ashwinb

I was staying in Zurich in the summer of 2017, and I got to travel across all of Switzerland. I spent about 11 weekends, many of them being long ones.
Every Friday I would take a train in the evening to some place and would return back on Sunday evening.
Travel was excellent, the country surpassed my expectations. I would definitely come back! Here's a report.
I would like to thank all forum members who helped me with my planning. I hope everyone here gets to spend a good amount of time in Switzerland, a week wouldn't do justice in my opinion.

Here's my blog link where you can look at my pictures: https://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com...2/switzerland/

I'll begin with my favorite experiences and places in Switzerland:

1. The hike to Lac Du Louvie in Valais.
2. The train ride up Brienz Rothorn, the weather was cloudy and rainy, but soon we went above the clouds, I got to see a few Ibex on the ridge.
3. The hike up to the Faulhorn peak above First, near Grindelwald.
4. The hike to Tanzbodeli from Gimmelwald in Bernese Oberland.
5. Staying at mountain lodges, I wish I had done more of it.
6. The ridge hike from Klingenstock to Fronalpstock. Super easy as well.
7. Montreux and the vineyards above Lutry.
8. Several places in the Engadine, especially Scuol and Guarda. And the food in Engadine and Ticino.
9. The village of Murren and the views from there.
10. Adelboden. Well, most of the places I went to were excellent.
11. On the same trip I went to Chamonix and Malta. Both were fabulous

Some tips and impressions:

1. Hiking: I soon realized, some of the really good views were only accessible by hiking, I hiked on most of the weekends, and it was absolutely worth it. Hiking was pretty easy, finding food wasn't difficult, maps were easy, and time estimates given at various places on the hike were fairly accurate.
2. Weather: That's very important, however, it's tricky as well. Weather forecasts were often good, but you really don't know what to expect when there is a 40% chance of rain. So, from all that I saw, there are a few days in the summer with heavy rain, and the clouds can get really low in the mountains, but at the same time it can get quite dramatic as well. But one shouldn't have much expectations from these days, better to spend these days in places like Montreux, Lugano, Bern. Then there are the days when it's a little cloudy in the day, rain/thunderstorms in the evening, you might see a few hours of sunshine on the morning and late evening as well. On these days, it's always better to begin activity early in the morning(really early). And then there are the clear days, which are absolutely perfect, always better to plan for a hike on such days.
3. Food and costs: While it's expensive, I thought most meals were good value for money, especially in the smaller towns. You can really fill up on fondue for about 26 Francs. About 35 Francs is generally good for a couple of courses, sometimes, even 30 is good enough. As a vegetarian I really enjoyed the food all over Switzerland, the variety and quality exceeded my expectations.
4. Traveling around: Almost always by trains or by bus, I bought a Half pass, which was great. Supersaver tickets bought with the half pass made travel tremendously cheaper, however supersaver tickets are available only for major routes.

Things I would have done differently:

1. Spent some more time in Valais
2. Tried to go to Appenzell, but I just couldn't get a place to stay on the weekends in the mountain lodges.
3. Stayed more at mountain lodges.

ashwinb

Now I'll begin with an account on Bernese Oberland, for pictures visit: https://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com...nese-oberland/

I spent three and a half weekends in the Bernese Oberland, here’s an account of all the places I went to.

First of all, my favorite places and highlights:

1. The First cablecar above Grindelwald and the hike upto the Faulhorn peak.

2. The view from Mannlichen.

3. Views of the peaks from Murren in the evening, just around sunset.

4. Going up the cog wheel train at Brienzer Rothorn. Walking a little on the ridge and getting to see a HUGE team of Ibex.

5. The virtually “virgin” pastures and mountains near Obersteinberg, and the hike upto it, with a detour to Tanzbodeli. Without doubt, a favorite, although the hike was quite hard.

6. Adelboden, not so commonly seen on the international tourist’s map, was great as well.

Things I would do differently:

1. Stay in Murren, not in Gimmelwald.
2. Try to go to Allmendhubel for the sunset, if the weather is good.
3. Stay at the Obersteinberg Hotel, it was one of the best locations to stay I have seen in Switzerland.

The Grindelwald valley: This was my first trip in the region, and my favorite. The village of Grindelwald is great, it sits right below massive, towering peaks and is at the end of the valley. In the evenings, the views of the entire mountain range is breathtaking. I arrived on a Friday evening, checked in at the Grindelwald hostel, which was alright and was all pumped up for an active trip that weekend. Dinner was at Barry’s, had a Spatzle with mushrooms and Stuffed pepper with beans.

