Holidays to Switzerland Travel Podcast Episode 74 Transcript

4 fabulous (and easy) hikes to enjoy in Switzerland

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.

Announcer

Are you dreaming of visiting Switzerland? Planning a trip to Switzerland is very exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. How do you choose? Which of the many scenic cities, towns and villages to visit? Which mountaintop excursions should you take? And what’s the best way to get around Switzerland? And of course, how much of the country can you realistically see within your time frame? If you’ve asked yourself any of these questions, this is the podcast for you. This is the Holidays to Switzerland Travel podcast and in each episode your host, Carolyn Schönafinger, chats with Swiss travel experts to answer your most commonly asked questions, provide practical tips and take you on a virtual visit to the most popular destinations. And, of course, some hidden gems to help you plan your dream trip to Switzerland. And you’ll hear plenty of conversations about Swiss cheese and chocolate too. Are you ready to plan your trip to Switzerland? Well, let’s get started.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Gruezi and a very warm welcome to episode 74 of the podcast. I’m your host Carolyn, and I’m thrilled to have your company today as we chat about a favourite pastime of the Swiss hiking. Switzerland is definitely a nation of hikers and with over 65,000 kilometres of marked trails, that’s probably not surprising. There are well marked trails all over the country that invite casual strollers, experienced hikers and everyone in between to get out and about and enjoy the beauty of this stunning country. And it’s not only the Swiss that you’ll find hitting up the trails. Visitors from all over the world find it hard to resist the opportunity to breathe in the clean, crisp alpine air and admire the magnificent scenery whilst they hike beside a river, along a mountain trail or through a lush green meadow. That’s right, not all hiking trails in Switzerland involve going up or down mountains. You can certainly do that if you wish, but there are plenty of hikes on more even terrain and at lower altitudes too. Today’s guest has hiked all over Switzerland and is a wealth of knowledge on the topic. Melinda Schoutens, along with her husband Rob, is the author of four books that inspire families and individuals to connect with nature one outdoor experience at a time.

Carolyn Schönafinger

As well as telling us her story and explaining how two Americans came to be writing books about outdoor adventures in Switzerland, Melinda is also going to share some important things to know before you set off on a hike. She’s also going to tell us about four fantastic and easy hikes that you might like to try when you visit Switzerland. Before we get started, I’d like to say thanks to the folks from Switzerland Tourism for sponsoring the podcast. Their website myswitzerland.com is full of practical tips and inspiration to help with your Switzerland trip planning. If you need the train ride of a lifetime, you need Switzerland. Now, let’s welcome Melinda to the podcast. Hi, Melinda. Thank you so much for joining us today. I’m really excited to hear your story and about Fresh Air kids and to learn about some of the amazing hikes that we can do in Switzerland. Would you like to start by introducing yourself and telling our listeners a little about how you came to be living in Switzerland and your connection with the outdoors?

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, I’d be happy to, Carolyn. Thanks for having me on today. We moved to Switzerland in 2007, which was a move we initiated because we felt like we really needed a change in our lives. And we quickly fell in love with Switzerland. We always equate it to falling in love with a person. We were immediately captivated. And because of our close proximity to the Alps, we started hiking on the weekends and quickly just became enamoured with the Swiss landscape. And when we had our first child, I hiked throughout that whole pregnancy. And then when he was born, we strapped him on our back and we changed diapers and fed him on the trails and we continued doing that when our daughter came into our lives. And we just loved hiking too much to abandon it once we welcomed the kids into our lives.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Had you been into hiking before you moved to Switzerland, or is it something that, you know, a new pastime for you?

Melinda Schoutens

It certainly flourished in Switzerland because of the Alps and even the non Alps just around our home. We have a lot of areas in which we can hike, but we did hike in America. We lived close to a national park where we were living outside of Philadelphia. And then I would say we really fell in love with hiking on a visit to Colorado. And we hiked almost 14,000ft. And once we got to the top, we just were enamoured by the views. And I think that really ignited our love of hiking. And then of course, moving to Switzerland, it was a hiker’s paradise. So we were in heaven.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Absolutely. Yeah. That’s one thing about Switzerland, isn’t it? The Swiss just love hiking. And I mean, there’s so many opportunities for them to go hiking, so it’s not surprising. But I always notice on the weekends when you’re out and about in the mountains, there’s so many Swiss there, they just love it. And I’m looking for forward to hearing about some of the hikes that you’re going to share with us today. But before we get to that, can you tell us a little bit about Fresh Air Kids? What exactly is it and how did that come about?

