SWITZERLAND!!! The absolute most beautiful country John and I both have ever visited. Truly the most unbelievable natural beauty that no picture can ever do justice but… I will try ;). And just to clarify a bit… I know I say “favorite” a lot so I want to explain a bit. I feel like there’s so many ways to enjoy traveling and your surroundings. Sometimes you want to sit in one spot, take in the most WOW beauty and not do much else other than grab an occasional cocktail or yummy dinner … Santorini! Sometimes you want some of that but then you’re also willing to get out and explore, climb some stairs and/or take a boat ride to really take in the beauty… Amalfi Coast! Sometimes I want a place that feels cozy yet beautiful, relaxing but with fun shopping/restaurants and beautiful beach, somewhere easily accessible with that European village and fresh market vibe… for me, Antibes, France! And then sometimes you want to get out and adventure what God has created on full display in the most tranquil atmosphere you’ve ever experienced. Year round snowy mountain peeks, turquoise lakes and precious little villages… THAT IS SWITZERLAND!
Renting A Car
In my opinion, to really see and experience Switzerland, you have to journey around a bit. Once again, big cities are not my favorite and to me, aren’t the true beauty of this country. The beauty is in the journey. Truly. Stopping here and there to grab lunch, walk to the shore of a crystal clear lake, hear the cow bells firsthand… And for that, traveling all over is a MUST!
The trains are most definitely a great option in Switzerland but I would also not shy away from renting a car. And I almost NEVER say that about anywhere in Europe! We rented from Sixt at the Geneva Airport and it was a great experience.
I think the biggest thing about Switzerland… in my opinion… is that there’s so many places worth visiting but most are just a day or two kind of stop. The villages are so small that after one or two nights you are kind of ready to move on. So having the flexibility of transportation is a MUST!
John’s Shirt / Shorts
What to Wear…
There’s a lot of factors, a huge range of activity options and of course variances in weather but overall I’d suggest cute, warm and cozy! Even when we go in the Summer it can be chilly at times and there’s lots of walking and adventuring to be done. I found leggings and an easily accessible cardigan best for most days…
My Top / Leggings / Cardigan / Crossbody
Vevey
Our entire road trip was kind of an accidentally half-planned, spontaneous, figure it out as we went kinda week. Long story short, we had our entire week planned out and booked half a year in advance but about a week before we were to be flying from London to Switzerland, the weather outlook was terrible! Rain and thunderstorms every single day. And although, had that happened, we would’ve made the best of it… since we were able to cancel and be refunded for most all of it, we decided to take the chance and cancel. The flight was non-refundable so we kept that on the chance that the weather panned out. And it absolutely did! We had blue skies every single day. But… with everything canceled but the flight we had to wing it!
Our flight was from London Heathrow Airport to the Geneva, Switzerland airport. We had kept our rental car reservation since it was free cancellation up until the day of so as soon as we landed, we headed to the car rental place inside the Geneva airport and picked up our cute little car. From there, we drove maybe 45 minutes to the other side of Lake Geneva to the city of Vevey, Switzerland. I can’t remember if I found our hotel the night before or morning of but they had an opening, although a little bit pricey, and it was absolutely stunning! Right on the lake with the yummiest dinner restaurant.
As far as Lake Geneva, it is absolutely beautiful and worth a visit! There’s tons of vineyards and John and I have it toward the top of our list of somewhere we want to visit again in the future. I would say though, I don’t think you get the full Switzerland experience from just visiting cities along the lake, but it is absolutely worth a stop!
Our hotel was Grand Hôtel du Lac Vevey and like I said, it is GORGEOUS!!! We were only in Vevey for the evening and the following morning so we didn’t do or see much but it was the perfect first night. Oh and their Buddha Bar Restaurant… also pricey but… DELICIOUS!!!
John’s Tee / My Tee / Pants / Crossbody
Gruyeres
John’s Shirt
Our quick stop in Gruyeres was my second time there and a MUST on my list to show John. It is small and a quick visit but straight out of a fairytale! It was on our way-ish from Vevey to Thun so we popped by for lunch and a little shopping. Gruyeres is a hilltop medieval town that was built in the 13th century. It’s a MUST SEE!!! Oh and if you grab lunch or dinner, choose a place where you can sit with a mountain view. We had pizza at Le Saint Georges with a view and it was dreamy!