Woke up to a gorgeous clear, sunny day. took the cable car upto Mannlichen. I was overawed by the massive Eiger wall. Walked upto the “Royal walk” point. The place lived upto it’s it’s hype. However, I wished I had arrived even earlier, the sun’s rays were hitting pretty hard. The walk upto Kleine Scheidegg was pretty good: quite easy, good views, although there were quite a few people doing it. The walk from Eigergletscherwas quite stunning as well, within a few minutes you come so close to the massif, you can see huge chunks of ice, and the top of the Jungfraujoch station looks quite dramatic. It really gives you a sense of the size of the massif, since the station building really looks tiny from below. The walk was a little steep, but not too difficult. Lunch was at the Eigergletscher hotel: Rosti and a local dessert, pretty good food.

Now I had to get back to Grindelwald, I decided to walk down the Eiger trail to Alpiglen. This turned out to be one of my favorite hikes (well, most of the hikes I did were my favorites). But this one was unique because it was right below the Eiger peak and the views onto the peak were very inspiring, very different from all the other hikes I did. The initial parts were a little slippery, with all the gravel, but soon it became an easy stroll down to Alpiglen. At Alpiglen, I had a meringue with cream at the local restaurant, which was delicious, but heavy, and got a train ride back to Grindelwald. Back in Grindelwald, the sunset light over the Eiger and all other peaks was breathtaking, the light was beautiful and the amount of clouds was just right. Dinner was at Barry’s again, had a portion of Raclette, an Onion soup and a dessert, all of it was good and the price was reasonable.

The next day was a sunny one as well. I took the cable car upto First and walked upto Bachalpsee. What a wonderful view that was! The mountains looked really really big and sharp because you are so close to it. The stroll upto Bachalpsee was an easy one.The hike from there to Faulhorn was pretty difficult, steep and a little snow in patches. But once you go up, the view is staggering again. It’s almost a 360 degree view. Right from the Lake Thun, the mountain ranges behind the lakes, the entire Eiger range, the Jungfrau, all of it. The ridge after the Faulhorn looked pretty cool as well. However, my favorite part of the hike was an Ibex climbing up one of the rocky peaks, and several rocks coming tumbling down. Later, I had a good fondue lunch at the First restaurant. And now was to begin another hike. I walked all the way to Gross Scheidegg from First. It was about an hour’s walk. The walk was very pleasant, you walk through some really good, virgin meadows, you pass by several streams and the views onto the peaks are really good. Gross Scheidegg was an interesting place as well, you get to see the Meiringen part of the valley. The bus ride back to Grindelwald was a very good one, although a little expensive, I wish I could have walked it.

The Lauterbrunnen Valley: I arrived in Lauterbrunnen on a cloudy Friday evening from Zurich. The weather was supposed to brighten up the next day. Dinner was at the Oberland Hotel, had a rosti and a soup and a salad. Started the next day with a train trip upto Wengen. The view from up there was really good. Came down to Lauterbrunnen and started walking towards the Trummelbach Falls. The walk was pretty good passing by a couple of big waterfalls and through some pastures. The Trummelbach falls was very interesting, try to visualize the connections between and waterfalls on different levels and concentrate on the flow of the water. Quite a treat. Took a bus to the Schillthorn station, by now the view at the Schillthorn had been covered with clouds, so did not go up. I checked into the Gimmelwald Hostel, had a cheese and soup lunch at the neighboring restaurant. I walked up to Murren, the views over to the peaks were absolutely great. The train/cable car to Allmendhubel, closes early, so I couldn’t really go up. I enjoyed the views from Murren, walking up the village as much as I could. After the sunset, which was glorious, with all the peaks turning yellow-orange-pink, I walked down to Gimmelwald, had a very average pizza dinner at the hostel and slept off. I wish I had stated at Murren.

Hike to Obersteinberg and Tanzbodeli: This turned out to be one of the highlights of my entire trip. The walking started from Gimmelwald, you go down to a river bed and then there’s a pretty big hike up. My walking sticks really helped a lot. Gradually, you go above the tree line and you can see the entire Lauterbrunnen valley in front of you. The pastures here are absolutely pristine. The hike up to the Tanzbodeli top was a little tricky at places, but still not very difficult. When I got to the top, I couldn’t have been happier. The view down the valley was fabulous, the view was 360 degrees. All around, there were mountains of all shapes and sizes. The troubles of hiking all the way up were soon forgotten. The next destination was the Obersteinberg hotel, I had initially planned to go the Obersee lake, but that seemed really far away. The walk to the Obersteinberg hotel was a very interesting one. Quite on the edge, with very good views of the neighboring peaks. And very rocky, the ridge route looked as if the mountains would tumble down any minute, and some of the mountains were partially covered with mist. A very Lord of the Ring-y route. Had lunch at the hotel, a simple cheese on bread and soup.I spent quite a bit of time lurking around, I had no intentions to walk all the way to the Lake and back. I took the road down to Stechelberg, the route was quite long and steep downhill. Satisfied with the hike, I returned back to Gimmelwald, went to Murren for another beautiful sunset and dinner. Dinner was at Bellevue Hotel in Murren, had a risotto and a dessert, was about average.