Melinda Schoutens

Fresh Air Kids is a series of books that we have written. We published the first one in 2019, and that book focuses on families who want to get out into the Swiss landscape. Tells them everything they need to know about where to hike, if the trail is easy, moderate, or challenging, what to bring along, tips from our kids to their children. There’s a lot of activities in the last chapter, and that one covers 19 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons. And then we followed up with another book, which is Hikes to Hut. So it profiles mountains and mountain inns de Sac Houtes in Switzerland, or the Sack Huts, the Swiss Alpine Club. And then we also include some mountain hotels. And then we have a winter book, which was just released. And then we have an activity book for children who spend time outdoors.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Oh, fantastic. So there’s something for everyone. And I’m guessing that even though they’re called Fresh Air Kids and there’s lots of tips for hiking with children, that they’re still perfect books for adults that are travelling, oh, hiking without children as well. Is that the case?

Melinda Schoutens

That’s definitely the case, yeah. And all of the information is very practical and easy to read, and there are photos, and we’ve personally visited every location in the books, so you know that the information’s coming from someone who’s been there.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Okay. And where did the idea for producing or writing your first book come from?

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, well, we always hiked, like I said, with our kids. And people would always come up to us and say, how do you know where to go? Or how do you know if the trail is safe for families? Or is there an alpine playground? Or where do we stop for lunch? And we had accumulated years of experience, and so we decided it was time to put everything down into a book.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Wonderful. Well, yeah, I bet that took so much time to actually put all that information into a written format. But well done for doing that. So there’s four books now. Are they published in English? If our listeners are interested in getting a copy can they do that?

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, absolutely. Our books are written in English, German, and French, and they’re available through Helvetic.com and you can also go to Fresh Air Kids freshairkids.com and the information of our books is there.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Oh, great. Well, I’ll include the links to those websites in the show notes so that anyone listening can click through and have a browse and find out more about those books as well. Now, hiking and outdoor activities obviously play a pretty big role in your life and the life of your kids. And I’m going to ask you to share some of your favourite hikes with us shortly. But before I do, I think it’s important to talk about some of the things that people need to be aware of before they set off on a hike in Switzerland. So have you got some tips for us or some, you know, the important things that people should know before they start off on their hike?

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, I’d be happy to share some of the things that we do on a regular basis before we head out. I think the first one that’s really important is to cheque weather conditions. The weather in Switzerland changes quite frequently. It’s important to maybe take a look at an app, which is MeteoSwiss, and look at things like the forecast, the impending forecast, precipitation levels, snow levels. Sometimes you can take a look at a webcam to see if there’s still snow in the area in which you will be hiking, and also to make sure that there’s no impending weather that you’re going to hit while you’re out there on the trail. So that’s a really good app to have another one that is so important, and we’ve seen this happen time and again, it’s almost happened to us several times, is if you’re up in the mountains, there’s usually a last gondola that comes down for the evening. So it’s really important to have a look at when that last gondola will come down, because once the gondola station is closed, then you’re going to come down by foot, which can be quite precarious if it’s dark.

Melinda Schoutens

And if you’ve had a really long day on the trail, it’s the last thing you want to do. But you can take a look at the SBB Mobile app and that’ll tell you all of the public transportation information that you need to know whether you’re taking a train, a tram, a gondola or a funicular. So that’s another one very important, because.

Carolyn Schönafinger

You definitely don’t want to miss the last ride home.

