Episode 103: 7 unforgettable highlights + tips from my recent Switzerland trip

Holidays to Switzerland Travel Podcast Episode 103, 7 unforgettable highlights + Swiss travel tips

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In this episode, I chat about my recent three week trip to Switzerland during which I visited some favourite destinations as well as a few places that I visited for the very first time. 

I share with you an overview of my itinerary and some of the many new things I did and learnt along the way.

Hopefully this will give you some fresh ideas and some useful tips to help you to plan your own dream trip to Switzerland.

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Show Notes

In this episode you’ll learn about:

  • My itinerary – where I stayed and what I did in each place
  • Useful tips about the weather, using cash, and eSims
  • New experiences that I particularly enjoyed
  • New train journeys I experienced
  • My thoughts on the Swiss Travel Pass and Berner Oberland Pass
Carolyn Schonafinger at Aletsch Glacier viewpoint at Bettmerhorn
Carolyn standing in front of the Aletsch Glacier at Bettmerhorn.

Excursions and experiences mentioned in this episode

You’ll find links to get more information about each of the experiences mentioned in this episode in my itinerary below.

Other podcast episodes that you might be interested in:

Carolyn’s Swiss itinerary

Lucerne – 3 nights

Transport: St. Gallen to Lucerne on Voralpen Express.

Stayed: Hotel Schlüssel (1 night) and Hotel Villa Maria (2 nights)

Sightseeing/excursions:

Stanserhorn CabriO cable car
Mt. Stanserhorn’s CabriO cable car.
Swiss BBQ at Mt. Pilatus
Mt. Pilatus BBQ lunch.

Locarno – 3 nights

Transport: Lucerne to Lugano on Gotthard Panorama Express and train Lugano to Locarno.

Stayed: Hotel Belvedere

Sightseeing/excursions:

  • Madonna del Sasso / Cardada / Cimetta
  • Boat cruise to Ascona
  • Locarno city sights

Bettmeralp – 3 nights

Transport: Locarno to Domodossola on Centovalli Express. Train from Domodossola to Brig to Betten Talstation and cable car from Betten Talstation to Bettmeralp

Stayed: Hotel La Cabane

Sightseeing/excursions:

  • Aletsch Glacier viewpoint at Bettmerhorn
  • Aletsch Glacier viewpoint at Eggishorn
  • Bettmersee (lake) and village sights
View from the balcony of Madonna del Sasso convent in Orselina over Lake Maggiore and Locarno.
View from Madonna del Sasso convent over Locarno and Lake Maggiore.
Wooden chalets in Bettmeralp Switzerland with views to snow capped Alps.
The car-free village of Bettmeralp is an authentically Swiss.

Lauterbrunnen – 7 nights

Transport: Cable car from Bettmeralp to Betten Talstation and train from Betten Talstation to Brig to Lauterbrunnen (via Spiez and Interlaken)

Stayed: 1 bedroom apartment 

Sightseeing/excursions:

  • Isenfluh & Sulwald with hike back to Lauterbrunnen
  • Lake Brienz boat cruise to Giessbach Falls with hike to Iseltwald
  • Mürren and Allmendhubel with hikes
  • Wengen Folklore Evening
  • Männlichen and Kleine Scheidegg with hike
  • Hike to farm above Wengen
  • Swiss Selfie Museum and Funky Chocolate Club in Interlaken
  • Aare Gorge and Meiringen

Spiez – 3 nights

Transport: Train from Lauterbrunnen to Spiez (via Interlaken)

Stayed: Belvedere Strandhotel

Sightseeing/excursions:

Couple on a hike in Switzerland with view of Lauterbrunnen Valley behind them
The view from our hike above Wengen over the Lauterbrunnen Valley.
View of Spiez bay and castle
It’s no wonder that Spiez is called ‘the prettiest bay in Europe’.

Zurich – 1 night

Transport: Train from Spiez to Zurich (via Bern)

Stayed: Boutique Hotel Wellenberg

Sightseeing/excursions: 

  • Old Town

Other topics discussed in this episode

Swiss Travel Pass – an all-in-one ticket for the entire Swiss public transport system. Learn more about the pass in our comprehensive Swiss Travel Pass guide or in this podcast episode.

Berner Oberland Pass – a transport pass for the Berner Oberland which includes free travel on public transport and more than 25 mountain railways. We’ve written a detailed guide to the Berner Oberland Pass and we also featured it in this podcast episode and this one.

SBB Mobile app – the official app of the Swiss Federal Railways, this is a must-have travel companion for Switzerland. The app shows timetables and fares (and more) for all public transport in the country.

MeteoSwiss app – our go-to app for checking weather forecasts and current weather conditions.

eSIM – a digital SIM card that was added to our phones via a QR code and allowed us to browse the internet and keep in touch with family and friends via Apps such as FaceTime and Messenger.

> You can read a full transcript of this episode here.

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