The next day, I walked from Grutschalp to Allmendhubel, quite a good and scenic walk and then got back to Zurich stopping at Thun on the way.

Brienz: Another favorite, which surprisingly doesn’t get many foreign tourists. I reached Brienz on a stormy evening. The train ride from Lucerne to Brienz was very beautiful. Dinner was at Weisses Kruz Hotel. I had a vegetarian Cordon Bleu and a salad, both were great. The next morning was a dark, cloudy one. Nevertheless, I reached the Brienzer Rothorn Bahn for the earliest train and boarded it. And within a few minutes, we were above the clouds! The views were absolutely top-class from top. Seas of clouds below and abundant sunshine above. I lurked around quite a bit and decided to walk atleast a small part of the Hardergrat trail. The train was very very slippery from the previous day’s rain, not very safe, and my shoes weren’t helping. At a couple of places, there were free falls on both the sides, and no ropes at all. And the trail was a bit washed out at places. I gave up and came back. But, on the brighter side, I got to see a big herd of Ibex, so it was worth all the troubles.

Had lunch at a place near the Brienz station, a thick pizza, probably my worst dinner in the entire trip. I took a train to the Aare gorge and walked across it. Was quite an experience, despite the significantly large number of people. Also, had a look at the Reichenbach falls, the place where the duel between Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty happened. Dinner was at Steinbock Hotel, I had a mushroom in cheese sauce and an apfel strudel, both were very well done. The next day was at Adelboden.

ashwinb

Adelboden

Adelboden has the one of the tallest waterfalls, an Instagram post brought me here. Adelboden isn’t very well known among international tourists, but is very well frequented by Swiss families. I took a train from Brienz to Adelboden, stopped at one of the stops before Adelboden and reached the Enstligtenalp station. Walked through the woods to the base of the waterfall. It was quite a sight. I took the cable car up to Enstilgtenalp. The place was like no other place I had seen in Switzerland. Very beautiful, though the glacier had almost melted for the season. There was a large green flatland nicely surrounded by mountains. Several glacial streams ran through the flatland. The best part was the clouds moving at a very high pace through the area. Many cows grazing around. Very pristine. I walked around quite a bit, the views of the area around and the waterfall below were really beautiful. Lunch was at one of the restaurants around, I had a very good rosti with vegetable gravy and a tomato soup, both very well made. By now, it had become very cloudy, I took the cable car down and walked towards Adelboden along the stream, a pleasant walk. Took a train back to Zurich.

ashwinb

Now, we go to Valais! For pictures, visit: https://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com...erland/valais/


Valais turned out to be my favorite region in Switzerland. Huge, towering peaks, Valais looked more remote and wild than the rest of Switzerland.

Here are some of the highlights of my trips into the Valais:

1. Lac Du Louvie: Accessible only by hiking, this is undoubtedly my favorite place in all of Switzerland.
2. The Aletsch Glacier and the Berghaus Riederalp stay
3. Zermatt, the view of the Matterhorn from the village of Findeln and the Zmutt valley.

Things I would do differently:

1. Spend more time in Valais!
2. Stay for sunrise/sunset over the Matterhorn at the Berghaus Fluhalp
3. Make a more leisurely trip to the Verbier Valley ( Val De Bagnes)

Zermatt

I went to Zermatt for a weekend from Zurich. The weather wasn’t ideal through the trip, but I did get a few of hours of excellent clear views of the Matterhorn. I took a train ride from Zurich to Zermatt. The journey was quite uneventful. I stayed at the Hotel Alfa, a pretty good place with excellent breakfast. It was right next to the river, the sound of the river rush by was beautiful.Dinner was at Whimper Stubli, the fondue was probably the best I had on my entire trip. The next day, I took the Gornergrat Bahnup to the top. The sun wasn’t out yet and it was a bit cloudy, but it was still beautiful. I walked all the way down to Rifflehaus passing by several lakes and nice views of the Matterhorn. But sunny skies would have been great. Lunch was at the restaurant at Rifflehaus, I had a Pumpkin soup and a Tart with vegetables. Later I took a long walk to Stellisee, I wouldn’t recommend doing that. The path isn’t too beautiful, it’s not difficult, but it’s just too long. Better to come back down by train and board the Sunegga Express to get up.

The views from the Stellisee were fabulous, only that I think they would look better early in the morning, because of the direction of the light. And I wish I would have stayed at the Berghotel closeby. I had to walk down all the way back to Zermatt, since it was almost 5.30 PM and the lifts close pretty early in the area. But that was good because I walked by the village of Findeln. It was so beautiful! It was a very typical Valaisian village, and the views of the Matterhorn were stunning from there. Took the long descent back to Zermatt. Dinner was at Le Gitan, I had a Chanterls with noodles and an Apricot sorbet dipped in apricot liquor. Excellent food. Spent some quality time walking around next to the river.