Melinda Schoutens

Certainly not. And if you’re travelling from out of the country, you might have to get a connecting train or somewhere for your evening overnight. So it’s really important to know that and kind of line that up in advance. Another one is just wearing the appropriate clothing. So if you’re planning on spending time in the mountains, it’s good to always wear layers just so you’re prepared if it’s cold. If it gets warm, you can always shed a layer or add a layer. We love travelling with always a small gloves, a buff or like a scarf that you can put around your neck and a hat, whether it’s a sun hat or a wool cap or something warm, they’re really small, easy to pack, and they go a long way. If it’s windy, a hat is just really nice to have. Same with gloves. So that’s really good. And we always, always recommend wearing hiking boots if you’re in the mountains because unfortunately sneakers are very easy to travel with and they’re lightweight, but they don’t offer the tread that you need when you’re on mountain terrain. So we recommend, if you’re going to spend time in the mountains and doing a bit of hiking, it’s good to have a pair of hiking boots.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah, that is so important. And one thing I noticed last year, which just absolutely horrified me, we were in, we were in Zermatt, we’d gone up to Gornergrat and we were doing the hike down to the Riffelsee and there was some young hikers in front of us wearing flip flops and it was quite slippery at times. And I know it was a very warm day. And the flip flops, okay, they’re fine for down in Zermatt, but not for when you are on a hiking trail.

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah. I think it’s so important you mentioned that we’re just such advocates of having hiking boots and they can be expensive, but just having the traction and the tread is so important. And flip flops, really, like you said, great for the village. But once you’re up in mountain terrain, they’re really, it’s really not a good way to be hiking, so. Yeah, no, we noticed that too. We see that as well.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah.

Melinda Schoutens

And then it’s good to have a backpack and where you can just put snacks. Water. Always have water. There’s a lot of filling stations or fountains in Switzerland. We’re kind of known for that, but not all the time, are they. Is it drinkable water? And it’s just good to have enough water for hydration while you’re out there. Throw in a raincoat, maybe a fleece, some sunglasses. Regardless of the season, it’s good to have protection, some sunscreen and always have a first aid kit. You never know when you’ll use it. And make sure it’s well stocked. And if you rely on a certain medication, make sure you have that before you come to Switzerland because then you don’t have to deal with trying to figure out how to get a prescription filled. So bring all your medication that you need. Tell someone where you’re going. If you’re going out for a bit, make sure someone knows, even if it’s the hotel staff, just let them know that you’ll be out or a friend or family member. And I have to say that we always meet people when we’re on the trail. So if you feel like you don’t know where you’re going, feel free to ask someone.

Melinda Schoutens

I think the Swiss, and even if they’re not Swiss, very happy to help you get on the right track. So don’t be intimidated to do that. And then a couple more things, Carolyn. One is to understand the trail system in Switzerland. It’s so important. And we actually had a good friend who, when they first moved here, they were unaware. And they ended up taking their family on an Alpine trail. Really not equipped to be on that trail. And it became very dangerous very quickly. So I think a good rule of thumb, and we highlight this in all of our books, but the yellow trail markers. And Switzerland does such a phenomenal job of highlighting and marking all of their trails. But you’ll see trail markers throughout the country, and whether that’s a painted rock that has a yellow diamond, whether it’s a walking, you’ll see a walking icon. Sometimes they’re on trash cans, sometimes they’re on poles, but you see them everywhere. But the yellow trail markers, if they’re solid yellow, those are the easiest to navigate. And those are ideal for beginners or visitors who are not accustomed to hiking in the Alps. So I always recommend that if you don’t have a strong skill level, maybe you feel a little intimidated.

