Whilst I am off exploring Vietnam with Eleanor (keep up to date with my travels via INSTAGRAM and TWITTER) I have some bloggers taking over my site! Here is Roger talking about 5 unique things you should do in Switzerland!
Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn’t know about travel, ain’t worth knowing! You can find him blogging about his experiences on his travel blog.
5 unique things to do in Switzerland
Sure, Switzerland is all about chocolate and mountains. But you knew that already. That is why I want to show you 5 very Swiss experiences you can have while in this especially scenic country.
Experiences that perhaps not all visitors here will have. Experiences that might make you uncomfortable. Experiences you will never forget.
Ready to get Swissed?
Let’s get started.
For The Foodies
Apart from chocolate, what is Switzerland famous for? You guessed it! Cheese.
With so many mountains filled with cows (and their bells!) it is perhaps no surprise that much of Switzerland’s cuisine centres around cheese.
The most famous of all the dishes is, of course, cheese fondue and what better location than Switzerland than to have one.
You can find cheese fondue almost everywhere, but the best way to experience it is via a historic tram ride through the centre of Zurich. Not only do you get to fill yourself with fondue (and wine) you get to see the sights in one of Zurich’s old-style trams.
For The Chocoholics
I know. You are wondering about Swiss chocolate. And I can hardly blame you. It’s probably the one thing Switzerland is most famous for, apart from Federer and Swiss army knives!
There are so many brands here, and most of them you might never have heard of. Lindt you will know. And maybe even Callier. But Läderach? Probably not.
Well, if you are in the Switzerland area some of the best options for a little chocolate indulgence include:
Lindt in Zurich: The Factory Tour
Läderach (Bern, Zurich, Bilten)
Don’t forget to just pop in to the local supermarkets as well and fill your bags with reasonably priced, high-quality chocolate gold!
Adrenaline Junkies Only
Switzerland is all over the James Bond films. And quite honestly, who can blame the location scouts for filming here.
They have filmed such memorable Bond classics as Goldfinger, On Her Majesty’s
Secret Service, For Your Eyes Only, Goldeneye and The World Is Not Enough here. With scenes filmed on alpine passes, the top of cable cars and in glass elevators, they are all quite spectacular.
However, none are quite as spectacular as the bungee jump down the front of the dam in the Verzasca Valley as the opening scene in Golden Eye.
Now, you may have jumped off a bridge before, but have you bungeed off a dam? Well, if you head to the Italian part of Switzerland, now is your chance!
Something More Sedate
Another uniquely Swiss product is undoubtedly watches. The Swiss have been churning out high-quality watches since the 17th century, back when all other jewellery was banned by Calvin (so they had no choice).
Switzerland and watches are somehow strongly intertwined and their quality is renowned the throughout world. So, why not take advantage of your time in Switzerland and throw yourself into a little bit of watch history!
The largest part of the industry is in the French part of the country, but there are watch museums and collections that you can check out no matter where you are. Some of the best include the IWC Museum in Schaffhausen and the Patek Philippe in Geneva, if you happen to be in those areas.
Now its time to relax….
One of the huge benefits of an alpine country like Switzerland is that it is filled with spas. Not just the hot bubbling kind either, but luxury pampering ones. And most come with amazing views.
The Swiss have taken advantage of their alpine views as well as the abundance of water here and provided you with a lot of options to relax, unwind and get a hot-stone massage! It almost doesn’t matter where you are in the country, because even cities like Zurich have great places with views of the city from their rooftop.
If you are in the Lucerne area, a favorite of visitors, then Rigi-Kaltbad is designed by one of the best spa-designers here and it also has stunning mountain views.
There are other famous ones like the Walliser Alpentherme in Leukerbad (which is on the way to Zermatt, kind of) and the Grand Resort in Bad-Ragaz where Justin Bieber stayed last year!
No matter where you are though, just check out Tripadvisor or other search engines and you will find a great spa to relax in.
Is That All?
I could go on for hours about things to do in Switzerland, after all, I have been living here as an expat for over a decade. In fact, I even wrote the perfect itinerary for you just last week (if you are planning a holiday here, it’s a great place to start). Feel free to hit me up on the blog, I am more than happy to share my knowledge and experience.
There is so much to see and do here, you will probably want to come back again.
For more fun things to do abroad, click HERE
