For a while now I’ve wanted to explore Switzerland: to hike in the snowy mountains, walk around the glittering lakes and gaze at the spires that make Switzerland’s cityscape. And finally the time was right and I was able to plan this glorious trip.
I decided to go with a friend from university and we looked up hostels, airbnbs and interrail tickets to see how we could budget such a trip. After some careful thought we came to the decision that we would buy a 7 day inter-rail ticket and visit Zürich, Luzern, Interlaken, Bern, Geneva, Montreux, Zermatt and St. Moritz. This was a massive undertaking but offered a great overview of all the different things Switzerland has to offer: amazing architecture, gorgeous lakes, mountain views, cogwheel trains, and a real taste of Swiss culture.
This is the route we took:
Planning your Trip:
ACCOMMODATION IN SWITZERLAND:
Another big expense in Switzerland is accommodation – the hotels are extortionate in price! And if you are inter-railing you do want to be quite near the train stations. I would suggest using airbnbs or youth hostels – we used airbnbs for most of the destinations but in Zermatt we used a youth hostel because even the airbnbs in that area were way over budget.
WHAT TO PACK ON A TRIP TO SWITZERLAND:
Remember that Switzerland doesn’t use the Euro! Make sure you purchase your swiss franks well in advance (they don’t always stock that much of them in the local post office/banks). You will also need a different charging adapter! Most of the regional areas in Switzerland don’t use the EU plug! – this was really difficult to get hold of in Austria so maybe check Amazon (again leave time for this – they aren’t always in stock)
SWITZERLAND TRAVEL PASSES:
The real cost of travelling around Switzerland is all of the train trips! I would therefore suggest you try and get one of the Swiss passes if you want to do an inter-railing trip. There are various different Swiss passes you can purchase but the one I decided was the most cost-effective for me was the 7-day Inter-railing student pass which comes with an Internal Map, ticket and travel diary (which isn’t so much a diary but a record of all your journeys for the train conductor to stamp and validate). I purchased mine in person at my local ÖBB (Austrian train station) – do make sure if you are purchasing them online you leave enough time for it to arrive! It seems to take a while. When choosing the number of days you want for your inter-railing pass, do make sure you include your outbound and inbound journeys if you are travelling to Switzerland by train! (also note that the number of days is the number of days you plan to be travelling on transport not the number of days you are going to be in Switzerland – so be clever with your planning – plan a few days where you don’t need to get on a train and make sure you stick to the plan so you haven’t used all 7 days before your inbound journey back!)
DAY 1: Zurich and Luzern
Since I was coming from Innsbruck in Austria it made sense to start in Zurich which was a 3 1/2 hour journey away. From our research we worked out that we’d be able to cover Zurich pretty quickly so we decided to place our first airbnb in Luzern.
Zurich:
In Zurich we strolled around lake Zurich taking in the beautiful cityscapes and famous Swiss spires surrounding it. From there we walked to the famous Kunsthaus art gallery, which houses works by artists such as Money, Picasso, Van Gogh, Manet and Matisse. After this it was time to get on the train again
Luzern:
We then got on a train to Luzern which took all of about 40 minutes and checked into our apartment which was just a bus ride away from the city centre. We dropped our bags off and headed into the city to see lake Lucerne and the famous Kappelbruecke. By now we were pretty exhausted so went back to the apartment to relax and have dinner.
DAY 2: Luzern and Interlaken
Luzern:
We woke up early and headed to the fortress for a pretty view of the city. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worst so instead of going up Mount Rigi as we’d planned we decided to head straight to the train station for Interlaken. (If you are luckier with the weather and have time though I would suggest you take the time to go up Mount Rigi – it looked lovely!)
The train ride between Luzern and Interlaken ended up being the highlight of the day! – the sun finally came out giving us the most spectacular aerial view of lake Lugers and lake Brienz (see below)Interlaken:
After around 2 hours we arrived in Interlaken and the weather was on our side! So we managed a quick stroll around the river before heading back to rest so we were fit for a busy day the next day.