Melinda Schoutens

Sticking to the yellow trail markers is really the best. Then you have the white, red, white trails, which are the mountain trails. Those do require a little bit more knowledge of hiking and comfortability. Sometimes they’ll have handholds for stability on some of the hiking routes. And you need sure footedness and really familiarity with hiking for those. Finally, you have the white, blue, white trails, which are Alpine trails. Those only make up a small portion of the trails in Switzerland, but you will see them. And you need to have proper gear. Sometimes you need crampons and axes. You’ll be going over maybe ice. So those are really left for experts. We don’t even like to venture into that. And we’ve been hiking in Switzerland for years. But we leave that to the experts and people who are really confident with their skills.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, absolutely. And the final thing that I’ll say is it’s really important to know wherever you’re travelling, but for the people visiting Switzerland to know the emergency numbers in the country. And there’s a fabulous app that you don’t have to memorise them or think, oh, how am I going to remember this if I need them? It’s called Echo sos, and it’ll tell you all of the emergency numbers within Switzerland. And the nice thing is if for some reason you do have a medical emergency, it’ll tell you your closest hospital to the proximity you’re currently in. So that’s a really nice app to have and I would just recommend that your listeners download that before they come to the country, because then it just might be another layer of security.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah, absolutely.

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah. And then we have Rega, which is our Swiss Air Rescue. And I just can’t say enough for the work that these people do. They’re phenomenal and they really help people who get into precarious situations in the Alps. But their number is 1414. And so if somebody got into trouble in the mountains, then they’re the number to call.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Great. Well, hopefully that’s a number we won’t have to call, but it’s good to know it. And again, those apps that you’ve mentioned, I will include those in the show notes as well.

Melinda Schoutens

Okay, yeah. Thank you.

Carolyn Schönafinger

So now we know all the important things that we need to prepare for before we set off on a hike. So I’d like to ask you to share some of your favourite hikes with us. But what. What is it that made you choose the hikes that you’re going to tell us about today?

Melinda Schoutens

The hikes that I chose today are really, they offer beautiful views, which I think when you’re coming to Switzerland, you really want to get the best of the views and the mountains. And these hikes focus on lakes and castles, so not all of them include a castle, but they all do include a lake. And Switzerland is quite special in the fact that their lakes are just exquisite. They’re beautiful, really. Blue and turquoise and green. And so I think that makes the hikes and the terrain really impressive.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Okay, and all the hikes that you’re going to talk to us about, are they all suitable, like, for even people that have never hiked before that just perhaps they’re going to Switzerland? They just like to do a hike because they’re there. Are they all suitable for them?

Melinda Schoutens

I would say all of them. The first one is probably the most challenging, and it’s not challenging, it’s just that it’s in more mountainous terrain, but the path is wide. You’ll see so many people out there doing it, so it’s easy to navigate. But, yeah, the other three, I profile four for you, Carolyn, and the first one is probably the most, I would label that as moderate for non hikers, but the rest are quite easy.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Okay, great. All right, well, let’s get into it because, yeah, I’m super keen to hear what you’ve got to share with us. So whereabouts is the first hike that you’re going to tell us about?

Melinda Schoutens

The first hike is high above Grindelwald, and it’s in the Berner Oberland region or the Jungfrau Region of Switzerland. And so for people going into Grindelwald, which is a real hot spot in Switzerland, you’ll take the gondola all the way up the mountain and that’s called first. And there’s a Berg guest house there, so if people want to stay the night, they can. It’s a true authentic Swiss experience. And once all the tourists go down for the evening, it’s very quiet and the views are stunning. But. But the hike starts right at First, right at the lift station. And you’re going to hike out along paths to what is called Bachalpsee, which is a lake. And from there the views are magnificent. You have some of the most iconic peaks in Switzerland. Jungfrau and the Eiger are in view. And you can have a picnic lunch. Really take your time on that trail, and then it’s an out and back. So once you’re finished with lunch and taking a million photos and really enjoying the views, then you can hike back on the trail in which you came. There are a lot of people who do this hike, so it’s very difficult to lose your way or not be able to navigate the trail.

Melinda Schoutens

So that one’s really impressive. And at that area, there’s just a lot of other things to do. There’s the cliff walk, which you can kind of walk out on a walk and have views, and you’re suspended above the ground, so it’s quite impressive. So that’s just a really special place. And I think it’s one of the hikes that we do almost yearly because it’s so beautiful. And it’s also a gateway to Faulhorn, which sits on top of the mountain, and that’s a Berghaus. And then you can continue different areas hiking from there.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Okay, so how long should we allow to hike out to Bachalpsee and back again?

