A Swiss Adventure To Remember Part 1
Place: The Swiss Alps
Country: Switzerland
Towns/Cities: Zurich, Appenzell, Lucern, Murren, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Zermatt, Lugano
Time of Year: August/September 2024
How we got there: Plane, Train, Cable Car, Funicular, Panorama Express
I have had Switzerland on my mind and in my dreams for many years. Sitting here now about to share our experience with you, I still cannot believe it was real and not another dream! From wildflowers to cowbells & mountains to trains, I will share it all in detail.
Time of Year
Switzerland has so much to offer no matter the time of year you choose to visit. My dreams consisted of green hills and wildflowers and so summer was my season of choice! Everyone travels in the summer making airline tickets to Switzerland super expensive. Using my Going.com subscription I kept my eye on anything that would get us close to Switzerland. With the great transportation systems in Europe, it wouldn’t be hard to take a train from another country. In late Spring, I realized that I was not going to find reasonable airline tickets this year. I put it in the back of my mind. Maybe next year? Then, as it always does, Going.com showed me tickets to Zurich for late August. After a little research, I found that late August, early September would be an excellent time to see Switzerland. It was still the end of summer and tourism would be slower as kids went back to school.
Planning the Trip
And so the planning began! As with any trip, planning your own itinerary can be overwhelming to say the least. I started reading blogs, saving posts on Instagram, and watching videos on YouTube. After choosing our “must see places”, I started booking hotels. Normally I would use points at Marriott or book Airbnb’s but this time I choose to use expedia.com to reserve our hotels. I always look for reservations with “pay when you get there” and free cancellation. When you book months in advance you want the freedom to change plans if needed and paying when you get there allows you to pay in their currency which is usually the best exchange rate. Switzerland is expensive and anywhere you can save a few $’s is helpful. When using a credit card, we always chose “swiss francs” instead of US dollars on the keypad.
Cesar loves Youtube.com and showed me a few videos of an American couple who live in Switzerland and have their own Youtube channel about how to travel Switzerland in confidence. They were a lifesaver! I soon watched every video they made and took notes like crazy. They taught me about train travel and which train passes to purchase, which places are worth the hype and which are not, where to eat and what to pack. If you are planning a trip to Switzerland please check out their site Alpinsinthealps.com or https://www.youtube.com/@AplinsintheAlps . And spoiler alert! We actually ran into them while in Switzerland! I had watched them so much that I felt like I knew them personally and when we saw them it was like meeting celebrities!
Swiss Transportation
Getting around Switzerland is very easy but it may feel overwhelming when you first start to research train passes. We used all public transportation while in Switzerland. The cost of train tickets can be really expensive, however there are many options for train passes. With the help of Alpinsinthealps.com we determined that the Half Fare Card and the Berner Oberland Pass were the best choices for our itinerary. Both passes can be purchased in advance on https://www.sbb.ch/en.
Day 1
Zurich to Appenzell
After a long day of travel we arrived in Zurich via London at 6pm. Our hotel was 8 minutes by tram from the airport. The next morning we boarded a train that would take us to Appenzell in the Northeastern part of Switzerland at the foot of the Alpstein Mountains. Appenzell is a tiny town and our purpose for the stop was to store our carry on luggage in the luggage lockers located on the train platform. I also came across our first of many water fountains to fill our bottles! We continued on with only our overnight backpack in toe to Wasserauen which is the end of the train line. Here we would catch the cable car up to Ebenalp for our first adventure!
Ebenalp, Berggasthof Aescher, Berggasthof Schafler
The cable car would take us up to Ebenalp where our adventure would begin! Right as we stepped off the cable car we were greeted by cows with bells! What a beautiful sight and sound! Throughout this whole day we would enjoy the sound of cowbells tinkling over the mountains and through the hills. From the Ebenalp cable car station we hiked down a mile or so to visit Berggasthof Aescher which is a mountain hut(guesthouse) and restaurant built into the side of the cliff. These huts were built for hikers as they made their way through the mountains on multi day trips. On the way we passed through the Wildkirchli caves and chapel. We couldn’t resist a small snack and beer at this famous mountain restaurant!
We would need to backtrack back up to Ebenalp to start the trail that would lead us to our mountain hut where we would stay the night! Our journey was steep and beautiful and felt longer than it was with our heavy overnight packs on our backs! Jetlag didn’t help either but the sound of those cowbells sure was soothing! We stopped to watch the paragliders take off and spotted a couple of super cute calves fitted with tiny bells! I loved the trail markers which were 2 white lines with a red in-between.
When we reached the Bergassthof Schafler we were a little too early to check in so we ordered lunch of Alpine Mac & Cheese with sausage and apple sauce and then we hiked a little more to explore Schafler Ridge which was the focus of our visit!
And Schaffler Ridge was amazing! I could not believe how stunning this view was and that we got the stay here to experience the best sunset and sunrise in Switzerland!
I think we ended up with the best room in the hut! Our 2nd floor window opened right on Schafler Ridge and we could hear the tinkle of the cowbells echoing off the hills. I was in love with that window! This has to be one of the most unique places to stay! The hut has no showers and only a couple of shared toilets downstairs. Our room was set up with end to end twin beds and a wash basin with pitcher for freshening up! There was a sink room down the hall as well. Phone charging stations were available in the halls but we were lucky enough to have an outlet in our room. There was a slipper room where you exchanged your hiking boots with Croc “slippers” . To book a room here visit https://schaefler.ch/. We booked months in advance.
In the evening a herd of mountain goats made a visit and of course they had bells as well!
