When I tried to classify this place, I was split between calling it an “iconic place” or a “city” as there is a habited settlement in the area that serves the touristic area around it. The town of Kandersteg is served by a half-hourly train connection from Bern via Thun Read more
I’ve been on plenty of trams in my travels around the world, but the Trogenerbahn is the first tram line I’ve seen with a first class section. The nearly 10km ride takes just over an hour with its highest elevations at its two termini at 780m and 906m. It starts Read more
Freiburg is the most beautiful medieval city you’ve never heard of In Switzerland. Does the name sound familiar? That’s because there are two cities of the same name in Germany. Perched high on a hill top, Freiburg (or Fribourg in French) features original urban fortifications surrounding the well-preserved old town. Read more
Known in German as Biel and in French as Bienne, the city is truly bilingual. While Freiburg might advertise itself as being legally bilingual and give French preferred typefaces on signs, Biel treats both languages equally. When you walk into a store, you’re greeted by a “Grüesse” followed by a Read more
It is quite expensive, but there is a reason to it…Saas Fee is a natural theme park. At 3,456 meters above sea level, the summit of Mittelallalin gives a “Christmas touch” to that winter magic. When you arrive, a well-organised ground crew of teenagers direct you to empty parking spots Read more
Not very well known to the outside world, nor to Swiss people for that matter, Heiden is locate in the conservative canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Despite having just 4,000 inhabitants, it actually holds some significance to Swiss history. Henry Dunant, one of the founders of the ICRC spent the last Read more
Traveling between Chur in Switzerland and Tirano in Italy, the 156km trip takes over 4 hours to complete. The reason why buses can run this route faster than the train is that the Bernina Express is the only train route to traverse over the alps and not under it. There Read more
Most well known for its international role of hosting the World Economic Forum, Davos is also a ski destination and a retreat in the mountains. The rich come for holiday by helicopter, athletes use its slopes as training grounds for skiing, snowboarding, and bobsledding. It also has three museums, of Read more
Heidi is perhaps the most famous piece of Swiss literature to non-Swiss people. Spyri’s take of a girl living with her grandfather, being sold to a rich family in Frankfurt, and then returning to the mountains due to homesickness has been turned into major motion pictures all around the world. Read more
Known as “Sylvester Klausen” to High German speakers and “Sylvesterchlausen” to Swiss German speakers, the festival is unique to Appenzell and only happens twice a a year in winter in select villages of Switzerland. To celebrate Saint Sylvester’s day on December 31, volunteers in each participating village meet at 5am Read more