If I were given airline tickets good for any country in Europe, it’s a no-brainer where I’d choose to go, for a fourth time! When planning a family trip in 2022, we quickly decided on a destination we desired to visit together.
Switzerland!
Pete and I enjoyed a spectacular Swiss train vacation in 2018. After returning home and showing sons Phil and Henrik our photos, they expressed a keen interest in visiting someday. When pandemic traveling continued to become easier and easier in 2022, I planned a similar train trip for the four of us; keeping the train loop a bit smaller. Wishing to see cities we missed on our first “go round”, I focused on limiting our travels to the northern Swiss region with a return to an all time favorite off the grid “Shangri-la” —Gimmelwald.
Planning a Swiss train adventure is fairly easy —-
First - buy your train pass upon arrival. In Zurich, we bought our Swiss Passes at the main train station.. Customer service agents are friendly and super helpful. Our agent gave us great guidance on purchasing the pass best suited for our travels.
Travelers Tip: Swiss trains have 1st and 2nd class cars. When boarding, always look for the “1” or “2” easily found on the outside of each car before declaring a seat. Swiss conductors are not happy if you mistakenly sit in the wrong class and you WILL be asked to move.
First stop - French speaking Lausanne. I procured a fantastic Airbnb near the heart of the city allowing us to spread out, inside and out.
Lausanne, located on Lake Geneva, is simply lovely. Be sure to take a boat ride, visit the Olympic museum and grounds, and don’t miss the enchanting Chateau d’ Chillon castle in nearby Montreux.
Traveler’s Tip: May is a fantastic time to visit Switzerland if skiing is not on your agenda. Be mindful however: the weather can be quite warm and not all lodgings are air conditioned.
After three nights in Lausanne, we rode the 3 hr 20 minute leg to one of my most favorite spots —
Gimmelwald ( not to be confused with the touristy and crowded Grindelwald).
To reach this car-free mountainside village, you must take the train, a bus, and a cable car to reach this tiny mountainside hamlet located in the Bernese Oberland.
Where to stay? The Hotel Pension Gimmelwald is charming. We loved our stay in 2018. Needing more space this trip, I booked a lovely apartment at Esther’s Guesthouse including a full kitchen, private bath and balcony.
Phil, a licensed drone pilot, made several phone calls to local airports before receiving permission to fly his drone to amazing nearby summits like Jungfrau not reachable by humans. You can see his video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2BFzjObzTc
During our stay we enjoyed our morning at nearby Spy World (I call it Bond World) and Birg's Thrill Walk. On the next wet, rainy day, we took the trains to visit Grindelwald where we enjoyed our “hike” along the Glacier Canyon.
But - it is in Murren, one more cable stop from Gimmelwald, where you can literally take flight.
If you are attached to a paraglider’s wings.
I promised myself in 2018 if I ever returned to Gimmelwald, “I’m going to do that”. Oddly, I had no other takers in my family. Making my reservation with AirTime in Murren, I was given easy instructions where to meet my pilot for an early morning flight.
Rolf, introduced himself before the group of us walked up the steep 100 yards to the take off area. Rolf's instructions were simple. Pointing to the cliff's edge, he said, “When I say Run, Run Run!!! ” -“Go as fast as you can until you don't feel the ground any longer. He added, “Whatever you do, don’t sit too early”. Watching the first three adventurers take off, my head was filled with thoughts of tripping, falling forward, and sitting too soon. WHAT WAS I THINKING????
With our parachute ready, pilot Rolf instructed me to stand directly in front of him before completing the final attachments. With a thudding in my chest, it soon became our turn. “Wait!!!, I wanted to shout, I’m not sure I'm ready!!!!”
“GO, GO, GO”, Rolf directed. And with that, I literally ran for my life determined to stay upright. Concentrating so hard, it took a bit before I realized my legs were rotating in thin air. We were flying!!
Utter joy!!! For the next 20 minutes, I marveled at being airborne with the birds. The sensation is like no other. My pilot asked me if I wanted to “steer”, which I politely declined. I only wanted to take in the magnificent scenery and enjoy the sensation of being weightless.
Travelers Tip: If you have ever wished to parachute, hang glide, or paraglide, this extremely safe experience is worth every penny.
After landing, it was time to load up and head down the mountain. We hated to leave Gimmelwald. But, as the adage goes, “Alll good things must come to an end”. It was time to push on for our final leg of our Swiss Family Oetinger adventures.
Our destination?
Basel, located in the northwestern region of Switzerland along the Rhine River. German is most spoken here (the city borders both Switzerland, Germany, and France). Although Basel is not given much billing by Rick Steves in his Switzerland Guidebook, it made most sense to make the city our final Swiss stop.
A great decision.
Once again, it made sense to book an Airbnb since three of us had to test for Covid to return to the US after this stop. Hotels seemed still too risky. I booked a three bedroom apartment for an easy commute from Basel’s main train station.
Our three nights in Basel were spectacular. We chose to get creative with our outings.
We visited the fascinating Tinquely Museum, took a boat ride on the Rhine, and enjoyed the display of over 650 musical instruments at the Basel Historical Museum.
But it was Henrik’s request which provided our most thrilling adventure -
E-biking in three countries.
E-bike rentals are easy to find in Basel. After taking a test run through the busy city streets, the four crossed the river into Germany. When our bike trail along the river ended, we turned into the beautiful German countryside.
We encountered only one potential mishap which had nothing to do with our bikes.
As noon approached, we thought it would be nice to stop somewhere for lunch. Peddling through Kirchen, Germany the Gasthaus Zum alten Salzfass appeared to be a perfect stop. The signage, completely in German, was readable enough to figure out we could find something we liked for our midday meal.
Our hostess seated us outside on a lovely patio, taking our orders quickly. Next to us was a table of 10-12 bicyclers who were obviously enjoying their bike ride day as well. Silly tourists. What we forgot to do first was make sure the restaurant took any type of bank cards.
After finishing off our plates, our waitress came out with the bill. Phil was the first to notice that she was carrying only a cash wallet; no card machine.
Uh-oh.
When we asked if she took cards, she said, “The internet is down in the area, no cards”.
Yikes. In a slight panic, the four of us quickly pulled out our wallets; adding up the cash on the center of our table. The nearby cyclers watched on, no doubt greatly amused.
Miraculously, we had just enough (only because she was willing to take US dollars AND euros). Once again, we travelers were reminded —
Travelers Tip - Whenever traveling, always have local currency on hand for emergencies,small shop and restaurant purchases.
The four of us travel well together and our Swiss getaway was no exception. After testing negative in Zurich, we stayed our final night before flying out the next morning at the Zurich Airport Hilton.
The Zurich Airport Hilton is lovely, the staff is over the top helpful, and if you are a Gold member, you are treated especially well at this hotel. You can easily train into Zurich for a night out and it’s a short taxi ride to the airport. I can’t recommend this hotel enough.
Switzerland - easy to plan, simply amazing to visit! Run off a mountain if you get the chance, enjoy great food, take in its history, and savor the most amazing scenery in Europe.
I can’t wait for return trip #5!
What a trip! I want to go to Switzerland! I might pass on any hang-gliding or such