Episode 49: Trip Report: Exploring Switzerland by car
Are you considering renting a car for your Swiss vacation but are worried that driving might be difficult?
In today’s episode I’m chatting to Nansi Martin from New Jersey in the United States, who, along with her husband Rob, rented a car and did a road trip around Switzerland in September 2021. They loved the freedom that having a car gave them as they were able to travel at their own pace and not have to adhere to timetables.
In fact, they loved Switzerland – and driving around the country – so much, they’ve booked another trip for September 2022!
I met Nansi virtually in the Switzerland Travel Planning group in Facebook and keenly followed along as her trip plans came together and she and Rob finally made their Swiss travel dream a reality.
I was thrilled when Nansi agreed to come on the podcast to share her experiences with us all.
She has lots of tips for folks who are planning on driving in Switzerland for the first time, and she also shares her itinerary and talks about the excursions and activities they enjoyed on their trip.
If you need a road trip full of highlights, you need Switzerland.
I know you’ll get lots of handy tips from this episode regardless of your mode of transport.
[This post may contain compensated links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.]
Before we hear from Nansi, I’d like to say thank you to the lovely team at Switzerland Tourism who are sponsors of the podcast. Make sure you visit their website myswitzerland.com for information and inspiration to help plan your dream Swiss vacation.
Click the green button below to listen:
Show Notes
In this episode, we discuss:
- Nansi’s story and why she chose Switzerland as the destination for her trip
- Nansi and Rob’s itinerary
- Why Nansi loved renting a car and driving in Switzerland
- The things that surprised Nansi about Switzerland
- The plans for Nansi and Rob’s return trip to Switzerland
- Nansi’s tips for first-time travellers to Switzerland
Nansi and Rob’s itinerary including places and activities mentioned in this episode
- Weggis (on Lake Lucerne)
- Zermatt
- Grindelwald
Weggis >> Nansi and Rob flew into Zurich, collected their rental car and drove to Weggis, a small town on Lake Lucerne. From their base at Weggis they did day trips to Mt. Titlis, Äscher, Gelmerbahn, and Aare Gorge. They also did a quick trip to Lucerne to walk the streets and see Chapel Bridge.
Zermatt >> After leaving Weggis, Nansi and Rob drove to Täsch (the village below Zermatt) where they left their car and caught a train to Zermatt. Whilst in Zermatt they went up to Gornergrat and on the way down they got off the train and did some hiking. Another day they took the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car to the top and again on the way down they stopped and did some hiking.
Grindelwald >> On their way to Grindelwald, Nansi and Rob stopped at Kandersteg and visited Oeschinen Lake. Whilst in Grindelwald, they went to First, hiked to Lake Bachalpsee, visited Jungfraujoch and on a visit to Lauterbrunnen they saw the Alpabzug (alpine descent of the cattle) which was a dream come true for Nansi. They also took a day to just relax.
To airport >> Nansi and Rob stopped at Interlaken, Lake Brienz, Lake Thun, and visited St. Beatus Caves on their way back to Zurich Airport where they stayed overnight before an early flight the next morning.
Useful Resources
Nansi and Rob booked their car through Enterprise and collected it at Zurich Airport. You can compare car rental rates from various suppliers > here.
To learn more about some of the places mentioned in this episode, check out these articles:
- How to visit Mt. Titlis
- Things to do in Zermatt
- Things to do in Grindelwald
- Top attractions and things to do in Lauterbrunnen
- 60+ activities and things to do in Interlaken and surrounds
You can also read our comprehensive guide to driving in Switzerland here.
If you’d like to hear trip reports from other travellers, listen to episode 29, episode 33, episode 37 and episode 41 of the podcast.
For details about a day tour (from Lucerne) to see the Alpabzug, > click here.
You can also listen to other podcast episodes that cover the destinations Nansi and Rob visited including Zurich, Interlaken and the Jungfrau Region.
Our step-by-step guide to planning a trip to Switzerland is full of helpful advice, too. You can read it > here.
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This episode is sponsored by Switzerland Tourism
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