It seems that each trip I take to Switzerland inspires a future one. In 2022 a short visit to Meiringen meant I saw Zurich only in transit; the next year I made up for that, but at the expense of only briefly sampling Bern, my ostensible destination. The Swiss legs of 2024’s Albanian Connection were favourites of that year’s Lupine race, but I spent far more time travelling through the canton of Ticino than discovering its attractions.
With the world climbing series once again returning to the capital, and Scarlett having found an intriguing hiking trail along the river feeding the Contra dam, we had the makings of a two-centre holiday exploring both regions more thoroughly. Tying them together by train was the obvious move, but a sale on interrail passes inspired the addition of a third phase to the trip. Rather than heading back to the airport the way we’d came, we instead constructed a meandering multi-day route, even including a detour through Italy.
As usual, I logged the whole adventure on polarsteps, where you can find (brief) coverage of each journey, every stop, and all the hotels:
But I also wanted to note some highlights here and in the following posts.
Bern
Our first three nights were spent in Bern, for the bouldering world cup. That occupied my mornings and evenings over the weekend, but we managed to fit in several trips to the city centre between climbing rounds.
The river Aare loops around the historic old town, and on my previous visit I had only explored the stretch to the north. This time we tried the south, which turned out to offer much better views – and some idyllic spots to cool off, much-needed in the latest European heat wave. It’s a remarkable place: I can’t think of any other major city where the water is so inviting that locals will throw their possessions into a dry bag and swim home, but the fast-flowing and crystal-clear Aare is apparently a viable commute. I also can’t think of another city where you can watch bears roaming about in a riverside park!
Luzern
I had routed us through Luzern simply as it was a convenient place to join the Treno Gottardo, my favourite from the Albanian Connection (on this trip, however, it had strong competition). To avoid any risk of misconnection, and to give us plenty of time for lunch, I’d allowed a couple of hours in this previously unfamiliar city.
Zurich’s quayside – combining the lake, river, traditional architecture, and distant mountains – is my prototypical Swiss scene. It was my first glimpse (nearly 15 years ago) of what the country has to offer, and I’ve returned several times since. Luzern, however, proved even more scenic, setting its lake and river against a more dramatic backdrop: the peaks closer, taller, and snow-capped. The city’s iconic covered bridges are also fascinating: serving as both crossing and art gallery, sheltering 17th century religious paintings – many bizarrely morbid – within their canopies.
Whilst this trip went some way to doing Bern justice, I fear that Luzern has replaced it on my list of Swiss destinations that deserve further attention…
Lauterbrunnen
…and the same could also be said of one of our final stops, the village of Lauterbrunnen. I was only vaguely aware of what it had to offer – an old google maps pin suggested its waterfall is worth seeing – and I originally planned a short excursion to just check that out. We nearly didn’t go, as there didn’t seem enough time to get up and and back before dinner. But I found a few restaurant options up the mountain, including one with a tempting (which is to say, heavily rosti-based) menu, so we decided to make an evening of it.
I’m incredibly glad we did – Lauterbrunnen is nestled within a stunning alpine valley, accessed by narrow-gauge railway; the free-falling Staubbach falls are the highest of their kind in Switzerland, at almost 300 metres; and the restaurant that had caught my eye had an open-air terrace from which they could be seen. After an excellent meal, we went for a closer look: it’s possible to admire the cascade from behind, looking out across the valley from a viewing gallery carved into the rockface, the shimmering spray cooling the air – a magical experience!