Melinda Schoutens

That’s about six kilometres. Roughly six kilometres. And I would say it would take about two hours or more, depending on how long you want to linger at the lake or if you’re having a picnic and taking photos. And again, that’s a good one to wear good hiking boots on, but definitely allow two plus hours for that.

Carolyn Schönafinger

And there’s no, there’s nowhere when you get there to buy water or food, is there? So you need to take all your supplies with you on that hike.

Melinda Schoutens

Absolutely. That’s a great point. Yeah. You should pack your backpack and pack whatever picnic items or food items that you would need and definitely have water you can get if you’re hungry. Before or after, you can stop at first, which is the Berg guesthouse, and you can have a meal there. And there are toilet facilities there as well. But again, it’s great to pack. Always have something in your backpack in terms of food and water. But if you want to have a picnic, make sure you have those provisions before you head out on that hike.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yes, great advice. Okay, so now I know there are lots and lots of great hikes in the Jungfrau region and the Berner Oberland. So are they all mountain hikes that you’re recommending to us today?

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah. The second one is not. I mean, you can certainly see the mountains in the distance, but this one takes you along the shore of Lake Thun, or we would say Thunersee. And this one starts in Faulensee and goes to Spiez. And what makes this so beautiful is you’re literally walking along the lake the entire duration of the hike. And the water is magnificently blue. It’s perfect for. You can really do this hike any time of the year because it’s a lower elevation, but it’s really perfect in summer, particularly if you want to take a dip in a Swiss lake. You start at the lakefront and there’s a toilet facility and a small playground, which is great if you’re hiking with children or walking with children. And then you walk along the lake and there’s a small beach part where if you have a bathing suit and a towel in your backpack, you can jump in and have a swim. And that’s a pretty cool opportunity. And then you walk onto Spiez, and Spiez is so beautiful. It looks like it’s out of a storybook because it’s a pristine Swiss town. Up on the background you’ll see a castle and there are vineyards.

Melinda Schoutens

There’s an expansive lawns area, so you could have a picnic there or along the lake. There’s also a little kiosk or restaurant there where you can get ice cream and drinks. And in the summer there’s even a big pool area and a volleyball area. So it really has a really nice summer vibe or feeling to it. And it’s very easy to navigate. It’s relatively flat throughout and the views are just truly magnificent on that one.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Okay, so how long would that hike take?

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, that hike is about almost just under five kilometres. And if you’re walking directly through it, it should take an hour, hour and a half. If you’re lingering, definitely allow more time. And when people are on holiday, I always say, like really take your time and soak it all in. So we say about an hour and a half. But if you’re going to have a picnic and swim in the lake, you could easily spend a good part of the day there.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah, okay. And I guess you’ve got to take into consideration all those photo stops as well. So they’re going to add extra time.

Melinda Schoutens

Exactly, yes. Yeah.

Carolyn Schönafinger

And if someone wants to do that just in one direction, perhaps, say like you say, from Faulensee to Spiez, how can they get to Faulensee by public transport? Is that possible?

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, it’s possible. You just take the Faulensee stop, which is a train, and you walk down a few stairs and you’ll see it’s marked. It’s also highlighted in our first book all of the directions and images on where to follow. And then Spiez is also a train station, so there’s public transportation on either end, making that quite easy.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah, yeah, yeah, perfect. Okay, so moving away now from the Berner Oberland, what’s another of your favourite hikes that you would like to share with us? I think this one’s going to be quite popular actually, because I think it includes a pretty, pretty popular attraction.

Melinda Schoutens

This one is in the canton of Vaud and it’s the Chillon Castle Lake Walk, or that’s what we’ve called it. And it starts with the, it’s such a beautiful castle because it sits right on Lake Geneva and you’ll see it in a lot of images. It’s become quite famous. But the castle there is great for people who want to take in some history and some culture. You can tour it. It’s a museum. They have a great activity for children. So if you’re travelling with children, ask for that activity when you enter the museum and allow some time there. Some people can buzz through a museum very quickly. Some people really like to linger and take in the history. So it starts with the historical and cultural piece at the Chillon Castle. And then you really walk along Lake Geneva and you’ll do that until you hit the Montreux train station. And that is, again, it has a holiday vibe to it and it really feels like you’re away from it all and you’re seeing the lake and the castle and it’s just, it’s really beautiful. And that one is not too long, it’s just under four kilometres, and we estimate about three hours if you’re taking in the castle and then you plan to walk through Montreux.