It rained a lot at night and the the clouds had really descended a lot by morning. Nothing could be seen. After breakfast, I took a walk to Zmutt valley. Soon the clouds started clearing off and the Matterhorn could be seen. The walk a slightly steep one, but not too bad. I walked past the village of Zmutt, the trail becomes more and more beautiful. A big contrast from the rocky terrain on the Five Lakes trail. Wildflowers, beautiful, colored insects, plenty of greenery and nice views of the peak. Can’t beat it. I was exhausted from the previous day’s walks, so I didn’t venture much further. Lunch was at a restaurant in Zmutt, Risotto and a plum pie, both were fabulous. I came back to Zermatt, walked around the village and started my journey back to Zurich. A great trip, I wish I had given it another day.


Aletsch

The view of the entire Aletsch glacier had really fascinated me. I took a train from Zurich to Fiesch. Stayed at the inexpensive Sports Resort at Fiesch. The next day, I took the cable car up the Bettmerhorn. The view was spectacular from up there! I went up the mountain infront of the Bettmerhorn, very steep, but very safe with chains and protections, but gave up after the landscape turned too rocky. I walked all the way down to Moosfluh and Berghotel Riederfurka. The Aletsch glacier looked like a huge “snow-highway”, the patterns of rocks covered with snow looked great. The entire area was very dramatic, you could see the Matterhorn at a distance along with several other peaks. The Matterhorn looked absolutely fabulous, just a little light fell on it and the clouds everywhere made it look even more beautiful. Lunch was the hotel(there were no lunch places on the way), I had a creamy polenta and soup, both were made well.

Spent the afternoon looking around the place, the peaks and mountains were huge and beautiful, the distant peaks looked very dreamy. Climbed up a local peak(about 30 minutes), to get one of my favorite views in the area. The view was 360 degrees, you could see the storms pass by the Matterhorn and the surrounding peaks, a huge part of the distant Aletsch glacier and a large portion of the valley and the massive mountains. Perfect place to spend an evening! I walked back late in the evening to the hotel and had a nice rosti dinner. The evening was surreal, post-storm clouds, the twilight and huge mountains all around.


Lac Du Louvie

I read about the hike to the Lac Du Louvie on Tom Dempsey’s blog: here. Booking a bed on the weekends and getting good weather wasn’t so easy. Finally I managed to get a bed on one of the decent weather weekends. And, it was a great decision. This was easily one of the most scenic places I went to in Switzerland, the remoteness, the ruggedness and the expansive views were the highlight. I really wish I had spent some more time there.

I took a train to Le Chable, checked into Hotel De La Poste, and had dinner at Gietroeux, the fondue was decent and the apricot liquor really good. The next day, I got my visitor’s card for the area, which helped me get a free ride up the cable cars. I went to Le Chaux station and took the path to Lac Du Louvie. The path wasn’t very straightforward, a little confusing at a couple of places, but you need to go up, not down. The views of the Grand Combins were great, the huge valley and the sharp peak rising above. The trail was very pleasant initially, maybe for an hour, the views front and back and on the sides were really really good. It was a nice and bright day. At a couple of places, the wet trail looked a little scary, but then it was ok when I walked over it. At a couple of places I got some help from fellow hikers, but again, not too difficult.

After a while, there were huge snowy patches, from the recent snow(in august). The views got even better as I approached Col Termin, especially those of the lake and the mountains behind. You could see the huge amounts of fresh snowfall at a distance. The top of Col Termin was great. I took the longer route to get to Lac Du Louvie, the route was again very scenic. The green, emerald, shiny lake lloked so good with the Grand Combins at the backdrop. Finally, reached the Cabane, relaxed for a while, had some lunch and then began exploring the area around. The lake and cabane looked very beautiful. I had one of my most memorable evenings, the sky was dramatic, the clouds were taking up shapes and the light turned from yellow to golden to orange to pink. Dinner was at the cabane, nothing to write about, but fair enough given how hard it is to access the place. I got some sound sleep, despite staying in the dormitory with 18 other people.

The next day was even more glorious, I woke up quite early and went to the other side of the lake to see some amazing reflections of the Grand Combins in the lake. Breakfast was just about ok. The walk down was quite steep, but the walking poles really helped. Down at Fionnay, I had missed the 11 AM bus back to Le Chable, so I walked up to Bonatchiesee, and had one of the best meals I had in Switzerland. I had a pastry with Chanterelles and a pasta made with wild garlic pesto followed by Apricot sorbet. Absolute heaven. I took a bus back to Le Chable and then train to Sion.

