The Sound Board

 

3 Must-See Swiss Destinations

Thinking about your next vacation? Just go to Switzerland! If you enjoy long scenic drives, are crazy for mountains and hiking, or just feel like cruising on a boat, we’ve got you covered.

As you begin your alpine adventure, you'll pass through the town of Lungern and it's amazing view.

Lungern and the Lungersee

First stop, Brienz! The picturesque Swiss village is on the northeast shore of Lake Brienz, in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland region. It's known as the "village of carving" and has a tradition in wood processing that even has a school for carving and violin making. While there, make sure to check out the “Brunngasse,” which has been awarded the most beautiful street in Europe - definitely something you'll want to see for yourself.


Other than beautiful streets and pretty mountain tops, you can take a scenic steam train on the railroads passing through Brienz, Rothorn, and Bahn. The nearby Ballenberg (open-air museum) also gives an fascinating insight into 16th - 19th century rural life. Buildings such as farmhouses, barns and workshops from all over the country have been rebuilt there.

My favorite part of Brienz was renting a boat and cruising on the gorgeous, turquoise colored lake with endless views of beautiful meadows and peaks. If you’d rather go on a boat that will take you to different parts of town, you can also easily go on a boat tour here. Whether summer or winter, a cruise on Lake Brienz is worth the visit by itself.

Our next stop is Interlaken. Located between two Alpine Lakes (Brienzersee and Thunersee, 'Interlaken' translates literally as 'Between Lakes'), Interlaken is a popular resort town for outdoor sports and travel in the surrounding Bernese Oberland Alps. You can see the best of central Switzerland's magnificent scenery that offers a variety of tourist attractions such as sailing, windsurfing on the lakes, parasailing, horseback riding, and paragliding.

Interlaken, Switzerland

Interlaken is part of a touristy avenue between the east and west rail stations that brings an extraordinary view of Jungfrau mountain (top of Europe), surrounded by hotels and flower beds. Next to the Hotel Interlaken, you'll find the small Garden of Friendship, the first Japanese garden in Switzerland, a very peaceful spot that symbolizes the friendly relationships between the cities of Interlaken and Otsu in Japan.

Renowned for its incredible mountain scenery that consists of over 45 mountain railways, cable cars, chair lifts and ski lifts, Interlaken offers something for every kind of traveler.



The Lauterbrunnen Valley

Third stop, Lauterbrunnen, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I couldn't believe my eyes when I finally arrived - the months of planning and looking at pictures of Lauterbrunnen did it no justice. It’s famous for its 72 waterfalls, secluded valleys, colorful alpine meadows and lonely mountain inns. The Lauterbrunnen Valley is one of the biggest nature conservation areas in Switzerland.

The entire area is a serious gem, unique not only because it has surrounding views of Swiss Alps, but for the warm and welcoming people and peaceful atmosphere too.

Staubbach Falls is the iconic waterfall you will find in every Pinterest dream-like picture. Plunging about 300 meters from an overhanging rock face, these waterfalls are some of the highest free-falling waterfalls in Europe. You can hike very close to the top of Staubbach Falls and see the stunning views of mountains, cliffs and waterfalls that maybe hard to find otherwise.

The coolest thing I did was a hike unlike any other, accessible only by a natural tunnel at Trümmelbach Falls. The falls is hidden behind mighty rock faces, and carries up to 20,000 litres of water per second over the ten glacier falls. If that doesn't impress you, then maybe Switzerland isn’t for you. However, if you do have a pulse, you can get more information here.

Trümmelbach Falls

There's so much that Switzerland has to offer beyond these three places - from the soaring Matterhorn near Zermatt to beautiful Montreaux and the Chateau Chillon, from Zürich and Geneva to Europe's highest peak Mont Blanc. In all, I'm certain that you'll find Switzerland as magical as I did. Adieu!

Other Articles:

//