Five things to do when wandering in Switzerland

We’re a little besotted with Switzerland. I mean, who wouldn’t love picture-postcard rolling hills, stunning chateaus, quaint villages… need I go on? And it’s all just so orderly. So, any opportunity we get, we make our way back to this little country. 

And every time we think, it really can’t be as pretty as we’ve remembered it and every time it is. Trust us when we tell you this is one place you need to see for yourselves, and to help with your planning here are five of our favourite experiences in Switzerland. 

An afternoon in Lausanne

We were staying in Epalinges in Switzerland, just outside Lausanne so this post has to start there, right? And the only way into Lausanne from Epalinges is by the automated metro, which, according to my cousin Jon it is the steepest automated train line in the world. Yep, this train has no driver, which made me wonder, what happens if the brakes fail?

Fortunately, they didn’t, and we made it down, and back, with no problems.

The train line travels straight up, no turns, no flat sections, just straight up (or down, I guess, depending on which direction you’re travelling).

Lausanne is a big city with more than 130,000 residents. It has a cute old town, the centrepiece of which is the largest cathedral in Switzerland. It’s a gorgeous cathedral, and if you walk up the spire – yep more steps (!) you get stunning views over the lake and the mountains. The city centre is larger than we expected; the touristy parts – Ouchy and the old town – are separated by the non-touristy business-end of the city. So, we only made it through the old town today – too many buildings to photograph.

We also wandered into the Natural Museum, an amazing building and the collections all looked incredibly interesting, unfortunately it was 4.30 and the museum closed at 5, we really didn’t have any time to look around – something we will definitely have to come back to.

Gruyere – more than just cheese

When my cousin Jonathon suggested we visit Gruyere, I imagined we would be heading out to taste cheese – I had visions of Lactos cheese factory in Tasmania, so imagine my complete surprise when we arrived at a walled city and castle.

We did, of course, try the cheese – in the form of fondue – and it was amazing, much better than I expected.

Just before reaching the castle, we stopped for a drink in the Geiger bar – owned by the man who did all the special effects for a few movies including Alien. The bar really shouldn’t be missed – it has all kinds of heads in the wall, a skeletal ceiling and seats that make you feel like you’re sitting in an alien skeleton.

The castle itself is very interesting, built in 1270. You can wander through each of the rooms and unlike many museums or heritage buildings here you can touch most of the furniture. 

The views from the castle are also spectacular, across the old walled city, through the meadows to the surrounding mountains.

You could spend a full day here wandering through the shops, looking through the various exhibitions and the castle rooms.

We spent an afternoon here and it was fabulous.

A Day in Bern

One of the things on our “must do” list for our trip to Switzerland was to visit Bern; everything I had read about the nation’s capital indicated it was a stunning old city.

Bern is only about one hour by train from Lausanne, and it is another stunning Swiss city. Bern means bear, apparently, and the city is famous for the bear “pits” at one end of the city. Fortunately, they have taken the bears out of the concrete pits and rehoused them in grass enclosures on the side of the river, while they are still not large enclosures, they are an improvement on the old pits.

Of course, Bern has a beautiful old cathedral and of course we had to photograph it from every angle. Apparently, Bern also has the largest undercover shopping mall area in Europe – every city has some claim to the biggest or best of something and this is just one more thing that Bern apparently gets to claim.

It is a long stroll from one end of the old town of Bern to the other, and most of the way is full of shops and cafes, all housed in amazing old buildings, there are also various sights worth visiting on the way – Einstein’s apartment, the cathedral, and so on. One of our favourite things to do is to meander through towns, admire the architecture and watch the locals going about their daily routines and this was certainly a lovely town to do that in.

A day at Chateau de Chillon 

You really can’t miss Chateau de Chillon in Montreux when heading to this part of the world. Perched on the edge of Lake Geneva it is a stunning castle that sits on its own island.

We had travelled passed it via car and train and were anxious to have a look. Rick Steve’s guidebook also recommends this far and away above the Chateau at Gruyere, so we figured it must be something special.

The Chateau doesn’t look that big, but inside there is room after room and courtyard after courtyard.

From the keep – eight stories high – you get great views over, yep, the mountains and the Lake. The Chateau dates back before 1005 (the oldest parts have never been dated) and was used both as a prison and a palace but is perhaps most famous for the poem penned by Lord Byron, The Prisoner of Chillon. The Chateau is now owned and operated by the Vaud Canton.

It provides an interesting glimpse into the history of Switzerland, and the landscapes and views are spectacular.

Wandering through the Swiss vineyards in Lavaux

I found a new favourite place in the world in the Lavaux vineyards. The vineyards are UNESCO world heritage listed, 1000 years old, and they are truly beautiful – small towns dotted between miles and miles of wineries hanging to the sides of mountains overlooking Lake Geneva and the mountains of France. What could be more spectacular?

Monks built rock walls along the edges of the vineyards way back when, to support the vineyards on the steep slopes.

Unlike most of the wineries at home in Australia, here you can wander through the actual vines, making your way from one winery down to the next.

We parked the car and walked up to the Deck bar and restaurant– from here we had amazing views across the vineyards down to the Lake. The bar itself is very modern, in complete contrast to the traditional buildings of the nearby towns.

After a quick drink we made our way back down through the vineyards, through more small towns and back to the car. 

Each town was unique, but all had a Tuscan feel with stone buildings clinging to the roadside – roads wide enough for just one car to pass through.

There are more than 30 kilometres of vineyards in the region and the overall effect as you drive past, or wander through them, overlooking Lake Geneva and the mountains as a backdrop, defies words. It is absolutely breathtaking. Now, if I can just find a way to spend more time there…

Fast Facts

We travelled in 2011.

We stayed at my cousin’s house in Epalinges.

We were in Switzerland for two weeks.

Was it long enough? No! No amount of time could be long enough for me to spend in this beautiful country.

Highlights: The villages and wandering through the vineyards in Lavaux, Chateau de Chillon, everything really.

Join @AllabroadAU on  Instagram, Facebook,  X and  YouTube  for more travel inspiration.