Sion

The castles of Sion had fascinated me. And I’m glad I was able to make some time for Sion. I reached Sion on a fairly hot evening. The castles were closed by then unfortunately. However, the old town was interesting enough to walk. I walked up to the Rue De Gravolone for good views of the castles and the entire town. Dinner was at a Ticinese place, Grotto De La Fontaine, I had a red corn polenta with cheese and vegetables, definitely the best polenta I’ve ever had and a chestnut cake. finally, I took a train back to Zurich.

ashwinb

Engadine

For pictures, visit:
https://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com...ne-and-ticino/
I made two trips to the Engadine region, both were very well worth it. The first one was to Pontresina and the upper Engadine, and the second one was to the Lower Engadine. I also made a trip to Lugano, the region was interesting and very different from the rest of Switzerland, a great place if you need a change, but I would go only if my trip is anything more than 10-15 days.

Favorite places and experiences:

1. The Food! Every meal I had in Engadine was excellent.
2. The walk from Guarda to Ardez in the Lower Engadine.
3. The lakes outside St.Moritz
4. The Diavolezza cable car, near St. Moritz
5. Tarasp castle, near Scuol.
6. The Lugano Lake, especially the village of Gandria.

Favorite restaurants:

1. Colani Stubli, Pontresina.
2. Stuva Grande, in Soglio.
3. Ustaria Crush Alba, Guarda, one of my best meals in Switzerland.
4. Astras, Scuol.
5. Chasa Veglia, Sent.

Things I could have done differently:

1. Early june is slightly early for St. Moritz, especially if you want to hike around. Most hikes were covered with snow. Also, many cable cars weren’t open then.
2. Spent a little more time around the lakes outside St. Moritz.
3. Spent some more time at the top station on the Bernina Express.

Pontresina and St.Moritz

I reached Pontresina on a sunny June evening. The mountains looked great and the way to Pontresina was pretty good, green pastures and mountains at the backdrop. Checked in to the Youth Hostel near the station and had a good dinner of Pizzocheriand a sweet-sour local soup. Very well done. I wasn’t feeling very well, so went to sleep early. Woke up in the morning with a slight fever, but a determination to make the most of the day. The breakfast atthe hostel was very good, well made bircher muesli and good quality cheese. I had a regional card which got me free tickets for all the transportation in the region.

I took the Bernina Express up to Alp Grum. The views onto the Italian side were great from there. But I was more impressed with the area around the Ospizio Bernina, I didn’t have much energy to walk around, but otherwise this is the station to get off and get a nice walk. I got off at the Diavolezza cable car station and went up the cable car. Wow, what views! But the place was quite snowed in, so not many walking options. Otherwise, this place is a great start for hikes. Lunch was at Colani Stubli, I had an asparagus soup and a gnocchi with cheese, both very well made. Came back to the hostel and rested for a while. Now that I was recovering pretty fast, I decided to go up to Muottas Muragl. I took the trail to the base and went up the funicular. The view was very good from the top. You could see the lakes and several peaks in the region. I walked a little for a while, taking in the views and had dinner at the restaurant up there. I got a rosti and a dessert, both were pretty well done.

I wanted to explore some of the villages in the Val Bregaglia. I took the post bus to Soglio, with a change in between. The route was very beautiful, passing by the lakes and the peaks. It was a nice and sunny day. I walked around the village of Soglio, exploring places outside the village. The initial plan was to hike in the area, but I was just recovering, so I decided to let that go. In any case, it was quite hot and the sun was pretty strong, so it wouldn’t have been a good idea anyway. The peaks of the ranges infront were very well shaped, very sharp and commanding. The village was also very beautiful, very different from the villages in the german speaking parts. Very north italian like. Lunch was very good, I had a nettle soup and a polenta with cheese at Stuva Grande. I took a bus back to St. Moritz, stopping at Sils Maria on the way. Such a sight the lake was, paragliders flying all over the lake, the sun shining brightly, yellow wildflowers all over and the mountains at distance. Finally, I took a train back to Zurich from St. Moritz.


Lower Engadine : Scuol and Guarda

On one of the weekends, I took a train in the morning to the Lower Engadine. I fell in love with the area instantly. The villages looked more quaint, the mountains were absolutely green and lush and huge , no snow caps at all and the valley was very narrow and the construction was less. My first stop was the village of Guarda. Perched high up in the mountains, the village had some really well preserved painted houses. I spent a long time walking around the tiny village. Lunch was excellent, I had at Ustaria Crush Alba, I had a swiss chard based pasta, called Marolins, really well made, and a chestnut cake. I began a downhill walk to the village of Ardez. The walk was very interesting, the views of the mountains around was quite dramatic, the best of the views was while approaching the village of Ardez. I wandered around the village of Ardez and finally took a train to Scuol, where I had booked my accommodation.