Melinda Schoutens

And that one’s just, it’s quite lovely and it’s very doable for people of all ages, but also for people who are travelling with children.

Carolyn Schönafinger

And that one, correct me if I’m wrong, it’s a while since I did this, but I think it’s on a paved path all the way. So if people were travelling with children in a stroller, for instance, that hike is perfect for them.

Melinda Schoutens

Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, definitely.

Carolyn Schönafinger

And what are some of the other things that you love about when you walk along Lake Geneva there? Some of the things that you see that, you know, you just really enjoy seeing?

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, I think the, well, the landscape is remarkable, but there’s also so many flowers in bloom, you feel. It feels very. So it feels like you’re on holiday. It just symbolises holiday for us. And we don’t, we don’t typically get down to the Lake Geneva area too often, so for us it’s kind of charming because we’re usually in different areas of Switzerland, but, yeah, it’s just really. It’s so pleasant. I know the air is fresh. It’s just really, it’s special. It’s a special area.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah. Wonderful. So are there any other hikes that have a focus on lakes or castles that you really love and that you’d like to share with us today?

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, another one. The final one I’ll tell you about today, Carolyn, is in the canton of Nidwalden, and it’s the Trubsee Lake Walk. And this one, Engelberg, is really a hub of tourist activity. It’s hustling and bustling and even when you go up the gondola, there’s a lot of people that go up. But once you get off the gondola, you can take a walk around Trubsee, which is the lake there, and that just, it’s relatively easy. It’s, there’s small uphills and downhills, but it’s not challenging. It’s just a loop around the lake, remarkable views, and they just put in a new playground which is quite extensive. So, again, if you’re travelling with children, it’s great to either start the hike there and complete the hike there, and you can rent boats if you feel like going out on the lake. And for individuals who are soaking it all in and they think, I need more of this, then you can go up to Mount Titlis, which is quite high, elevation of over 3,000 metres, and you can see the Alps if it’s a clear day. I only recommend it on a clear day. But the Alps are just expansive from Titlis, so it’s kind of a two for one.

Melinda Schoutens

If people have the ambition of going around Trubsee and then up to Titlis or vice versa. But that area is really, it’s quite beautiful and it’s great to, if you want to have a very Swiss experience, you can pack provisions to grill your lunch. You can have sausage. The Swiss like to make what we call schlangenbro, which is just bread on a stick, but it’s really delicious when you cook it over a fire. Some people add some seasoning or a bit of salt and it’s really nice. And you’re taking in the lake and the mountain views and you’re having a meal and it’s very authentic and it’s really quite lovely.

Carolyn Schönafinger

And getting that fresh air experience.

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, absolutely. We’re big proponents of that. And that hike around Trubsee is just under five kilometres and I think it would take about two hours or more. If you’re going to have a picnic, you don’t need a full two hours to navigate the loop around the lake, but certainly take your time on it.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah, absolutely. Like you always should when you’re hiking. You’re there in Switzerland, you want to stop and appreciate the magnificent scenery.

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, absolutely. And you’re on holiday, so you don’t want to breeze through everything. You want to really soak it in.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you for sharing all those recommendations with us. I’m sure that anyone listening will be keen to try some of those hikes. As we said earlier, they’re suitable for pretty well everyone. So it’s not only experienced hikers or people who have a higher fitness level that can attempt any of those trails, which is really good. And people with and without children will enjoy them because there’s the spectacular scenery as well.

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, absolutely.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Before we finish up, if you had to choose your favourite hike or your favourite outdoor activity in Switzerland, now it’s probably going to be very hard. But is there one that you could nominate as your favourite?