Thun
Thun… the city of river surfing! Another city I had visited back in 2018 but wanted to show John the cuteness. We went soooo round and round about staying the night in Thun or Spiez that I waited until 3pm day of to book a place so options were scarce but where we stayed was actually pretty nice. It was Boutique Hotel Spedition and if you are looking for somewhere clean, in a decent location and affordable, I would recommend it…. I can’t say it would be my very first choice for location or charm but it worked! If you do stay there, make sure and cross over the river for the good side of Old Town. Thun has so many cute shops and restaurants along the river. Oh and of course you HAVE to stop and watch the river surfers!
Lucerne
As opposed to Thun where the city had the charm of our stay, this stop was ALL HOTEL for us! We stayed at Château Gütsch. We mainly stopped in Lucerne as just a place to stay to be close to our next stop… Mt. Pilatus… but it was WORTH IT 1,000% just for this hotel! We actually did not even end up persuing around Lucerne because the hotel was so gorgeous but the city sure looked beautiful from afar. And P.S. I don’t mean that Lucerne isn’t worth visiting… we just didn’t this time.
My Top / Leggings / Cardigan
Pilatus
MT. PILATUS!!! Probably one of my TOP absolute MUSTS for Switzerland! It is an absolutely unreal experience. From the cable car ride to the top to the views to waking up to the sunrise over the Alps… it is INCREDIBLE and worth every penny!
To travel up to Mt. Pilatus (yes, you can just go up for the day), you can either take a cable car or a cogwheel train. I’ve been twice and have done the cable car both ways each time, so I’ve never taken the train. They actually depart and return to/from different locations than one another so you’d have to choose one of the two. For the cable car, you’ll go to Kriens and park at the lot there. Tickets aren’t cheap but it’s more than worth it! There are several stops before it makes it’s way to the top, and one stop in particular… Frakigaudi… is so fun! They have a little restaurant, zip lining, an alpine slide, playground and more. We did the alpine slide and it’s so fun!!! You easily just board another cable car once you’re finished there and make your way to the top.
Both times I’ve visited Mt. Pilatus, I’ve stayed at the hotel there called Hotel Pilatus Kulm. Like I said, pricey but WORTH IT!
John’s Shirt / Cardigan / Jeans
Interlaken
Interlaken is the city of paragliders! From what feels like pretty much everywhere in the town, you will see paragliders coming down at some point on a sunny day. Even if you aren’t wanting to take part, it’s so fun to grab lunch somewhere around the main square and watch them all land. I’ve always wanted to paraglide here and this time WE DID IT! More on that shortly.
During our time in Interlaken, we stayed at the Boutique Hotel Bellevue and it was FABULOUS! The views of the river were beautiful and it was just a short walk to the square. I would definitely recommend it! We had lunch outside at Ristorante Sapori e Pizzeria at the Grand Hotel and I would also highly recommend it!
PARAGLIDING! OMG it was soooooo amazing and soooooo fun and you have to do it!!! We booked through Viator and this was the heading… “Summer Paragliding Beatenberg in Interlaken”. The activity was through Swiss Paragliding & Adventure GmbH so if you’re able to book directly through them, you may be able to save a little money. We paid $429 for the two of us to paraglide.
As far as the actual paragliding experience, we met at the square where everyone lands and boarded their van with two other paragliders and our four guides. We then drove up the mountain to the jumping point and got all geared up. Honestly the scariest part is the initial “jump” which is literally running off the cliff. Once you get the gear on and he lays out the parachute, with your guide attached and standing right behind you, you quite literally run off the mountain! The force of the run forces you into the paragliding seat once you’re off the cliff. From there, it is just WOWWWWW! The views are just unreal. It’s very quiet and peaceful once you’re in the air so unless you really focus on it, I found it more peaceful and amazing than anything. Also, they bring their phone and selfie stick to take pictures and videos and then it’s $40 at the end if you want them all.
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Wengen
My Dress
We came here because of y’all! So many of you suggested it when we were deciding where to head next. Wengen is the most adorable little Swiss mountain village accessible only by train and it is carfree which makes it extra dreamy! We made the short drive from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen, parked in the car park there, had lunch at Steinbock Pizza in Lauterbrunnen and then boarded the train to Wengen with our luggage. It was a STUNNING train ride and it is such a precious city. P.S. Lauterbrunnen is worth a stop too!
For our two nights in Wengen, we stayed in THIS AIRBNB and it was perfect! It is a little bit of an uphill hike from the city but it’s the most peaceful little walk. In Wengen, I would definitely suggest stopping in for a drink at The Alpine Hotel. It is ADORABLE! We also ate at Restaurant 1903 and it was soooo good!
XOXO, Brittany Palazzo
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