Scuol, too was an interesting town. Situated at the floor of the valley with mountains all over, a river and a nice looking bridge and church, Scuol impressed me. Dinner was at Astras, I had vegetarian capuns and mushroom stuffed ravioli, both were excellent. The next day, I went up to Tarasp Castle, my favorite castle in Switzerland. The location is very dramatic. You can see a huge part of the valley from the top, and is very well maintained from the inside. The tour which takes you inside is pretty good as well. The only downside is that you can visit the castle only through a tour, which is conducted just about 2-3 times a day. But the castle is a must-see in the area, nevertheless. I took a bus to Sent, but by this time, the rain had become very heavy, and it was quite difficult to walk outdoors without getting wet. At Sent, I had lunch at Chasa Veglia, I had a risotto, which was good. The rain showed no intention of withdrawing, and visibility was reducing as well, even in Scuol. So I finally took a train to get me back to Zurich.

Lugano and Bellinzona

I took a train to Bellinzona on a Friday night. The views of the lakes around Zug were absolutely brilliant. I arrived in Bellinzona and checked in at my hotel. The town was a little too quiet. I went up to the castle in the town, the views were quite good from the top. Dinner was at Ristorate Giordino, I had a truffle and multi-cheese pizza, which I found to be a bit too cheesy from my taste. I started the next day with a walk up to the top most castle. The views of the town below, the castles below and the wide valley were breathtaking. Very enjoyable. I hadn’t expected the area to be so mountainous.

After visiting the castles, I wandered about the farmers market in the town centre. A great antidote for home sickness. It looked quite similar to some of the farmer’s markets in the US, except that there were many polenta sellers. It felt nice to buy fruits from places which weren’t Coop or Migros. For lunch, I went to Cantina Del Gatt, in Bellinzona. I had a spinach tortellini and mascarpone with fruits. The next stop was the Madonna Del Sasso, a church located above Lugano. The Madonna Del Sasso has a fantastic location, it’s like the ideal monastery, hanging at the edge of a cliffside. The interiors are interesting as well. From here I headed to Lugano.

ashwinb

Ticino

Lugano was unlike any other place in Switzerland. It reminded me of California and Italy. More busy, more lively, slightly smaller mountains, flat roofed Mediterranean kind houses perched up the mountains, it looked like refined Italy. I was enjoying it thoroughly, it was a break from the mountains and glaciers and hiking. I walked around the Promenade and took a long walk along the lake, there was a Harley Davidson bike rally on the weekend, so the place was filled with people, almost like a carnival. I had dinner at Ristorante Pestalozzi, I got huge plate of polenta with mushrooms, which really filled me up. Later I had really good gelato at one of the gelaterias off the main street.

The next day, I had breakfast at a café on the main street, a really good pistachio croissant and a hot chocolate. I entered the Chiesa De San Maria di Loreto and Chiesa di San Rocco, the frescoes were beautiful. The ferries into the lake weren’t very frequent, unfortunately. I got on to the ferry to Gandria, the ride was really good. The view of Lugano from the lake was brilliant, the Mount San Salvatore looked very unique, the mountains on to the other side of the lake completed the picture. The village of Gandria looked straight out of the medieval ages, as we approached it. I really enjoyed walking around the village, the alleys and painted houses, views over the lake were filled with character. I would definitely rate it as my favorite place in the Lugano region. I had lunch at Antico Ristorate, I had a mushroom on toast(absolutely wonderful) and a gnocchi with vegetables. I took a ferry to the village of Morcote. I didn’t wait for ling, since there was another connecting bus to the base of Mount San Salvatore. The area did look very interesting, but I wish I had prepared to swim in the lake. I reached San Salvatore, took the cable car up and marveled at the views. You get a feel of “Rio of the east” from here, but I’m sure it’s not even close. Nevertheless, the views from the top were extraordinarily good, I wouldn’t compare them with the other mountain tops in Switzerland. From here you can see a large town, mountains with different shapes, a lake which is more rain fed, the vegetation is different as well. I decided to give Morcote another chance, I took the bus up to Morcote and walked up the convent. The soft, slanting evening light with the creepers, towers and medieval architecture gave the convent a very special feel. I took a bus back to Lugano, had dinner at La Cucina Di Alice, had an interesting pasta, made with tea leaves and different kinds of tomatoes. Roamed around the lake promenade, which seemed much calm after the rally. Took an early morning train back to Zurich the next day.

More coming soon..

PalenQ

Wow such great advice above.

Just a word about trains: Since you are traveling only on weekends forget any Swiss Travel Pass but do buy one-year Half-Fare Card that gives you half off everything that moves in Switzerland (except cows!) For lots on Swiss trains check www.sbb.ch; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com. Germany and Austria and even Paris are not that far away by train from Zurich so expand your horizons perhaps.