Our dinner was quite delicious! A gourmet salad and a rosti! We had to try all the traditional foods while visiting the hut and we are so glad we did!
After our yummy dinner, it was time for the main event! Sunset! And as you can see from the pictures, it did not disappoint!!
After a good night’s rest we rose early to witness the sunrise which was just as spectacular!
It was hard to pull ourselves away from the sunrise but it was time to pack up, eat a fresh breakfast provided free with our room, and start the hike down the mountain. The hardest part was saying goodbye to my window!!
We hiked down to Ebenalp to take the cable car back to the train station. We enjoyed the views from Wasserauen while waiting for the train.
Our 5.5 hour journey today would end up in a mountain town called Murren where we would spend the next 3 nights. The trains in Switzerland are always on time and are so clean. You don’t even realize how long you have traveled when there is such beautiful scenery everywhere. Every town we passed through was lush green and emasculate. The beautiful city of Lucern was on the way, so we stopped for lunch and a little sight seeing.
Lucern and the Lauterbrunnen Valley
Luggage lockers were a great help so we didn’t have to lug our stuff around town. The famous Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge) was just a 5 minute walk from the train station. We crossed over the bridge and found the Lion Monument in a small park where you can learn the history & story of the lion.
The 2nd half of our journey started on a panoramic train and ended in Lauterbrunnen Valley where we took a cable car to the mountain town of Murren. Cable car is the only way you can reach this remote town. If you are staying in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, I highly recommend staying in Murren for many reasons. For one, the views are incredible and for two, it is so quite and peaceful away from the crowds. This is an authentic little town that doesn’t feel touristy and no cars are allowed! There are great hiking trails and a total of two cable cars, one on each side of town. The main cable car takes you to Grütschalp and then you board the Lauterbrunnen-Murren mountain railway to take you the rest of the way into Murren. The other Stechelberg–Mürren cable car is located on the far end of town right next to our hotel. This cable car connects to the Shilthorn cable car.
We choose to stay at the Hotel Alpenruh due it it’s somewhat reasonable prices. The room was very simple but the views… They were spectacular! Right outside our balcony were waterfalls and glaciers. It seemed as though you would reach out and touch them! We ate most our lunches and dinner on this balcony!
Speaking of lunch and dinner, we choose to get most of our meals at the grocery store Coop (pronounced COPE) ! They had fresh sandwiches, salads, and warm meals at night! The small Coop in Murren closed early so if we did not get back in time to purchase dinner we went to the Coop in Lauterbrunnen located right next to the cable car station. We were not the only ones with this great plan to save money on meals, so be prepared for crowds shopping at dinner time!
Via Ferrata
On our first full day in Murren we jumped right into the excitement! I had always wanted to do a Via Ferrata and Murren was home to one of the most famous ones. I was so very nervous but ready to go! I have to say this was one of the scariest things I have done but WOW, what an experience! Outfitted in harnesses, clips, helmets and a guide, we were off. If you are afraid of heights, this is NOT for you! We hiked along the cliff wall between Murren and Gimmelwald using, rungs, ladders, tightropes, ziplines and wobbly suspension bridges. We climbed across a cliff face with nothing below us but a 2000ft drop! The views were unbelievable and I was so proud of both of us for completing the whole thing with no meltdowns!
After about 1.5 miles of cliff face obstacles, we ended up in Gimmelwald where we would take the cable car back to Murren. But first we needed to explore this unique little mountain town. Gimmelwald is known for its views, farmer’s fridges, hostels and for it’s honesty shop! An honesty shop is an unmanned souvenir shop. You take what you want and pay on your way out! No fuss, no muss!
The day was not over! After a quick shower, we headed down into Lauterbrunnen to rent Ebikes! Imboden Bike Rental fitted us with Ebikes, helmets, a lock and a map and we were off to see the famous Staubback Falls!
There is a beautiful bike path that takes you through town and past several waterfalls. We opted to ride to Trummelbach Falls which is a set of 10 glacier fed waterfalls inside the mountain. They are accessible by a tunnel lift, and stairs.
Grindelwald First
Our last day in the area was spent at Grindelwald First -Top of Adventure. This is basically a mountain amusement park surrounded by fantastic views! This is where we ran into our favorite Switzerland Youtubers Alpinsinthealps.com! See picture at the top of this post!
What a fantastic Day! After arriving in Grindelwald via train, we rode the cable car up to First where we entertained our thrill seeking side by riding the First Glider and the Mountain Trikes. SO MUCH FUN!
Then we took the cable car all the way up to Top of Adventure where we had a mountain picnic(with food purchased from Coop that morning) and watched the paragliders dance above us!
We also got to walk across the cliff walk!
Schynige Platte
The second part of the day took us to Schynige Platte via a historic cog railroad. At a snail’s pace we climbed 6400ft to stunning alpine views. We enjoyed a peaceful walk through the alpine garden before making the journey back down.
Our last night in Murren was spent doing laundry at the only public laundry located in the basement of another hotel! As we waited for our clothes to wash and dry, we took pictures around this wonderful little town. I just love the window boxes full of flowers and the fountains of fresh water where we could fill our water bottles! Each fountain unique in its own way.
We have come to the end of part 1 of A Swiss Adventure To Remember! Stay tuned for Part 2 all about Zermatt, Lugano, our Italian Alpine Crossing and our panoramic train ride on the Gotthard Express! Here is the link to Part 2:
Please remember to travel responsibly and leave no trace!
If you would like to read about more of our international travel here are a couple of links:
