural, but mostly got bigger fireworks.
Be aware that some city already celebrate on 31st July, because on 2nd of August people have to work again.
Enjoy 1st August.
pb