Adelaidean

Wonderful report, Ashwin, I remember following your planning threads and noting the responses myself.
Have now saved ideas from your post for a future trip.
We had 18 days in Switzerland and just had a 'taster', definitely want to revisit some areas and explore new ones.
Interesting how distinctly different each region is, not just scenery, but food, architecture, language, and great how easy it is to travel by train and bus. Your hikes are defintely more arduous than I am capable of, though.

PalenQ

Plenty of easy hikes in Jungfrau Region - like the famous Ridge Walk between The Mannlichen and Keline Scheidegg - awesome scenery too.

Adelaidean

You're right, Pal, that is a great and easy walk and fortunately there are lots of easy to moderate options.

I took a look at the Faulhorn from Bachalpsee and figured I might be over committing for my fitness level. Am in awe of the incredible stamina of so many elderly hikers we saw.

ToujoursVoyager

Wow! Bookmarking! I love the details on the hikes!

ashwinb

Thanks a lot! I did use the half pass, and it was great. I believe there were good discounts even on the supersaver tickets.

ashwinb

Thanks a lot! I agree with you, the variety is huge, and 18 days is great for a starter. I would definitely visit Switzerland once again and go over on a more relaxed pace.

ashwinb

Absolutely, I would also add Allmendhubel to Grutschalp (or maybe the other way round).

ashwinb

The French speaking parts of Switzerland, Montreux, Lavaux, Gruyeres and Murten

For pictures, visit: https://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com...es-and-murten/
These were some of my less mountainous trips into the french speaking parts of Switzerland.

Highlights

1. The Lavaux Vineyards: Absolutely breathtaking, the beautiful vineyards overlooking the vast expanse of the Lake Geneva. Unbeatable.
2. The town of Gruyeres: touristy, yet quaint, plus excellent food.
3. Murten: an interesting walled town.
4. Montreux: a fantastic waterfront, magical when it rains.
5. French Valais has beautiful mountains, I went to the LAc Du Louvie, near Verbier. I have covered that on my page on Valais.

Montreux and Lavaux:

On one of the weekends, I took a train from the Bernese Oberland to Montreux, passing by the huge mountains in the French part of the Valais. Montreux looked so different from the German parts of Switzerland. It soon started raining heavily. I walked around the beautiful waterfront. The clouds soon gave way to the setting sun and the mountains on the other side of the lake looked nothing short of majestic. This was early June, so the crowds were less, on the waterfront. I started looking for restaurants, the ones on the waterfront were extremely expensive. I went to Restaurant Le Museum, where I had my first fondue in Switzerland. The fondue was absolutely excellent, the cheese was perfect, the temperature was right, so were the potatoes and the bread.

The second day was to be spent in Lavaux region. I took a train to Lutry from Montreux. At Lutry, I got a 20 Franc pass which gave me access to tasting wine in all the wineries in the area. I spent the next several hours walking around the vineyards in the area, up and down the hills. The views were good everywhere, but they were the best at the winery Alain Chollet. The wine was great at all the places, the gruyere cheese served with the wine was excellent as well. It was definitely one of my most favorite days in Switzerland. I finally ended up in the beautiful village of Grandvaux which too had great views of the lake and the vineyards. I took a train back to Montreux from here. Back in Montreux, I went up to the Chateau De Chillon, the castle was pretty good and worth a visit. Dinner was at Cafe Du Globe, I had a fondue(again, I know) and a dessert. One of cheaper sit down places I have seen in Switzerland, a very local place with very little english spoken.

Gruyeres

I got a train from Montreux to Gruyeres. The ride was a very beautiful one. The entire area was shrouded in clouds and mist. We passed through several forests and pastures as well, the mountains were much smaller and prettier than I had seen so far. Finally I arrived in Gruyeres. The menu at the restaurant outside the station looked inviting, but I decided to carry on, the village was to have even better places with more “gruyeres-ey” menus. The main street in the village was filled with energy, just the right amount of people, plenty of local restaurants, the entire village had an old world charm to it with it’s cobbled stone roads and houses. I had a look at the castle, which was great from the inside. Wandered around the town, since I had had fondue twice already on consecutive days, I was looking for something different. I had lunch at Restaurant Des Ramparts, I had a gruyere cheese stuffed fried pancake and berries with heavy cream, both were absolutely good. Later I walked back to the station and took the train back to Zurich. Quite an interesting place Gruyeres was, I wish I would stayed for some more time.

Murten and Fribourg

Murten happened to be just off my path while returning from the Bernese Oberland on one the weekends. It’s about 45 minutes from Bern, and is on the “french-german border” is Switzerland. Infact the town has two names, a french one and a german one. The highlight of the small walled historic town is the beautiful walls, you can walk around a large part of the extremely well preserved and full of character town. I spent a few hours walking around, certainly very pretty. The cafe on the main street served excellent pastries and hot chocolate. Fribourg which is closeby is also a good town to spend a few hours. The old town is very beautiful, similar to Bern in some ways, but the area around the river takes you to a much older age.

ashwinb

Zurich, Lucerne and northern Switzerland

Pictures: https://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com...n-switzerland/
I spent a couple of weekends traveling around Zurich and Lucerne. Here’s a brief account. I enjoyed this region a lot, however, I see that a lot of tourists visit only this part of Switzerland, missing out on the much more beautiful and high mountains of Valais and Bernese Oberland.