DAY 3: Interlaken, Switzerland
Harder Kulm:
With the sun shining and the clouds away we woke up bright and early to tackle the day ahead. After breakfast we headed to the Harder Bahn to catch a cogwheel train up Harder Kulm. Known as the “top of Interlaken” the cogwheel train slowly chugs up the mountain offering views of the city we were leaving behind. And the view was spectacular. We had a clear aerial view of Lake Thun and lake Brienz as well as the beautiful forests surrounding.
Schynige Platte:
After we’d had a good look around we headed down and on to the next place on our itinerary: the cogwheel train up Schynige Platte. This is a very special excursion and one that offers some of the most beautiful views of the region. The sun was still shining when we got on the train so we were able to catch the views on the way up although we ended up being surrounded in a thick mist at the top. Nevertheless the true highlight of this trip is the views you get while still sat on the train, so all was not lost! After a long but wonderful day we got on the train to end our day in Bern
DAY 4: Bern, Switzerland
Today we took the day to explore Switzerland’s capital, Bern and wow was it beautiful! We started our day by visiting the Bärengräben. Originally a bear pit, this park is now dedicated to looking after the three bears that reside there. They have their own stream to swim in as well as bushes, trees and coves to hide in. It was so lovely to see such happy bears swimming and playing in such a natural habitat.
Next we explored the old town, making sure to visit the Kindlifresserbrunnen fountain, which depicts a giant snacking on some children, the Bundeshaus, and the famous zytglogge ornate clock, whose figures twirl 4 mins before the hour. We then walked to the Münster cathedral and decided to go up the Bell tower for an aerial view of the city. The Old City of Bern is a UNESCO heritage site (and has been since 1983) meaning the city has conserved its medieval urban appearance, which made for a very beautiful view.
DAY 5: Geneva and Montreux
Geneva:
We were satisfied that we’d seen all we wanted to in Bern and were now ready to move on so we got a 2hr train from Bern to Geneva where we stayed for lunch. We started off by visiting the famous fountain Jet d’Eau, the signature sight of Geneva which jets 500 litres of water per second up 140m into the air! We then walked through the old town up past the Place de Neuve and towards the cathedral before grabbing lunch and taking the train to Montreux.
Montreux:
By the time we arrived in Montreux it was 6ish and we were ready to hit the hay. Nevertheless, we dropped our bags off and made our way to the lake which was just 10 minutes away by foot. We arrived just in time to see the sunset and took a leisurely walk around the lake before heading back to our Airbnb.
DAY 6: Montreux, Switzerland
Rochers de Naye:
Today, was our only full time in Montreux so we got up early to take cogwheel train up to Rochers de Naye. This sweet little train started at Montreux main train station and worked its way up the mountains until you got a wonderful aerial lake view from above the clouds. It was rather sparse at the top – more of a place for hikers than for tourists so we tightened our laces and set on our way above the clouds and through the icy turf (it was really rather terrifying hiking on the ridge of a mountain top – no handrails or anything – tracing the icy footsteps of the people who had hiked there before us – and with a rather sudden drop on either side of us). We hiked around as much as we could (it was rather cloudy so perhaps would have been a better view on a sunnier day) and then had a mad rush to catch the hourly train back down. After hurrying on ahead and then panicking I’d lost my friend (who had since got on the train) and running back to where I’d left her – the train almost went on without me! It’s a series of adventures interrailing!
Chateaux de Chillon:
We made it back, had a spot of lunch and headed on to Chateaux de Chillion – a marvellous castle on the lake with a wonderful path of brightly coloured flowers and exotic plants leading to it. The sun was out and we happily walked the 40mins or so to the castle. Of course, when we had finished with the castle we were met with the strongest storm ever and had to run for cover at the train station and wait almost an hour for the train to come whilst listening to the loud thunder claps, dramatic lightening and the distant yelps of people trying to make it to cover in time (us included).
We were very happy when we finally made it home, now drenched from head to toe.
DAY 7: Zermatt
After breakfast we went straight to the train station, aware that this was our one day in Zermatt before we took the Glacier Express (at the crack of dawn the next day!). The train journey was a pleasant 2 and a half hours (changing in Visp) but boasted some stunning views of forests and little streams along the way.
Gornergrat bahn (the Matterhorn):
We arrived in Zermatt and was greeted with the sweetest little Ski town – so authentically Swiss! It was a lovely walk through wooden huts and bridges, with the Matterhorn in the distance but we hurried to the Youth Hostel so we could drop off our bags and head to the Gornergrat Train station before the day flew us by. Although by far the most expensive excursion of the trip, this cogwheel train was an absolute must! We’d researched the journey well and made sure to sit on the right-hand side of the train so as to see the Matterhorn on the way up. We got off at the Rotenboden station (Second to last stop) so we could see the Riffelsee lake and the Matterhorn reflected in the water before making our way up to the top.
Of course, little did we know that the lake was still all frozen! But there was a second smaller lake that we were able to see and the Matterhorn really did look magnificent from this height (we decided it actually looked better from this spot than from the top where most people go). At the Rotenboden station (if you go the time we went or earlier in the year) the ground is still covered in snow – up to about knee height so make sure you wear suitable clothing and shoes. We were determined to get to the lake so we staggered our way through the snow falling rather too many times and climbing down a few rocks until we reached the smaller lake that was only partially frozen over. We stayed there for a while admiring the view before getting back on the train and going up to the top.
At the top it really has been turned into a tourist spot with a number of restaurants and shops and different viewing platforms – really quite different to all the other cogwheels we’d taken and ironically by the time we’d made it to the top the Matterhorn was almost entirely covered by a cloud! But we didn’t mind – we’d seen it in all its magnitude/beauty on the way up and at the Rotenboden so we settled down and had lunch at one of the (extortionately priced) restaurants before making our way back down the mountain. This time I sat on the right hand side (rather than the Matterhorn side) so I could watch the other scenery – which included a magnificent waterfall that is still so ingrained in my memory!
We went back to the room to rest a bit before heading out to dinner. We both wanted to try some traditional Swiss food so we scouted out the nearby restaurants and found an amazing authentic Swiss wooden hut which served cheese fondue! What a treat that was! It came with a whole barrel of potatoes and a whole barrel of cubes of bread to dip into the (massive) bowl of melted cheese fondue – delicious! (although be prepared to loosen your belt by two or three settings!)
We were quite ready for bed when we got back…
DAY 8: The Glacier Express through Switzerland
Glacier Express:
Today’s the day we board the Glacier Express to St. Moritz so we woke up as early as 8am to ensure we got there in time (you have to reserve seats to board the Glacier Express). We decided to order food on the train since it’s such a long journey (8 hours!) which ended up being a very worthwhile, albeit slightly pricey, thing to do. We were sat at a table with cutlery, glasses and tablecloth and at 12 they served us our food – I chose the “käseschnitt” option which was a sort of croque monsieur cheese and ham toastie served in an oven dish and coated with melted cheese and garnish. Now onto the views – the real reason we went! The journey from Zermatt to St. Moritz began with stunning views from above, looking down at the forests, waterfalls and gorges below before heading down to the Kipfen Gorge. Then it heads through Brig and Fiesch up to the highest part of the journey – the Oberalppass (2033m above sea level) before descending into the Rhine Gorge.
The highlight of the trip was the next part, where the train goes through the famous Landwasser Viaduct that is pictured on many postage stamps – and how spectacular it was! – definitely bucket-list worthy (and worth the 8-hour journey!)
DAY 9: St. Moritz
It was our last day in Switzerland and we had a long journey ahead of us so we were slightly limited in what we could do. Nevertheless, we woke up early so we could walk around the lake of St. Moritz. A shimmering bright lake cased in forests, this sight was well worth the walk. One thing we have been amazed by are the colours in Switzerland – the water is so clear and turquoise looking and the fields oh so green.
A little after 12pm we took the bus back to the main station where we made our way back to Innsbruck – first a train to Chur, back over the Landwasser viaduct and the route the Glacier Express had taken us. Then a train to Sargans before getting our final train to Innsbruck.
Planning a trip to Europe? Why not check some of my other posts: What to see in Paris, What to see in Santorini