Melinda Schoutens

I can say that when we did the research for our book Hikes to Huts, having the experience of hiking to a hut, you’re exhausted and then you arrive at a hut for the evening and you have a communal meal with other people in the dining room. Usually we always go outside to watch the sunset. We try to rise early enough to watch the sun rise. And some of the huts in Switzerland are in such remote locations that you really do have the opportunity to be away from it all. And so for us, that is such a magical, magnificent experience and something I’m really grateful to Switzerland for, because they have such an expansive hut system and huts range in anything from being very, very basic and what we would refer to as primitive. And some have all the amenities that you need, some are very accessible, some are very remote. So I think because there’s such a broad spectrum of what’s available to people, it’s really, it’s such a special experience. And just the quiet that you get there is, you just don’t have that elsewhere. And to see the stars and. Oh, it’s just, I feel like it’s nature at its best. And the people who work there are just, they’re just such hardworking, dedicated individuals and they really. I think they really want people to have a good experience.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah. Fantastic. And is that an experience that is available to tourists as well? If someone listening thought, that sounds just like something I’d really love to do. How would they go about arranging something like that?

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, I mean, you could certainly look at the Swiss Alpine Club website. They profile, I think they have over 150 huts that’s in that network. But our book is really very expansive in what we offer and there’s anything from a farm stay to a Swiss Alpine hut stay to some that are accessible. You don’t really have to walk far, but you still want the experience. So it is definitely possible for tourists, but I would recommend that they do a little bit of research before heading out and embarking on that endeavour.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah, absolutely. And all the information is in your book?

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. We tell you what to pack, what to expect, how to make your reservations, tips and tricks, everything you would need to know.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Yeah, okay, great. Can you just tell us the name of each of your books again and where we can, where we can find them?

Melinda Schoutens

Sure. Our first book is Fresh Air Kids Switzerland. The second one is Fresh Air Kids Switzerland, Hikes to Huts. The other one is Winter Kids Switzerland, which is 36 family activities and our kids book is Fresh Air Kids Switzerland My Book of Discoveries that’s through freshairkids.com and then our publisher is helvetic.com.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Fantastic. Well, thank you so much Melinda for sharing all that with us today. It’s been great to chat and yeah, looking forward to maybe one day seeing you out on the trails in Switzerland.

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for your time today Carolyn. I appreciate it and I hope everyone listening has an amazing trip to Switzerland. It’s really a beautiful country.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Thanks very much.

Melinda Schoutens

Yeah, thank you.

Carolyn Schönafinger

Has Melinda tempted you to pull on your hiking shoes and explore Switzerland on foot? I don’t think there’s a better way to slow down and take in the beauty all around you than on a hike. I’m not an experienced hiker by any stretch of the imagination, but I do love the fact that wherever I go in Switzerland I can find a hiking trail, whether it be beside a lake or on a mountain that is perfect for my level of experience. And there are trails that are perfect for you too. When you are preparing for your hike, do make sure you take note of all those important tips Melinda shared with us. Please don’t be that person that wears flip flops when you go hiking. I’ll list all Melinda’s tips and the names of the handy apps that she mentioned in the Show Notes. You’ll also find details of Melinda’s four books and where you can buy them and how to get in touch with her in the Show Notes too. The show notes are at holidaystoswitzerland.com/episode74 That’s all for this episode. Next time we’re heading to the Italian speaking south of Switzerland for a virtual visit to the beautiful city of Lugano. I look forward to chatting to you then. Tschüss.

Announcer

If you’d like more great resources to help you plan your dream trip to Switzerland, there are lots of ways to connect with us. Visit our website, holidaystoswitzerland.com Sign up for our monthly newsletter or join our friendly, helpful community of past and future travellers in our Switzerland Travel Planning Group. You’ll also find the links to connect with us in the Show Notes for this episode. Show Notes and a list of all previous episodes are available at holidaystoswitzerland.com/podcast. Don’t miss out on your fortnightly dose of Swiss travel inspo. Hit the subscribe button on your favourite podcast app so you never miss an episode. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave a rating. That’s all for this edition of the Holidays to Switzerland Travel Podcast. Thanks for joining us and happy travel planning.

You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.