Highlights:

1. Peak of Klingenstock and Fronalpstock. Absolutely gorgeous peaks, especially Fronalpstock. The views over the lakes were brilliant.
2. The town of Stein Am Rhein with it’s painted buildings.
3. Hidden from tourists, absolutely off the beaten track, the village of Arvenbuel, just an hour south of Zurich.
4. The town of Lucerne, loved walking around the river and the lake.
5. The Chassalp restaurant just around Zurich serving several varieties of fondue.
6. The vegetarian buffet restaurant in Zurich, Haus Hiltl, go only to the main branch.
7. The Wirthaus Galliker restaurant in Luzern.

Places which were a little underwhelming:

1. Rigi: the views weren’t too impressive to me, especially after Fronalpstock.
2. The Rheinfalls, well, it’s actually not too bad, the force of the falls is impressive, but that’s about it. I would rather invest the time somewhere else.

Arvenbuel

I saw this gem of a place while returning to Zurich from the south. The villages of Amden and Arvenbuel look well perched above the dramatic Wallensee lake. On a warm summer evening, I took a bus/train to Amden, and walked up to Arvenbuel and then took a small hike to the Chapf viewpoint. Absolutely fantastic, and best visited on an evening. The sunset I saw was one of my most favorite in Switzerland. The restaurant in Amden(there are just one or two) was great.

Klingenstock and Fronalpstock:

I took an early morning train from Zurich to the base of Stoos. Got a day pass and took the chairlift to Klingenstock. The top was amazing. The fast moving clouds made the top even more eventful. Took the easy path to Franalpstock along the ridge. If you want to do an easy ridge hike, nothing is better than this one! As I got closer to Fronalpstock, I could see the lakes at a stretch. This was definitely one of the most gorgeous sights I have seen in Switzerland. The lakes, being cut by the mountain range looked amazing, and several lakes could be seen extending into the horizon. Quite a sight, plus the clouds would move along making it even more dramatic. And there was this boat cutting across the bright blue lake and the sun shining on it. Had lunch at the restaurant, a rosti and a soup, both were of average quality. Descended Fronalpstock and took a bus towards Rigi.


Rigi

Visiting Rigi was anti-climatic, after having just visited Fronalpstock. EArly morning might be a better time to visit. However, the view from Rigi Rotstock was interesting.

Lucerne/ Luzern

I visited Luzern on an evening and felt it was certainly worth an evening, especially walking along the river and visiting the towers above the city. I had a good Italian meal at Mamma Leone and a wonderful Swiss vegetarian meal at Wirthaus Galliker, one of the best non-greasy rosti’s and a pastry with mushroom sauce.

Stein Am Rhein and Schaffhausen

I visited Schaffhausen, Stein Am Rhein and the Rhein falls on a nice sunny day. Stein Am Rhein was quite breathtaking, the historic town is well preserved, with some amazing painted walls and well restored historic houses. I had a quick meal at a local cafe, Cafe Spath, which was pretty good. The Munot Castle was an interesting place to visit in Schaffhausen. The Rhein Falls, were great, but I wouldn’t spend time here if I have anything less than 10 days in Switzerland.

ashwinb

So, it was a brilliant trip! I could visit again, see more, visit more villages, do some more hikes, some tough, some easy, stay in mountain lodges, eat more cheese, visit more lakes. As far as I have traveled I haven't seen anything equivalent to Switzerland in terms of scenery and ease of visit (this means easy availability of food, transport, accommodation at smaller places).

PalenQ

Yes the Swiss make it all son easy if expensive. thanks for reporting back.

scrb11

I just passed Wallensee on a train between Chur and Zurich.

looked up some of the towns near the lake.

Amden looks to have a very scenic location.

Never heard of the lake but I would imagine you could d9 as day trip if staying in Zurich?

Then aga8n, Zurich is so expensive and not particularly interesting place to visit more than once or twice that maybe staying near this lake may be more interesting.

mnag

Bookmarking!! This is absolutely excellent information. Love your description and pictures. We were in BO about 5 years ago. And just came back from a trip to Chamonix and Val D'Aosta this summer. While we enjoyed BO we absolutely fell in love with Chamonix/Mont Blanc particularly the hiking trails views and food. It may be that the weather was uncooperative in BO in July and the area a bit more touristy or the fact that we did limited hiking or simply passage of time and our memories....Would love to hear your take.